Grace Nichols — recording bats in the pine bush

Grace Nichols is a citizen scientist and also an activist. In this week’s podcast, the former biology teacher talks about a group she has formed to document the many species of bats that live in portions of the pine bush slated for development. “Clunk, clunk — click, click,” she describes the sounds heard on their bat detectors, the pitch too high for human ears to hear. Recorders from a local bat expert have produced sonograms of various species — each as individual as a fingerprint. Standing near the fringes of green in the midst of suburbia, said Nichols. “You become more aware of how alive the whole world is.” Nichols was instrumental in getting Albany County last year to pass a resolution to be pollinator-friendly. People have told her, “Grace cares more about insects than people.” Her response: “There are no people without insects.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.