Local bands got together at LanaLou’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Eatery in Vancouver Sunday for a concert in support of B.C. bats.

The goal is to bring awareness to the province’s endangered bat population.

In the spirit of National Bat Week, event organizer Allan MacInnis has teamed up with the BC Community Bat Program to shed light on the challenges bats are facing, including habitat loss and declining insect populations.

“There is a lot of misinformation about bats,” MacInnis said.

“We’re really hoping this event will catch on as a way of raising awareness and money to support our bat populations.”

As well, they aim to bring attention to a deadly fungus that causes White-Nose Syndrome.

“It’s killing bats by the millions on the East Coast, and bat populations have already been significantly reduced from what they used to be,” MacInnis said. 

Cori Lausen, director of bat conservation with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada, says bats don’t get enough credit for their contributions to the ecosystem. 

“Our brains are wired to be scared of things that fly fast at night, but they are fascinating animals,” Lausen said.

“They’re long-lived, and they’re curious.”

She says B.C.’s forests are heavily reliant on healthy bat populations.

“They are the primary consumers of nighttime insects, which means they are eating forest pests,” Lausen said. “They’re not just eating the moths that lay eggs, but also the caterpillars and beetles that affect our forests.” 

“The more we realize how important bats are, the more we realize we should be planning to protect them for sustainable forests in the future,” she said.

Bats have become synonymous with vampire folklore, thanks in part to movies that have depicted them as evil creatures for nearly a century.

“There is a lot of misinformation about bats,” MacInnis said.

“We’re really hoping this event will catch on as a way of raising awareness and money to support our bat populations.”