From left to right, Langley City Environmental sustainability coordinator Perry Browne, BC Bats Ambassadors Ron and Terri-Lou Trainor, and Langley City councillors Rosemary Wallace and Paul Albrecht gathered October 28 to mark the City’s official status as a Bat Friendly Community. (Heather Colpitts/Langley Advance Times)
Bat Ambassadors have been working hard and formed a Bat-Friendly Community team comprised of the Langley Field Naturalists, Langley Environmental Partners Society (LEPS), and Metro-Vancouver Community Bat Program. The team worked with the Langley City Environmental Sustainability Committee.
On October 7, 2024, Langley City officially became a Bat-Friendly Community. Following this news, the award was presented at the Council meeting on October 21, 2024.
To earn this title, Langley City, with the help Bat-Friendly Community Team promised to do three important things:
- Protect and Create Bat Homes: The City will help create safe places for bats, including building bat houses.
- Teach the Community About Bats: The City will share information about bats and their importance to our environment.
- Engage the Community: There will be fun events like presentations and bat-house-building workshops to help everyone learn more about bats.
“The City of Langley wants to help people understand how important bats are to our environment. This program helps us care for our natural spaces,” said Perry Browne, Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator.
By becoming a Bat-Friendly Community, Langley City hopes to help the community learn about local bats and improve the bats’ homes throughout the city. Ultimately helping to control insect pests, create pollinator gardens for nocturnal insects, and making our ecosystem healthier.