THURSDAY
June 24, 2021 | NOON-1:30PM PT/ 3:00PM-4:30PM ET
When You Are Sleeping...Bat Magic.
Keynote: Mylea Bayless, Senior Director, Bat Conservation International
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Mylea Bayless leads Bat Conservation International (BCI) Network & Partnerships Division with more than 20 years of experience in building collaborative teams for conservation, research, and wildlife management. “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The wisdom of this African proverb defines her approach to conservation.
A life-long student, she is thrilled to be focusing her natural affinity for people to develop strategic partnerships that will grow our impact around the world.
Bayless joined BCI in 2006, with a career portfolio including State and Federal agency service and Academic research. Including bats, her research background includes a variety of wildlife (including spotted owls, bald eagles, American pronghorn, Merriam’s turkeys, and Rocky Mountain elk). She holds degrees from Colorado State University (B.S., M.S.).
Dr. Kristen Lear, Endangered Species Interventions Specialist
Dr. Kristen Lear leads BCI’s Agave Restoration Initiative to restore critical foraging habitat for threatened and endangered pollinating bats in the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico. She got her start in bat conservation in 6th grade when she built and installed bat houses for her Girl Scout Silver Award project, and since then has worked on bat research, conservation, and education projects around the world.
Dr. Lear came to BCI in 2020 after completing her PhD in Integrative Conservation at the University of Georgia, where she studied the relationship between pollinating bats, agave plants, and rural Mexican communities and how conservation efforts can simultaneously promote bat conservation and rural livelihoods.
Dr. Lear is a National Geographic Explorer and AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador working to encourage girls and young women in STEM fields, and was recently highlighted through BCI’s collaboration with the “I Am A Scientist” program for K-12 classrooms. She is passionate about outreach and sharing the amazing world of bats with the public through school and community presentations, bat walks, and hands-on kid’s activities.
POLLINATOR ORIGAMI