The Mississippi Bat Working Group's 2011 Mist Net Event will be held July 11 - 13 at Grenada Lake in Grenada, Mississippi. The event will include two nights of netting bats with potential sites including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers properties, state WMA's and National Wildlife Refuges.

The event will kick-off the afternoon of July 11th with a bat identification presentation by Alison McCartney. This presentation is designed to teach you how to recognize the different species we have in the state using roosting behavior, habitat, as well as physical characteristics. Following Alisons talk, well have supper, a safety talk and head out to our mist net sites.

On July 12th, were going to try something a little different than what weve done in the past. This year we will conduct bridge surveys for roosting bats. Well be working in small groups and will cover as much territory as we can to sample as many bridges as possible to determine if bats are using them as roosts. You dont have to be a bat expertthe only criteria is to be able to recognize that something is a bat. This will reduce the number of bridges that state biologists will need to monitor for bat use and make their job easier. Well reconvene for supper and then head out for the second night of mist netting.

On July 13th, well meet briefly in the morning for a wrap-up and then break up into committee meetings. This will be a chance for the committees to meet, look at what theyve accomplished so far, and where they need to go from here. It would also be a great time for new folks to get more involved in some of our committees.

Free lodging at the group facility at Carver Point will be available to the first 30 registrants. Carver Point has dormitory-style accommodations and is located on the lake.Cabins are available for rent at Hugh White State Park and hotels are available in Grenada for those wishing to make their own lodging arrangements. Both these sites are about 45 minutes from the group facility.

If you are not able to make the whole event but would like to participate in any part, please fill out the attached registration form and indicate when you will be attending. We do ask for a $20 registration fee (pay at the door) to cover the cost of food. This fee would be reduced or waived if you are only attending a portion of the event.

If you are interested in attending the event please fill out the registration form and return it by June 30, 2011 to msbats@hotmail.com or Becky Rosamond, USFWS, P.O. Box 1070, Grenada, MS 38902. The registration fee of $20 to cover the cost of food can be paid upon arrival.

If you would like more information, please contact us at msbats@hotmail.com .