Port St. Lucie - Tuesday October 18, 2022: The UF/IFAS St. Lucie County Extension, in conjunction with the Rio Lindo Garden Club and Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, will present “Bat Detecting Basics” on Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
During this event, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County Natural Resources Agent Ken Gioeli will go over the basics of bat biology and will use bat detectors on a nighttime search for bats. The cost is $20 per person.
Have you ever wondered what kind of bats live in Florida? Meet at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens for an informative bat chat with guest speaker Ken Gioeli. Learn about bats as fascinating, beautiful, misunderstood mammals and their role in a healthy ecosystem. Gioeli will bring bat detectors to show participants how to detect bat echolocation at night during a stroll through the beautiful gardens at Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens. Live bats will not be showcased during the presentation, but are likely to be detected during the stroll through the gardens.
Gioeli serves on the faculty of the University of Florida/IFAS as the Natural Resources Extension Agent for St. Lucie County. He provides natural resource-related educational programs for Extension volunteers such as Master Gardeners and Florida Master Naturalists, as well as general homeowners, community organizations, school and governmental agencies. Gioeli earned his University of Florida master’s degree in agricultural education and communications and a graduate certificate in environmental education. He conducted research on vampire bats through the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) – a collaboration between UF, Duke University and the Universidad de Costa Rica.
What: Bat Detecting Basics at Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
Date & Time: Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Location: Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, 2410 Westmoreland Blvd., Port St. Lucie, Fla. 34952
Registration: Required. Seating is limited. For tickets and information, please contact Illona Christie: 772-335-7930 / illonachristie@gmail.com or Joleen King / 772-337-0223 strking@reagan.com
Costs: $20 per person
Ages: This will be an adult-oriented program.