Yolo Causeway Annual Bat Count Mailing List!
*** THIS FORM IS NO LONGER THE PLACE TO SIGN UP FOR THE JUNE 6th COUNT. SEE BELOW FOR LINKS! ***

Thank you for all the responses!

The shift sign-ups for the June 6th count are now live and can be accessed at the links, below. Please go to the relevant Signup Genius link to register your spot for the June 6th Pre-pup Count!

Count volunteers, sign up for specific count/support shifts here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45ADA929ABFFC16-yolo

Team Leaders, sign up for Team Lead shifts here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45ADA929ABFFC16-organizers

We are now shifting this form to be a general bat-count interest sign up for future counts.

To get additional info on the count, read on. You are also welcome to fill out this form to get your name on the list for future counts (like the post-pup count in August). Again, to participate in the June 6th count, please sign up at the Signup Genius sites above!

General information on this year's Pre-pup Count:
When:  Sunday, June 6, 2021.
-Daytime Roost Count (count for as little or as long as you like, morning or afternoon)
-Evening Emergence Count (teams will gather an hour or so before sunset and count until twilight fades)

Most of the questions below are optional, but we do need your email to keep you in the loop.

See the bottom of this form for summary info about this year's count. We'll be sending detailed logistics to participants who have registered through the SignUp Genius site in the coming weeks. (We are registering signup shifts this year because of the public-health constraints requiring a cap on participants.)

If you have any trouble submitting this form, please feel free to email yolobatcount@gmail.com and put the words "MailingList" in the subject line. We'll make sure your email address is on the mailing list.

So many thanks.

(Bat photo credits, above: top right - JoEllen Arnold, bottom right: JM Szewczak)
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Email *
Name *
Have you participated in the Yolo Bat Count before? *
What would you like to do?   Check all that apply!
Daytime Counter
Evening Emergence Counter
Logistical Support
Team Leader - Daytime Roost
Team Leader - Evening Emergence
Undecided...
Vote for the August Post-pup Count Date! The count will be either Sunday, August 22 or Sunday, August 29. If you're interested, check the box below for the date(s) that works best for you!
Affiliation (or what brought you to the world of bats?)
Comments/Notes - Anything else you'd like to tell us?
About this year's pre-pup count on June 6:
The following is a quick summary of how things will work this year.

TRAINING
We will offer several orientation sessions by Zoom in advance, as well as in-field introductions periodically throughout the count day to orient newly arriving counters.  Given the pandemic, we will not have an indoor training.

TIMING
Daytime: you are welcome to count for as little or long as you like!  We will have shift sign-ups in advance this year to ensure we do not exceed the total number of volunteers allowed per Covid protocols. We start in the morning, generally by 8:30, but staggered start times accommodate both early birds and night owls. The count is usually finished by early or mid afternoon.  You'll check in when you arrive to confirm crevice assignment, sign the volunteer waiver, and if you're new to the count, you'll join the next field orientation session to get you started.

Evening: This smaller group will meet at the bridge about an hour or more before sunset then disperse in teams to the anticipated exit points to count. This year is our first trial of this method at this site; details TBD!

GEAR.
More complete info to come, but a heads up on a few critical pieces of "gear" to bring (in addition to personal supplies to keep you safe, warm/cool, fed and hydrated):

For the daytime roost counters: Extremely high powered flashlight with sufficient battery life that's comfortable to hold in one hand (we'll have some loaners); clean, tall rubber boots that are comfy to walk in over rough and mucky terrain; good eyesight and neck mobility!

For the evening emergence teams: Headlamp or flashlight for you to navigate safely walking over uneven terrain after dark, possibly reclining camp chairs for comfort while counting

NUMBER OF VOLUNTEERS?
Over the course of the day, we have a cap on the number of volunteers who can be present (two groups of ~45, one East and one West), [UPDATE: we will likely not be able to count the East End, for safety reasons] so we'll implement sign-up slots to ensure we stick to these limits.  We have space for 24-36 evening emergence volunteers. We could also use 8-12 people to take logistical shifts with tasks such as answering questions, relaying messages to field team leads, spacing counters as they arrive for proper survey coverage & covid protocols, tracking data sheets as counters finish, and keeping supplies stocked.

We'll have additional info sessions by Zoom in advance for Counters, Team Leads and Logistics to make sure all your questions are answered.

MODIFICATIONS
We are grateful the public health situation in our region is improving and allowing us to resume modified activities. We'd like to do our part to keep it this way! We will follow all state and county health guidance, and will keep track of these and update everyone should anything change.

We will not be able to provide as much field support (shared gear, etc) as we have in the past, and as noted above there will be a cap on total number of people present at a given time. Although this year will be a modified count, we will still be able to collect excellent data, and we look forward to a wonderful day of outdoor, dispersed, community science camaraderie!

Finally, thank you for sharing your time, expertise and interest in the Bats of the Yolo Bypass!

-Leila Harris, Wildlife Ecologist
Graduate Student, UC Davis Graduate Group in Ecology

Bat Count Co-Lead: Corky Quirk, NorCal Bats, YBF

---- Thanks to past, present and future volunteer counters for making this event possible!!  Thanks to the Yolo Basin Foundation for supporting this project, and to CDFW for allowing site access. Thanks to members of California's Regional Bat Working Groups, and many others, for help with planning and counting. ----

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