When the Ellery Hilltop Farm Kids 4-H Club had an idea to support bats, they knew they’d need skilled builders who really know their way around wood. Enter seniors enrolled in the Construction Technology program from Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES.
The 4-H club reached out to see if seniors in instructor Brennan Morrison’s class at the Hewes Educational Center could help cut the pieces needed to build bat boxes. The answer was a resounding yes.
With the plywood supplied by the club, Career & Technical Education students carefully measured and cut 200 separate pieces — enough for 28 bat boxes — turning the classroom into a hub of hands-on learning and community service.
Once the pieces were ready, the 4-H members took over, assembling the bat boxes during one of their meetings. The project was a huge success, and the finished boxes are now ready to provide safe, cozy homes for some very important, and often misunderstood, nighttime neighbors.
“We appreciated the Construction Technology students from E2CCB cutting out the materials for our bat box project,” said 4-H leaders Holly Reed and Andrea McAdoo. “Their work allowed our 4-H members to focus on safe, successful assembly and helped the project run smoothly while building confidence, teamwork, and an appreciation for skilled trades and community collaboration.”
And why bats? According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bats are environmental superheroes in disguise. They help control pests, pollinate plants, and disperse seeds. In fact, bats eat enough insects to save billions of dollars each year in crop damage and pesticide costs.
Some bats even help pollinate plants like bananas, peaches, and agave — the plant that makes tequila possible.
Bat boxes are specially designed structures that mimic natural roosting sites, such as tree cavities or loose bark. When installed 10 to 20 feet high in sunny, open areas, they offer bats a warm, safe place to rest, raise pups, and thrive, supporting healthier ecosystems for everyone.
For more information on Career & Technical Education programs available at E2CCB, click here.
