This training is exclusively for current Conservation Leader volunteers.

Conservation Leader volunteers play an important role in helping Five Rivers MetroParks connect people with the natural world, whether engaging with event-goers at a busy festival, supporting nature-based programming, or contributing to conservation efforts throughout the parks.

This training will focus on two areas of Conservation Leader volunteer engagement: engaging the public at booth-based events and using the Echo Meter bat detector during programs and for independent bat monitoring. 

VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT AT BOOTH-BASED EVENTS

The annual Wagner Subaru Outdoor Experience, produced by Five Rivers MetroParks, is quickly approaching on October 3 and 4. As the Midwest’s premier free adventure festival, this two-day event features hands-on outdoor activities, demonstrations, live music, food, camping, and more.

Each year, Conservation Leader volunteers and staff support the event through a large, multi-tent booth that serves as the event’s “Nature Center.” Volunteers engage the public in a wide range of nature-based topics, answer questions, share educational materials and help individuals overcome fears or misconceptions that may prevent them from exploring and connecting with the outdoors.

Volunteers are doing more than simply staffing a booth. They are helping create meaningful connections between people and nature.

During this portion of the training, Conservation Leader volunteers will:

• Become familiar with the materials and educational resources featured at the booth.
• Explore effective techniques for welcoming and engaging event-goers.
• Practice ways to make nature-based topics approachable and interesting for a variety of audiences.
• Discuss strategies for navigating challenging questions and conversations.

Even if you have supported the Wagner Subaru Outdoor Experience in the past or are unable to volunteer at the event this year, you are highly encouraged to attend. MetroParks offers a variety of booth-based volunteer opportunities throughout the year, and the skills covered during this training can be applied well beyond Outdoor Experience.

BAT CONSERVATION & THE ECHO METER

Bats are an important part of the ecosystem! As the primary predators of many night-flying insects in Ohio, bats help keep insect populations in check. Unfortunately, several bat species have experienced significant population declines due to threats including habitat loss, wind energy development and white-nose syndrome.

Understanding where bats are active and how populations are changing is an important part of protecting them. MetroParks Conservation staff have observed a decline in bat box use in recent years, making acoustic monitoring an increasingly valuable tool for understanding local bat populations and informing future conservation efforts.

The Echo Meter, also known as a bat detector, allows us to experience a part of the natural world that would otherwise be hidden from us. Bats communicate using ultrasonic calls that are generally beyond the range of human hearing.

The Echo Meter translates those calls into audible sounds in real time while displaying a spectrogram and, in many cases, providing a suggested identification of the bat species. The Echo Meter can be used both as an engaging educational tool during public programs and as a resource for collecting valuable bat conservation data.

During this portion of the training, Conservation Leader volunteers will learn how to:

• Use and navigate the Echo Meter and its accompanying software.
• Demonstrate the device during public programs and volunteer opportunities.
• Explain bat echolocation and the Echo Meter technology in an engaging and accessible way.
• Properly collect and record acoustic bat monitoring data.Use the Echo Meter independently within Five Rivers MetroParks and report collected data to Conservation staff.

Conservation Leader volunteers who successfully complete this training will have the opportunity to borrow an Echo Meter to independently gather bat activity data within Five Rivers MetroParks and contribute their findings to MetroParks Conservation staff.

Attendance at this training is required for any Conservation Leader volunteer who wishes to use an Echo Meter during public programming or independently for bat data collection within Five Rivers MetroParks.

DO YOU QUALIFY? This opportunity is reserved exclusively for current Conservation Leader volunteers. Learn more about our volunteer orientation and onboarding here. RSVP is required.

Check out the Mammals of Ohio Field Guide from the Ohio Division of Wildlife to learn more about the bat species we have in Ohio.