UT Arboretum to have presentation on bats on Thursday

The University of Tennessee Arboretum will host a presentation on bats—“Let’s Go BAT-ty”—from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday.

Gerry Middleton, a biologist who has studied bats extensively, will present a slide show at the Visitor’s Center to discuss his two-year study of Arboretum bats. Using his “bat detector,” he will take the group outside to look for the nocturnal creatures.

A biologist with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in the U.S. Department of Energy-Oversight Office, Middleton promised that this will be an opportunity for all ages to learn more about the local bat population, a press release said. Middleton has an master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

For more information on the “Let’s Go BAT-ty” program or the UT Arboretum, call (865) 483-3571, visit their website at http://forestry.tennessee.edu/events.htm, or the Arboretum Society’s website at www.utarboretumsociety.org.

The Arboretum is located at 901 S. Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society is a 49-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering the objectives and programs of the University of Tennessee’s 250-acre Arboretum in Oak Ridge. To learn more about the Arboretum Society, and the UT Arboretum Endowment Fund, go to www.utarboretumsociety.org.