MADISON – As darkness fell over the state capital Oct. 25, Makeela Magomolla, Tayah Dean and George Whitney led a group of more than 40 people on the winding paths of UW-Madison’s Lakeshore Nature Preserve.
They were on the hunt for something they knew they wouldn’t be able to see. In fact, they’d be able to pick up its presence only using an app on their phones and a red plug-in device smaller than a pack of gum.
The device is called an Echo Meter, and what it detects is bats — recording the high-frequency language the winged mammals use to navigate the night and find food, known as echolocation. Magomolla, Dean and Whitney lead the UW Bat Brigade, a collaboration between the university and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to better understand and care for bats in the area…