The Western Bat Working Group (WBWG) is a partner in the Coalition of North American Bat Working Groups. The WBWG is comprised of agencies, organizations and individuals interested in bat research, management, and conservation from 13 western states and the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.



The WBWG grew from an effort in 1994-96 to develop a range-wide Conservation

Strategy for Townsend's Big-eared Bat as part of a pro-active conservation approach to

preclude a formal listing of the species as threatened or endangered.



The first meeting to discuss formation of the WBWG was held in January

1996 as part of the Four Corners Regional Bat Conference sponsored by the Colorado

Bat Society. The first formal meeting of the WBWG was in February, 1998, in Reno,

Nevada. Subsequent meetings have taken place in Reno in 2001, Durango, Colorado, in 2003, and Portland, Oregon, in 2005.



Membership in the WBWG is open to anyone who is interested in participating in bat

conservation. There are no membership fees or dues. Funding for bat conservation work

accomplished by the WBWG is generated by State and Federal land management

agencies, non-governmental organizations, and by individual members.



The Western Bat Working Group has a Listserv site available. The Western Bat Working Group Listserv is open to everyone that would like to send and receive information and news regarding bats in the west, and for disseminating news and events for the WBWG