Expressing support for the designation of the week of October 24, 2025, to October 31, 2025, as "Bat Week".
H. Res. 811 is a House resolution expressing support for designating a national Bat Week from October 24 to October 31, 2025. The resolution is a symbolic, non-binding expression intended to promote awareness and education about bats, highlight their ecological and economic importance, and encourage events during Bat Week. It reinforces ongoing conservation efforts and aims to support actions to address white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease affecting bat populations. The bill references current federal and interagency work led by the Department of the Interior, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey, and notes the economic value bats provide through pest control and pollination. The resolution does not create new laws or funding; rather, it signals congressional support for bat conservation, education, and collaboration with federal agencies, tribes, NGOs, and partners to protect bat species and their habitats and to combat white-nose syndrome.
Key Points
- 1Expresses support for designating Bat Week (October 24–31, 2025) and encourages observance through events and activities.
- 2Acknowledges the important ecological and economic roles of bats, including pest control for agriculture and pollination of crops.
- 3Highlights the significant economic value of bats, noting U.S. farmers save more than $3.7 billion per year in pest control.
- 4Recognizes the impact of white-nose syndrome (a fungal disease) on bat populations and the need to defeat it, detailing its spread and affected species.
- 5Describes ongoing interagency and international cooperation led by the Department of the Interior (USFWS, USGS, NPS, BLM) and partners, plus the North American Bat Monitoring Program, as a framework for conservation research and action.