Out of all the natural areas that Texas Master Naturalist volunteers Tina Olivas, Mary Beth Lampe and Karen Harden have surveyed, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and surrounding natural areas in Fort Worth house the largest bat population throughout Tarrant and Parker counties.
Just before the sun rose mid-Monday, the three volunteers installed an audio recording device to collect data on the bat species that predominantly inhabit the garden at night.
They began their research in the Cross Timbers region in spring 2024, after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department was tapped by the North American Bat Monitoring Program in 2023 to collect more data about bats that inhabit Texas. Volunteers also have monitored bat populations at 12 other locations, including the Tandy Hills Natural Area, the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, the Sheri Capehart Nature Preserve, Lake Mineral Wells State Park and private land in both Tarrant and Parker counties…