Trick-or-treat Down the River is coming up Sunday, Oct. 19 from noon to 5 pm at Gallup Park, 3000 Fuller Road. The event is sponsored by .Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation. By canoe or kayak, boaters will see creatures along the river handing out treats. Cost is $18 per boat. Children must be at least 1 year old to be in a boat. Bring a bag for candy, and feel free to wear a costume.

Do you like bananas, cocoa, or agave? You can thank bats for that! (Bats are major pollinators of those plants.) Do you hate pesky insects like flies, mosquitoes, and gnats? You can thank bats for eating those! (One bat can eat up to 5,000 insects a night!) Bats are an extremely important part of the ecosystem, and now is a great time to celebrate how wonderful they are. October is Bat Appreciation Month, and boy do we have a lot of bat books and DVDs for you to check out!

Brian Lies has a great series of picture books including Bats at the Library, Bats at the Ballgame, and Bats at the Beach. And don't forget the classic Stellaluna by Janell Cannon!

If you’re interested in learning more facts about bats, we have a large selection of nonfiction books for both kids and adults. We even have a downloadable book about the link between bat echolocation and radar technology!

Sadly, many bat populations are on the decline due to things like loss of habitat and the dreaded “white-nose syndrome.” You can find out about the plight of the little brown bat (native to Michigan!) in the new book The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bat: A Scientific Mystery. Get those holds placed now!

One way you can help out bats is by building a bat house for your backyard. And guess what? We have a book for that!

The last week of October is National Bat Week (Oct 26 –Nov 1). The Organization for Bat Conservation, a Michigan-based, nonprofit environmental educational organization, has launched a Save the Bats campaign to raise awareness of the problems facing bat populations around the world. Check them out and find more ways you can help save bats!

Some of you Summer Gamers might be familiar with Mary Beth Doyle Park after earning the Park Explorer badge that took you there! This final installment in our summer nature walk series is an opportunity to revisit this lovely wetland area, or see it for the first time if you've never visited before. The nature walk will take place this Thursday, September 4, from 7:00 to 8:30pm. The approximately 80-acre park has a long, unpaved trail that runs along Mallets Creek, which we will be exploring. The creek and surrounding ponds and wetland make for great wildlife viewing. A representative from Ann Arbor's Natural Area Preservation will lead the hike and provide interesting information as we explore the area.

We will meet in the parking area off of Packard Road. You can also park at the Mallets Creek branch of the AADL and walk half a mile east along Packard to the entrance of the park. Bring water and dress comfortably. Arrive a few minutes early to make sure that you don't miss the group before we set out on the walk!

Mark your calendars for Sept. 27, when the 13th annual Great Lakes Bat Festival will happen 10 am - 5 pm at Washtenaw Community College. This festival is presented by the Organization for Bat Conservation and Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. Among authors and speakers will be Janell Cannon, who wrote and illustrated the classic picture book Stellaluna. The festival offers families a chance to learn about the fascinating world of bats. Check it out!

"To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark.
Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings." Wendell Berry

The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light by Paul Bogard reminds us of the primal experience we are mostly living without these days: a dark night. Complete darkness enhances the health and vitality of humans through hormonal balance, improved sleep, reduced incidence of cancer and, most importantly to Bogard, by the wondrous, magical connection it enables to stars and the night sky. When was the last time you saw the Milky Way, shooting stars, or a constellation besides Orion? Think of the relationship our ancestors had with stars and darkness and you can sense what we are missing. Bogard’s book is enthralling and passionate.

Did you know that here in Michigan we have a rare and beautiful park where a completely dark night sky is protected, a sanctuary for darkness, where your eyes can actually switch to night vision? You can visit the Headlands International Dark Sky Park on the shores of Lake Michigan 365 days a year for free. The sixth park of its kind to be established in this country and the ninth in the world, you can find programs, trails and….stars.

Here’s a little test. When looking from space, where do you think is the brightest, most illuminated spot on the planet? Check here for the answer.