L'Anse Area Schools builds houses for bats

L'ANSE, Mich. (WLUC) L'Anse Area Schools wants more bats around. They put up seven bat houses near the school for bats to live in during the summer.

L'Anse Area Schools wants more bats around. They put up seven bat houses near the school for bats to live in during the summer.

The houses serve multiple purposes. Bats would help control mosquitoes around the school's new sports fields.

The houses will also help the bats. A fungal disease called White-Nose Syndrome is killing bats at an alarming rate. The houses could help recover their population numbers.

"It provides good breeding grounds in the summer, so it's really a population play," Harvesting and Sylvaculture Supervisor for Weyerhaeuser Jeff Joseph said. "It gives them the ability to have a good roosting site and reproduce and raise pups in the summer."

Local businesses teamed up with the high school industrial education class to build 56 four-chamber houses. Each student also made his or her own single-chamber house to install at home.

Kahkonen Kco Construction dug the holes for installation.
Superior Sawmill sawed the poles.
Weyerhaeuser provided planning and SFI-approved materials.

• L'Anse Area Schools builds houses for bats