Local boy does his part to help save endangered bats in Carson City

Geri Baker of Virginia City doesn't have much use for bats, but she wholeheartedly supports her son's obsession.

"To me they're just rats with wings," Baker said, "but he's very passionate about them."

Christian Curtis, 15, is senior patrol leader for Boy Scout Troop 145, and is coordinating the construction and installation of bat boxes for his Eagle Scout project.

"I've always liked bats, well, since I could talk, I guess," Christian said. "I used to watch Batman, and I was obsessed with my Batman costume."

Now that he's older, he has an even greater respect for the flying mammals, and is equally concerned about their welfare.

"Bats are affected by humans' collapsing mines without checking them for wildlife. These bats are crushed and suffocated. It's an issue," Christian said.

"But the saddest thing yet is a terrible disease that is threatening all bat species in North America. Millions of bats are dying. It's called White-Nose Syndrome, a fungal disease for bats with a 90-100 percent fatality rate. It affects bats while hibernating, and is believed to cause the bats to wake up in the winter more than normal, causing them to starve," Christian said.

The growing problem has prompted the young Virginia City resident to take serious action. With the help of the other boys in his troop, he constructed eight bat boxes using tools at the home of Bill Knight, president of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows chapter in Carson City. The boxes will be installed during the Carson River Cleanup on Sept. 17.

"The boxes will be put up near the Morgan Mill River Access area and the Empire Ranch Trail. I have to find the right trees that have six hours of sunlight daily," Christian said.

Christian is pleased that the boxes will help not only the bats, but humans, as well.

"These will provide homes for the homeless. There are several bat species in the area, but the ones most likely to nest in the boxes will be the Little Brown Bat and the Big Brown Bat," he said. "Each box can hold 100 bats, and one bat can eat 600 insects an hour. I am putting up eight bat boxes, so that's 4,800,000 annoying insects gone in one hour."

Christian and the other Scouts will participate in the city's Carson River cleanup day, and Carson City Park Planner Vern Krahn said he is excited to be collaborating with Christian.

"He will be hanging bat boxes on cottonwood trees along the river. If you want to know anything about bats in the area, he is your man," Krahn said of Christian.

The public is invited to take part in the annual river cleanup on Sept. 17, along with the federal Bureau of Land Management, the Carson City District-Sierra Front Field Office, the Kiwanis Club of Carson City, the Carson River Advisory Committee, and the Don't Trash Nevada Campaign.

Local residents will meet from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the BLM office, 5665 Morgan Mill Road at Deer Run Road, three blocks south of Highway 50 East, to clean up public lands along the banks of the Carson River, Brunswick Canyon and the Prison Hill Recreation Area. For more information and to pre-register, email project coordinator Mark Struble at mgstruble@att.net or call 775-721-8006 by Sept. 14.