one of the perks of studying a mysterious study species such as 'the bat' is that people often want to know more. this means i spend my winters in grade two class rooms giving numerous presentations around halloween time, and visit highschool science camps in the summer. this past weekend however, i was sent into a camp on a float plane to give a seminar on bats to a small group of college students enrolled in a two-year program that trains them to be natural resource technicians. their camp is situated on the pink sandy shores of Tsu Lake up on the Canadian shield, and after a steak supper grilled on an open fire, i was shown around via motor boat as one of the students was practicing driving for his boat exam the following week.
i think it's shield country that keeps me coming back up north. the hard pink granite. the numerous lakes speckling the landscape. the stunted trees and shrubs eking out an existance in every crack and crevice they can find. it really is a gorgeous landscape if you like that barren sort of feel.
it was a short trip, in and out for one evening and a quick hour-long seminar on bats with all their quirks, quarks and myth busting traits. we found a few fecal pellets on the outside of the dining hall, which i'm not sure the cook enjoyed, but the students were excited at the possibility that there may be bats in the vicinity.
it's perks like this that make a fantastic field season even more incredible!
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