South Dakota Bat Working Group
Last update 22 June 2011

2011 Bat Festival

The 6th Annual Bat Festival will be held at Custer State Park on Saturday August 13 - 6:00 pm

Come enjoy a wonderful opportuntity to learn more about bats. After our lecture-presentation we will use 'bat-detectors to listen to bats flying overhead in the Campground. Bring the family, there will be crafts for kids, and some refreshments will be provided!

There is no charge for the festival.
The Park charges a small admittance fee.
Contact: Joel Tigner (605-390-2061)

SD-BWG's 5th Annual Bat Festival
was held 14th August, 2010 at the Tatanka Theatre at Custer State Park in the southern Black Hills. Despite the cool temperature, this year's festival had a record attendance of around 200 people! Biologists and other bat enthusiasts spent the evening discussing bats and bat-related topics. Some of the bats roosting in the Tatanka Theatre made their second annual appearance by flying around inside the theatre allowing festival-goers to hear real-time echolocation on ultrasonic detectors.

A Certificate of Appreciation was presented to David & Karen Papcke by Shelly Deisch (Biologist - SD Game, Fish and Parks) to recognize their participation in SD-GFP's program to protect abandoned mines as bat habitat. The Papckes were also given a DVD and a book about bats in thanks.

The Bat Festival is for Kids of ALL ages!

A variety of bat cookies were available (just bat-shaped,
no Chiropteran ingredients were used!). Fresh-brewed
coffee and bottled water were also provided.

 

Kids were also able to make decorative
foam-bats that were then attached to a
clothespin for decorating their own rooms
(almost 50 bats were assembled!).

Thanks to a generous donation from a Couple from Wisconsin
and money placed in a donation-bottle, we collected enough
funds to purchase a complete set of Bat-Books for another
elementary school in SD!

Read more about our Bat-Books-For-Schools Program

Lots of volunteers contributed to the success of this year's Festival. We would like to offer very special thanks to:

Brad Phillips - festival organizer, displays, & quality control cookie tester

Marty Phillips - cookie baker

Laurie Tigner - cookie baker & foam bat kits for children

Karen, Bailey, & Keegan Paugh - staffing the refreshments table

Patti Lynch and Nick Altadonna - staffing of the t-shirt table

Shelby Andersen and Cary Roller - assisting youngsters with assembly of the foam bats

Shelly Deisch, SD-GF&P

Silka Kempema, SD-GF&P

Adam Weaver, Paha Sapa Grotto

Ron Fry, Picture Perfect Photography - All photos on this page are courtesy of Mr. Fry.

Joel Tigner, Batworks, LLC

A big thank-you goes out to Custer State Park and their staff for providing the venue and logistical support for the Festival.

Report all dead links/images to Scott.Pedersen@Bathead.com