This class meets two times. Once online, then in-person. Exact location to be emailed after the first session.

Thursday, October 16th, 6 pm–7:30 pm (Online)
Thursday, October 23rd, 6 pm–7:30 pm (In-Person Offsite Walk)

It's that time of the year when bats are on the brain! Often thought of as scary and spooky, but in fact they serve a tremendous role year round. From pollination and pest control, to serving as indicators of a healthy ecosystem.

Join us online for this eye-opening presentation, as Joseph Curti, bat expert and Ph.D. candidate of the Shaffer Lab at UCLA discusses the diversity of bat species living in Los Angeles. Learn about their morphology, natural history, threats, conservation, and their relationship to California native plant habitats. To be followed by Q&A.

The second portion will consist of a nature walk by the L.A. River from dusk to dark. Here, we will put what was learned the previous week into action. With the aid of echolocation instruments, we hope to maximize our chances of live bat sightings!

Zoom login instructions will be included in the reminder emails. Registered students will have access to a recording of the class for 2 weeks after the live event.

**Outdoor component may include trails with uneven terrain. Bringing water, warm layers, and comfortable, closed-toe shoes is strongly recommended.**

Joseph Curti is a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science. Joey’s current research focuses on the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on bat community composition in urban areas across California. Joey received his Ph.D. in 2024 from the UCLA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department, where he worked with statewide resource managers on a variety of conservation genomics projects. These included a project aimed at evaluating the impact of roadways in Los Angeles to California quail (Callipepla californica) gene flow and rangewide landscape genomics of the Yuma myotis bat (Myotis yumanensis). Joey has been working with bats since 2015 and has worked on a variety of projects including radio tracking big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in the California Central Valley, mist netting surveys for bats on the California Channel Islands, and acoustic surveys of bats for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Resources:

https://www.josephcurti.com

Refund Policy:

If you are feeling sick or experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, we urge you to stay home, regardless of vaccination status. Please note refunds are not available within 7 days of the class.