Cost: $30 for non-members, $20 for members. Members, please use your $10 discount code.

Vicky Beckham Smith will introduce you to the wonderful world of bats during her live bat presentation!

You will learn:

• About bats from around the world including the 15 species of AL bats

• The truth about myths we often hear

• How important these winged critters are to our environment with their special adaptations, varied feeding strategies and various roosting places

• About the different sizes of bats through various mounted bats and life size silhouettes and the differences between micro bats and mega bats.

Vicky will bring live native bats and Egyptian fruit bats for you to meet. There will be plenty of photo opportunities as she shows off the special flying mammals. Vicky holds USDA, USFWS and state permits that allow her to house and use the bats for educational purposes.

‍Vicky Beckham Smith, owner of A-Z ANIMALS, is known as “The Bat Lady”. Some people even say she is batty! Vicky’s teaches about a wide variety of topics including mammals, birds, reptiles, invertebrates, plants and fossils. She teaches in schools, at special events, at summer camps and at libraries reaching over 5,000 people a year.

Vicky was recently honored with the 2024 BEEP (Best Environmental Education  Program) Award for the Best Environmental Education Curriculum for her Bats, Bugs and Biodiversity Program developed  for AL State Parks. She serves as education chair for the AL Bat Working Group, serves on the education committee of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Bat TAG (Taxonomy Advisory Group) helping produce teacher conservation kits for their work in Guam, Rota, Papua New Guinea, and Madagascar as well as helping to create the newly released Bats: An Educator’s Guide for zoo educator and is a member of the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network.