Troop 234 Boy Scout Trevor Nida. Photo by Sam McIntosh.

A Kalona boy scout is seeking to aid local bats with a project at Marr Park.

Mid-Prairie sophomore Trevor Nida got Washington County Conservation’s approval to put bat houses in Marr Park in Ainsworth. Nida says, “Bats are starting to become extinct a little bit, so making the bat boxes helps them find a location to go during the day. Also it will help decrease the insect population, like mosquitoes and things like that, because mosquitoes also carry diseases and it will help bring that down a little bit.” The bats that inhabit the boxes will feed on insects.

Photo courtesy of Trevor Nida.

Nida cites white-nose syndrome as an emerging disease for hibernating bats in North America. According to the National Wildlife Health Center this fungal disease has caused abnormal hibernating patterns for bats and has killed millions since 2007. Nida plans to put the bat houses on 12-foot poles installed with cement, “There’s this perfect spot, it’s next to a treeline which is west of the campgrounds. They’ll be pointing southeast so they can get enough sunlight and they’ll be set far enough from water. And as they’re going towards the water they can fly through the campgrounds and get bugs as they’re going, and it will help get rid of bugs for campers.”

Nida plans to construct and install these houses with the help of Boy Scout Troop 234 and family. He is seeking donations from area businesses for the bat houses, to be installed this fall.