Did you know that the Yolo Causeway is home each season to a large maternity colony of Mexican free tailed bats?
Each spring, these remarkable bats return and remain through early fall to raise their pups.
Every summer, the Yolo Basin Foundation hosts its popular Bat Talk & Tour, a fascinating educational experience featuring a lecture, live rescued bats, and a guided tour of the surrounding wetlands. The evening concludes with the breathtaking “fly out,” when thousands of bats emerge at sunset in an unforgettable display.
About Our Speaker
Mary Jean (Corky) Quirk, Founder NorCal Bats
Corky Quirk is the founder of NorCal Bats, an organization that provides care for injured bats and educational programs for libraries, school, nature programs, fairs and other events throughout the region. Corky has been working intensely with native bats since 2004 and has educated thousands of people. She works with injured and orphaned bats, returning them to the wild and keeps a captive colony of non-releasable bats for use in education. She is permitted through the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife and the USDA. Corky also is responsible for maintaining www.norcalbats.org.
She is also an experienced environmental educator who got her start with Camp Fire Boys and Girls. She has an undergraduate degree in natural resource planning and interpretation from Humboldt State University. She teaches three days a week at Yolo Basin Foundation, a wetland education program in the Sacramento Valley, in addition to her work with bats.
Registration
This is a special member-only event. Registration is free for active AWWEE members.
Please note that registration will close at the end of the on August 17, 2026. Secure your spot early!