Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇

Bat Conservationist | Agave Restoration Program Director @BatConIntl | @IfThenSheCan Ambassador | @insidenatgeo Explorer | Public Speaker | Educator. She/her

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Thinking about transboundary conservation at the #ConservationImpact2022 Symposium. How can @BatConIntl’s Agave Restoration Initiative most effectively & equitably support bats AND people?

https://t.co/0DBz2YWrJZ

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Career high unlocked! 🔑 Thanks to @scifri for inviting me on the show to share all about nectar bats, agaves, and the Agave Restoration Initiative at @BatConIntl that’s working to restore a bi-national agave corridor to save these bats! 🦇

[Science Friday @scifri]

@BatConIntl's @BatsForLife discusses efforts to restore agave plants in the American Southwest and Mexico, and what restoration means for both pollinating bats and your tequila. Plus, scientists can now track individual butterflies during monarchs’ epic migrations. https://t.co/VLUA80Q8bx

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

So proud to be part of this team! We are passionate about saving these bats from extinction. I’ve led this team for the past 5 years & have made so many wonderful friends in our partners who are also passionately dedicated to making this happen. Together we WILL save these bats!

[Bat Conservation International @BatConIntl]

🌟 Bats Win! 🌟
On Endangered Species Day, BCI’s Agave Restoration team has been awarded the @USFWS Recovery Champion Award for our work supporting recovery of the Endangered Mexican long-nosed bat (𝘓𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴)! 🏆 This is the Service’s most prestigious award for species conservation.

Since 2018, BCI’s Agave Restoration team and local partners have:
🌱Planted 116,000 native agaves
🌱Collected one million agave seeds
🦇Worked with community leaders to protect vulnerable bat roosts
🪴Supported 26 native plant nurseries
🧑‍🌾Trained 224 community members in sustainable agricultural techniques
🤝Worked with 65 partners
🌎Worked in 12 U.S. and Mexican states

A huge thank you to our partners, supporters, and team members driving this important work forward. And to you, for supporting our bat conservation efforts! 🦇💚

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

@BatConIntl @USFWS So proud to be part of this work! We all share a passion for saving these bats, and these bats have brought such amazing partners (and friends!) together

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Check out the comic book here:

https://t.co/MfZ03enUzv

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Look y’all, I’m a comic book character! Such a cool collaboration between @sciallorg & @IfThenSheCan showcasing women in diverse STEM fields! Ecstatic to have bat conservation highlighted as an amazing career! 🦇
Artwork by @JuaneleTamal

#WomenInSTEM #IfThenSheCan #SheCanSTEM

[Bat Conservation International @BatConIntl]

Is your love for bats written in the stars? Well, we think it is 💗 Read more about which bat species aligns with your zodiac sign in our recent blog post 🦇✨♉️ https://t.co/YbtJ3HQyzc

[Bat Conservation International @BatConIntl]

Tune in live tomorrow for April's Bat Chat here on X!

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

@KTORRES_VDS_ESA @BatConIntl @VDelSol_ES @IOjeda_VDSESA You all were so much fun and had such great questions! And seeing all those bat masks in the classrooms made my day! 🦇

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Thank you to all my co-authors from Especies, Sociedad y Hábitat, AC; the @universityofga @UGAWarnell and @UGACICR; and Emma Gómez-Ruiz for all the support during my PhD and in the prep of this manuscript!

I also love that my husband and I get to be co-authors on a paper 😊

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

🥳 My 1st first-author publication is out! Almost 4 years after finishing my PhD & couldn’t be prouder.

We suggest opportunities to augment foraging resources for endangered Mexican long-nosed bats in ways that are consistent with their foraging behavior.
https://t.co/5lBPoP9Uff

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Some of our suggested management recommendations:
1) Plant agave species that tend to have more umbels with simultaneously open flowers.
2) Plant multiple species of agaves with different flowering times.
3) Plant agaves in clusters.
4) Keep dead standing stalks on the landscape.

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Bats are in trouble around the world. That’s what drives me every day as a #bat conservationist: the hope of preventing bat extinctions and growing thriving populations.

It’s all a hugely collaborative endeavor, with amazing partners like Zinacantán Mezcal!
@BatConIntl @guardian

[The Guardian @guardian]

Bats are in trouble. That’s not good for anyone who likes mezcal, rice or avocado https://t.co/eVPwLldlDg

[Bat Conservation International @BatConIntl]

NEW BAT DROP! Adopt the Critically Endangered Jamaican flower bat for only $30! Adoption includes:
- a plush stuffed bat toy!
- an official adoption certificate
- complete species profile information for the bat of your choice
- helping BCI protect bats around the world

Makes a great gift for the bat-lover in your life. 😉
https://t.co/XTmb6wiqgJ

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

If you’re a @AAASmember, come ask us all your batty, buggy, and crittery questions during a live text-based Q&A next Monday!
#BatWeek #BatWeek2023
#BatAppreciationMonth

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Connecting with #conservation & #sustainability leaders to explore innovations & best practices for nature-based solutions for the next two days at the @SalazarNAmerica #ConservationImpact2023 symposium!

[UGA Center for Integrative Conservation Research @UGACICR]

📢CICR is excited to announce our latest Integrative Conservation Conference, New Visions for Conservation, in Athens, GA from February 16-17, 2024! 📢

We hope to rethink conservation within & outside of the academy. 💡

Abstract deadline: 11/6/23. 📅
https://t.co/BiU8QP1Gck

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Had an incredible evening at the @IndianapolisPrize Gala celebrating conservation. Our @BatConIntl team represented global work at the interface of #bat #conservation & #SustainableDevelopment. I couldn’t be more happy with my dream job & fantastic colleagues #IndianapolisPrize

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Celebrated the #EndangeredSpeciesAct in DC with an award recognizing @BatConIntl’s work to save endangered bat species.

Thank you @ESAat50 and @endangered for your support! Let’s continue to protect wildlife and benefit people, together!

#ESAat50

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

@yaz_of_max I love it!!

[Kristen Lear, PhD 🦇 @BatsForLife]

Happy #PollinatorWeek! Celebrating my very favorite #pollinators: bats! 🦇

[Bat Conservation International @BatConIntl]

DYK bats are the primary or exclusive pollinators for more than 530 plant species?! 🌸 While many of us are fast asleep, bats are out there regenerating our natural resources. #PollinatorWeek