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Speaker
Rachel Burke, Agave Restoration Coordinator, Bat Conservation International
When
Feb. 18, 2026, 3 – 4 p.m.
Where
Bat Conservation International’s Agave Restoration Initiative seeks to conserve and restore connected landscapes of native agave species across Mexico and the southwestern United States to support a “nectar corridor” for migratory nectar-feeding bats. Although this program operates at a binational scale, implementation is grounded in local partnerships, regional expertise, and project co-development tailored to site-specific conditions. In the southwestern United States, this work is concentrated in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, where all three migratory nectar bat species co-occur. Here, Agave palmeri serves as a critical summer forage resource but has experienced range contractions and recruitment limitations linked to drought, rising temperatures, and land degradation. Given its life history and reliance on episodic recruitment under sustained soil moisture, restoration must address site-level abiotic constraints influencing establishment. We apply an adaptive management framework integrating ecological site potential and land condition to guide site selection, differentiate enhancement from restoration, and iteratively refine treatments across pilot landscapes.
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Contacts
Ruth Holladay