The Tennessee Bat Working Group

The Tennessee Bat Working Group (TNBWG) was formed in the summer of 2004 in recognition of the need for cooperation among various groups and individuals to help coordinate the conservation of bat species in Tennessee.

The TNBWG is a chartered organization with a Chairperson, Recording Secretary, and five-member Board. The charter was voted on and accepted by the membership on 1 July, 2004.

See the minutes from the 2008 TN Bat Working Group Meeting (pdf)

The 2009 TNBWG Officers are as follows:

Chairperson — George "Richie" Wyckoff
Recording Secretary — Bettina Bowers Schwan
Board — Craig Walker, David Pelren, Brian Carver, Mark Thurman, & Cory Holliday

The scope of the TNBWG is the study and exchange of information relative to the conservation, biology, ecology, and management of bats and their habitats on all state, federal, and private lands within the state of Tennessee.

The goal of the TNBWG is to conserve bats and their habitats in the southeastern United States through collaborative research, education, and management with a focus on bat research, conservation, education, and management within the state of Tennessee.

Specific objectives identified to achieve this goal are:

Promote research on bats and their habitats throughout the state of Tennessee.
Enhance knowledge and technical capabilities of state, federal, and private organizations and their personnel regarding the understanding of bats and their habitats in the state.
Promote the conservation and management of bats in all phases of land and water development and management within the state.
Increase awareness and appreciation of bat conservation and management within the public and private sectors.
Provide information and technical assistance to Working Group members and others interested in bat conservation.
Facilitate communication and information exchange among members of the Working Group through e-mail discussions, meetings, symposia, workshops, newsletters, etc.
Develop technical reviews, position statements, and other materials regarding bats and their habitats in Tennessee.
Provide information and technical assistance to government officials, journalists, educators, other organizations, and the general public in the area of bat conservation and management.
Make recommendations to government agencies and private organizations for specific actions regarding bats and their habitats.
Support the SBDN through attendance at annual meetings and workshops, and provide routine correspondence with SBDN officers regarding activities of the Working Group.

Membership in the TNBWG is available to any person who is interested in Tennessee’s bats and is willing to support the goals and objectives of the TNBWG.

Contact Information:

George "Richie" Wyckoff, Wildlife Ecologist
ATA Conservation
1103 Avenue B
Arnold Air Force Base, TN 37389-1800
Phone: (931)454-4856 Fax: (931)454-5126
email: george.wyckoff@arnold.af.mil

The text for the Bat Facts and Bat Description pages of this website were taken with permission from the Bats of the Eastern United States poster. Acknowledgements for that poster read: Bats of the Eastern United States was prepared by Troy L. Best (Department of Zoology and Wildlife Science and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University, Alabama), J. Scott Altenbach (Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque), and Michael J. Harvey (Department of Biology, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville). R. R. Currie (United States National Biological Service, Asheville, North Carolina) and K. Sutton (Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Little Rock) generously provided permission to reproduce parts of Bats of the Eastern United States by M. J. Harvey (published by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and Tennessee Technological University, 46 pp., 1992). W.M. Kiser, and R. S. Lishak reviewed an early draft of the manuscript.