Page 3 - The Shores of Jupiter - February '22
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The Shores, Page 3
Northern Notes
Going Batty Bats are unique animals are over 1,000 species of bats. From the fossil records we have
and are not flying rodents. learned that bats existed over 65 million years ago. Today, they
By Katie Roundtree, Although some mammals inhabit all areas of the globe except Antarctica and the extreme
Director of Finance and can glide, bats are the only desert regions, but most bat species live in the tropics. The most
Administration, Northern mammal that can truly fly. common bats in south Florida include the Brazilian free-tailed
Palm Beach County Scientists have classified bats bat, big brown bat, Seminole bat and the evening bat.
Improvement District into a unique group or order Bats eat a variety of things, including insects, fruit, nectar, fish
Florida is home to called “Chiroptera,” which and small vertebrates, but only three species feed on blood. Bats
approximately 13 species means “hand wing.” Bats also come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. The largest
of bats year-round. These literally fly with their hands! bat in the world is the Malayan flying fox, a fruit-eater. It can
flying mammals are a Their wings are much like weigh over 2½ pounds and have a wingspan of over 6 feet! The
critical part of Florida’s our hands, but with longer smallest bat is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, an insect-eater,
natural ecosystem. They fingers and a thin, but tough, which weighs less than a penny and has a wingspan of only 5
are extraordinary animals membrane (skin) between Source: UF Florida Wildlife inches. Most bats in Florida eat insects. They prey upon insects
that are misunderstood by many. the fingers. Worldwide there Extension that are pests to humans and agriculture. Insectivorous bats can
eat their body weight in insects each night, which means up to
3,000 insects in just one night!
Solid Waste Authority from page 1 yellow recycle bins for free! Just one more way the SWA There are many myths and misconceptions regarding
makes it easy for you to Recycle Right. bats. Bats are not blind. They have the same five senses we
hazardous, but they don’t really know what to do with them. About The Solid Waste Authority do: smelling, hearing, tasting, seeing and feeling. Some bats,
Rechargeable batteries, car or boat batteries, nickel-cadmium The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County (SWA) is however, have highly developed sonar capabilities, called
and lithium ion batteries can all go to an HCRC. a Dependent Special District that was created by the Florida “echolocation.” Bats produce echolocation by emitting high
2. Old electronics like cell phones, computers and TVs are Legislature in 1975. Since then, the SWA has developed an frequency sound pulses through their mouth or nose and
actually considered household hazardous waste, but they can award-winning integrated solid waste management system to listening to the echo. With this echo, the bat can determine
be taken to an HCRC for free disposal. handle the county’s waste and recyclables. We call ourselves the size, shape and texture of objects in its environment. Bat
3. Fluorescent bulbs, even the little curly-cue compacts, AWAY: whether you throw it, recycle it or flush it AWAY, we echolocation is so sophisticated that these animals can detect
have mercury in them. That is a hazardous waste. So all put your waste to work. Each year, we: an object the width of a human hair.
fluorescent bulbs should be taken to an HCRC or other home • Process more than 100,000 tons of recyclables. Bats do not attack people just for spite. They are generally
improvement store. • Combust approximately 1.8 million tons of trash to timid animals and prefer to stay away from humans. Vampire
4. If your garage is full of home chemicals, much of it generate electricity at renewable energy facilities. bats do not live in the United States. They are only found in
can be taken to an HCRC. Old paint, solvents, oil, gasoline, • Produce enough electricity to power approximately southern Mexico, Central and South America.
electronics, fluorescent bulbs can all be dropped off at once! 74,000 homes, about the number of homes in Boca Raton The most common misconception that people have is that all
5. Do you have old paint? Take it to an HCRC where old and Palm Beach Gardens. bats are rabid. This is not true. Studies have shown that less than
paint is sent away to be recycled into new and donated to • Recycle more than 150,000 tons of wastewater treatment 1 percent of bats contract rabies and when they do, they usually
Palm Beach County families in need. residuals (sludge from flushes) into environmentally-friendly die within three or four days. Although they do not become
If you’re looking for your nearest Home Chemical and fertilizer. aggressive, they can end up on the ground or someplace they do
Recycling Center, check out our website. • Safely dispose of more than 4.9 million pounds of home not belong and if handled may bite in self-defense and transmit
Jupiter hazards. a disease. Never handle a wild bat with your bare hands and
North County Transfer Station • Collect water off of the roofs of Renewable Energy make sure your pet’s vaccinations are current. Never handle or
14185 Military Trail (SWA Road) in Jupiter Facility 2 and store it in a 2-million-gallon cistern, which is play with any wild animals, including bats. They are wild
Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.to 3 p.m. used as part of the energy making process. and meant to be left alone.
Ready to get started? You can Recycle Right in Palm With the recent changes to the SWA’s website, anyone can Bats are disappearing at alarming rates. Disturbance or
Beach County whether at home, school, work or play. If now sign up to receive SWA news, calendar updates, jobs, or destruction of roost sites due to development and vandalism
you need new recycling bins, Palm Beach County residents other Web postings of interest by signing up online. Should is the greatest threat to the world’s bats. Most bats living in
can call the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County at you sign up online to receive SWA’s news releases, we can Florida prefer to roost in mature or dead trees or in caves.
866-NEW-BINS, (866) 639-2467 or order online at SWA. remove you from this distribution by sending a remove reply However, many bats are squeezed out of urban areas due to
org/RecycleRight, and we’ll send you replacement blue or to this email. loss of habitat or take up residence in buildings and become
the targets for abuse. Public education and preservation of roost
sites are the keys to maintaining Florida’s native bat populations.
You can help bats by learning more about them and sharing
bat information with others. Fear and misunderstanding are
new listing! some of the worst enemies of bats. This is why education is so
important. Bat houses are also a perfect way to get involved in
conservation. A bat house in your backyard will provide bats
6869 Big Cypress Drive with a much needed, safe place to live. They will also do you
the return favor of eating insects around the area. You can also
help by supporting conservation groups that protect wildlife
The Market in the Shores is HOT habitats and preserve natural lands.
The value of your Shores home has never been Higher! For more information go to The Florida Bat Conservancy’s
Call me today for your free market analysis website at www.floridabats.org or the University of Florida’s
Your Shores Real Estate Specialist Florida Wildlife Extension at www.wec.ufl.edu/extension.
NPDES tip: Planting a rain garden with native plants
Your Shores Specialist Call for any Real Estate somewhere around your home helps lock rainwater in the
questions or needs
ground, reducing the flow of pollutants and poisons into the
drains. Using organic fertilizers and pesticides in your garden
further protects and brings health to your yard and all the
species living there.
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