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DEC Encourages New Yorkers to Help Protect Bats
During 'Bat Week'
Published: October 26, 2026
at 11:45 a.m.
By: Press Release
from NYS DEC
DEC Encourages New Yorkers to Help Protect Bats
During 'Bat Week'
Outdoor Enthusiasts Encouraged to Refrain from
Visiting Caves and Mines During the Fall and Winter Months
Don’t be ghoulish to our fanged friends this spooky
season
Watch an Interview with DEC Wildlife Biologist Ashley
Meyer.
In observance of
Bat Week and to raise awareness about the critical role of bats in the
environment, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(DEC) encourages outdoor enthusiasts to refrain from visiting caves and
mines during the fall and winter months to reduce human disturbance to
endangered and threatened bats. Bat
Week is observed October 24-31 annually and is organized
by representatives from conservation groups and government agencies in the
United States and Canada to build support for the conservation of bats
– a frequently misunderstood species.
“Protecting New
York’s bats is essential to maintaining healthy ecosystems and conserving
our state’s wildlife for future generations,” said DEC Commissioner
Amanda Lefton. “During Bat Week, DEC is reminding New Yorkers
that disturbing hibernating bats can threaten their survival, particularly
as they face ongoing challenges to recovery. By avoiding caves and mines
and allowing bats to hibernate undisturbed, we can all play a role in
protecting these important species.”
These nocturnal
flying mammals are more helpful to people than harmful, with most species
having absolutely no interest in biting other mammals. There are nine
species of bats in New York, all of which are insectivores that help
control pest populations across the state. Their voracious appetites for
insects help limit the amount of
pesticides used for crops and gardens, reduce mosquitoes, and may help
limit the spread of invasive insects in New York.
Of the nine bat
species found in New York, six are cave bats that hibernate in caves and
mines throughout the winter. Three tree bat species migrate to warmer
areas. All these bats need to build up fat stores in the fall to make sure
they have enough energy to carry them through their long hibernation or
migration. They do this by consuming up to their bodyweight in
insects each night. During this time, known as the fall swarm, bats are
also congregating in large numbers to mate. For cave bats, this means they
are using their hibernation sites to find potential mates before hunkering
down inside for the upcoming winter, making these sites even more valuable
to them.
Bats spend the
winter hibernating in caves and mines where relatively constant, warm
temperatures protect these mammals from harsh winter temperatures above
ground. The health of bats is particularly vulnerable to human visitation
to winter "hibernacula," and especially harmful since the arrival
of white-nose syndrome (WNS)
in 2006, a fungus that has killed more than 90 percent of bats at
hibernation sites in the state.
Both WNS and
human visitation cause bats to rouse more frequently than they
typically do throughout the hibernation season.
If bats are
disturbed during hibernation, they raise their body temperature, depleting
crucial fat reserves. This stored fat is the only source of energy
available to the bats until the weather warms in
spring and insects become readily available. The
more frequently bats are disturbed, the less likely they are to
survive the long winter months underground without eating.
In recent years,
scientists have found evidence of recovery of the once-common little brown
bat throughout New York State. While this seeming stabilization
provides a hopeful outlook after more than a decade of devastating
population declines, similar evidence of stabilization has not been seen
for other severely affected bat species.
DEC reminds the
public to follow all posted notices restricting access to caves and mines.
If bats are discovered hibernating in a cave, DEC urges visitors to leave
quickly and quietly to minimize disturbance. Anyone entering a listed
bat hibernation site from October 1 through April 30, the typical
hibernation period for bats, may be subject to prosecution.
Other ways to
help protect bats in New York include:
- Limiting tree removal to the winter months
(December 1 – February 28 in Suffolk County or November 1 – March 31
elsewhere) to protect bats from harm. During the active season (spring
through early fall), bats roost in trees and form maternity colonies
to rear their pups, so tree removal during this season can potentially
harm bats using trees for these behaviors.
- Planting a pollinator garden to increase prey
availability for bats, who feed on insects;
- Putting up a bat box on your property to
offer bats a summer roost safe from predators and human activity (see options for bat
box designs and DIY instructions);
- Keeping cats indoors to prevent their
predation of bats; and
- Contacting a bat-certified Nuisance Wildlife
Control Operator (NWCO) when looking to remove bats safely from your
home (find a list of NWCOs in your area).
For more
information on bats, including state and federally listed species like
Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat, visit DEC’s website.
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