Six bat houses are benefitting Riverwood Golf Course in Bismarck, N.D., thanks to the work of a local boy scout and the Lewis and Clark Wildlife Club.
As temperatures rise, mosquitoes make their presence known outdoors. When it comes to keeping the pests away from golfers this summer, Riverwood Golf Course in Bismarck, N.D., is benefitting from the work of a local boy scout and the Lewis and Clark Wildlife Club.
The Wildlife Club contacted the local Boy Scout Troop 2 about beginning a bat house project, and Daniel Johnson, a Boy Scout who was looking for a project that would help him progress to become an Eagle Scout, took on the cause (Eagle Scout Service Projects demonstrate leadership of others while performing a project that benefits the community).
Johnson approached Timothy Doppler, Golf Operations Manager of the Bismarck Parks and Recreation department, to propose building and installing six bat houses on the Riverwood GC property, so bats would have a place to rest during the day while keeping the mosquito population down at night.
The Wildlife Club paid for the supplies, while Johnson “did all of the leg work,” Wildlife Club President Dave Dewald says—including researching the project, contacting the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for information and bat house designs, purchasing materials, and organizing his troop to build and install the structures.
The houses, or “bat mansions,” as Doppler calls them, are made of pine, and the exteriors are stained for added protection. Doppler and Johnson worked together to determine the appropriate locations for the houses, selecting open areas so the bats would have easy access to the entrance, with a northern exposure and in spots relatively close to water.
Riverwood GC lent the group golf carts and a ladder for the installation in April. Johnson’s father and other adult members of the club installed the bat houses onto trees about 15 feet off the ground, using lag bolts. No annual maintenance will be necessary, Dewald says, though the organization will check on the houses in the fall.
“Bats will only use the houses during the day and in the summer,” Dewald says. “They will hibernate at some other location.”
Because the houses were only recently installed, Doppler could not yet speak to their effectiveness in controlling mosquitoes, but they are expected to benefit golfers as well as Mother Nature. The project also showcases the benefits of collaborative efforts among community organizations.
“We worked with Bismarck Parks and Recreation on media contacts to help [Johnson] out for PR, and met with [him] on two or three occasions to check progress and answer any questions he had,” Dewald says. “[He was a] great young man to work with!”
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