Community invited into field work near Whitehorse
About 20 people followed Yukon Department of Environment staff into the forest near Chadburn Lake last Friday for a public bat-banding demonstration that pulled back the curtain on a seldom seen corner of the territory’s wildlife research.
How the fieldwork was done
Participants walked roughly half a kilometre along darkened trails to a site where a bat box has been installed as part of ongoing monitoring. There, staff set up a harp net — a square metal frame strung with two layers of fishing line and a suspended catch bag — beneath the entrance and exit of the bat house. A black garbage bag was draped opposite the net to direct bats into the trap.
Once captured, bats were removed carefully for examination and banding by Education and Outreach Biologist Carrie McClelland and other staff. The team used thick leather gloves to protect handlers and calipers to measure wings. Each animal was turned briefly to record sex and whether females were nursing. Bats without an identification band received a small strip of malleable metal etched with a number, clamped gently to the front of the wing.
Minimal-impact methods and public education
The department emphasised that the entire procedure is designed to be as minimally invasive as possible and that the bands do not affect the animals’ ability to fly. The roughly two-hour event combined hands-on demonstration with information about the territory’s most numerous bat species, the Little Brown Bat, which is listed as an endangered species in Canada.
Attendees were given a close look at the measurement and banding steps, and staff explained how the numbers on the bands help researchers track movements, survival and population trends over time. The demonstration offered a rare opportunity for Yukoners to see the territory’s only flying mammals up close and learn about field techniques that are otherwise carried out at night and out of public view.
Local context and conservation significance
Little Brown Bats have suffered significant population declines across North America, in part due to disease and habitat loss. The department’s bat box installations and banding program near Whitehorse contribute to a broader effort to monitor local populations, identify threats and inform conservation planning.
For residents, the event was both an educational experience and a reminder of the hidden wildlife that shares the region. Public outreach like this can strengthen local support for conservation measures and encourage stewardship among people who use nearby trails and green spaces.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of attendees | 20 |
| Walking distance to site | 0.5 km |
| Event length | About two hours |
| Species highlighted | Little Brown Bat (endangered nationally) |
- Harp nets and bat boxes are standard tools in bat monitoring.
- Bands are small metal strips with identification numbers and are applied to the wing.
- Data from banding informs local conservation and long-term population studies.
Opportunities to observe scientific fieldwork firsthand are rare, particularly for nocturnal species. For Whitehorse residents curious about local biodiversity, events like the Chadburn Lake banding offer both education and a connection to the practical work of protecting species that increasingly rely on collaborative monitoring to survive.
