Displaying items by tag: ijams bat house

University of Tennessee professor emeritus Gary McCracken is seen this summer near the new massive bat house built at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville. McCracken, who will help with research at the site, spent his life studying bats; he attributes their northward migration to climate change and warns of critical pest-control gaps if bats continue their decline.  J.J. Stambaugh/Hellbender Press

New exhibit will host research into critical pest-control species; could attract 200,000 bats to urban wildlife refuge

Bat, bat,
Come under my hat,
And I'll give you a slice
of bacon;
And when I bake
I'll give you a cake,
If I am not mistaken.

— Traditional nursery rhyme 

KNOXVILLE — Of all the critters that share this Earth with Homo sapiens, bats might have the most schizophrenic reputation of all.

Depending on who you ask, bats — of which there are at least a dozen species in East Tennessee alone — are seen as creepy, adorable, weird, useful or diseased. Opinions may vary, but the one thing that most folks might agree upon is that bats are, well, fascinating.

And that’s a good thing for local nature lovers, because up to 200,000 of them should soon be living at South Knoxville’s own nonprofit wildlife sanctuary, Ijams Nature Center.

Under the direction of University of Tennessee professor emeritus Gary McCracken and Ijam’s conservation director, Ben Nanny, a bat house has been constructed near Meads Quarry that’s expected to attract a large colony of Mexican free-tailed bats that will prove to be a delight for Ijams visitors.