Bat Research at Bethpage State Park
In 2016, Bethpage State Park became one of the few sites selected for the Long Island Bat Initiative . This is a research study conducted by biologist and bat specialist, Dr. Thomas Gordon, from Suffolk Community College. His main focus is to understand the diversity of bat species living in the local area. Gordon ’ s work begins with mapping out potential bat havens across the island and installing bat detection devices at these locations. Areas of interest include parks, golf courses, cemeteries and other habitats with a nearby water source and ample, open space. The equipment that Dr. Gordon installs, operates using a microphone and a memory card. This can record numerous high frequency (ultrasonic) calls from bats at any given time. After a few weeks, the devices are removed from the sites and the recordings are translated by a program that distinguishes which type of bats were present; believe it or not, each bat species makes their own distinctive call! You may b