(Fredonia, AZ) - Pipe Spring National Monument will be offering evening bat programs on Wednesday, June 13, Monday, July 23, and Friday, August 17 from 8;30 – 10:30PM (MDT).

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Pipe Spring has been periodically monitoring the bat population at the monument for over 10 years. The last two years it has embarked on a special research project with Dr. John Taylor of Southern Utah University in cooperation with the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, The purpose of the project is to provide critical information about the bat species that inhabit Pipe Spring National Monument and the surrounding Kaibab Indian Reservation. The study will determine spatial and temporal bat activity, such as migration patterns and distribution across the Monument and the Reservation.

Dr. Taylor was raised and has lived in southern Utah most of his life. He graduated from Pine View High School attended Dixie State College, earning his Associate of Science degree and received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Southern Utah University. Taylor continued his studies at Brigham Young University researching bats, earning a Masters Degree in zoology. He earned his Ph.D from Syracuse University in New York and returned to Southern Utah University in 2002 teaching biology. He has maintained an active bat research program investigating how bats use mines, local water sources and national parks. He is a board member of the Utah Science Teachers Association and the Zion Natural History Association.

Dr. Taylor’s research associate for the Pipe Spring research project is Cameron Jack, who was raised in the Moapa Valley of southern Nevada and recently earned his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Southern Utah University and will attend graduate school next year. This is his first experience studying one specific animal species and his desire to understand the dynamic nature of bats has inspired his continued research at Pipe Spring for over a year. Under the guidance of Dr. Taylor, he has become familiar with bats and their use of sonar. Jack has become skilled at using the latest technology to analyze bat sonar to identify the bat species at Pipe Spring National Monument.

Dr. Taylor and Jack will introduce atendees to several varieties of bats during their presentation. People planning to attend should bring a lawn chair, flashlight, bug spray, and water to drink. The Pipe Spring National Monument Visitor Center and Museum will be closed during the presentation. Regular entrance fees will apply; $5.00 per person 16 and older. Those younger are admitted free. Interagency Annual, Senior, and Access passes are accepted and sold at Pipe Spring National Monument 15 miles west of Fredonia, Arizona, or 45 miles east of Hurricane, Utah state route 59.

For additional information, go to Pipe Spring National Monument.