Tomato hornworms and corn earworms plague backyard gardeners and farmers alike. We don't need more toxic pesticides; just more bats. Conservation educator Rob Mies (40, Bloomingfield, Michigan) spoke to Suite 101 about these misunderstood mammals, their value to humans and what threatens them.
The Making of a Bat Advocate
Mies, founder and director of the nonprofit Organization for Bat Conservation (OBC), grew up in a Detroit suburb. His father, a mechanic for Ford, took him on week-long camping trips. Like most kids, Rob enjoyed prowling around in the dark with a flashlight. These outings awakened his love of nature's nightlife. As a camp counselor in college, Rob shared his knowledge with his campers on nocturnal outings.
With conservation biology as one of his majors at Eastern Michigan University (EMU), Mies had an opportunity to work on research projects. As it happened, there was one on bats. He signed up and has never looked back.
