The Ohio Bat Lab

We are excited to invite you to the 4th annual Ohio Bat Festival!

On October 25th 2025, at Maple Ridge Lodge, Cincinnati, OH, we will come together to celebrate our bat neighbors. Migrate on over to Cincinnati, to learn about the amazing diversity of bat species that we share the Earth—and your backyard—with. Dispel misconceptions about bats, and explore the ways that bats and humans can co-exist!

The Ohio Bat Fest is a FREE event for people of all ages. We will have field demonstrations, activities for kids, interesting exhibits highlighting the ecology, diversity, and conservation of bats in Ohio and globally. We look forward to seeing you there!

Want to volunteer? Email Batsproject@ucmail.uc.edu And let us know if you’d like to lead an activity!

Bat Chatter - Demonstrations with Experts

From conservation success stories to cool tech like bat-tracking drones, our researchers share real adventures from the field.

• Drone demonstrations will take place at a quarter past each hour, starting at 12:15 PM and continuing through 4:15 PM

• Telemetry walks (see how we track bats) will take place on the half hour, starting at 12:30 PM and continuing through 4:30 PM

• Mist-net setup demonstrations on the hour through 4:00 PM

• Acoustic recorders and Camera traps - get hands-on!

All in the Roost - Family Friendly Activities

• Color your own bat

• Face painting (tbd)

• Become a bat - take your photo in a bat cutout

• Compare your hand to a bats

• Test your knowledge - Bat trivia (kids and adults)

• Identify bats by their wing prints - fingerprinting bats

• Experience a night in the life of a bat biologist

Engage with others working in conservation and management:

• Ohio Division of Wildlife

• Ohio Bat Working Group

• Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District

• Ohio Woodland Stewards

• Wildlife Rehabilitaters

• and others!

Sponsors

Bat Lab Ohio, University of Cincinnati, School of IT

Want to be a sponsor? Please reach out at joseph.johnson@uc.edu