Bats in the Attic

Peachland bats, previously considered a nuisance, have now become a local phenomena. It has been known that the nocturnal mammals inhabited the 103 year old Peachland Primary School for decades, however, their numbers have only recently been revealed. Peachland Primary was closed in 2002 and recent refurbishing of the historic building revealed a massive roost.

Wildlife biologist, Aaron Reid from Ministry of Environment, estimates the colony to be upwards of 2000 Yuma bats. Reid identified Peachland’s roost as a maternity colony, which means it is comprised mostly of breeding females, underproductive females, which are yearlings, and juveniles. Reid says,

“Typically, males will roost in smaller bachelor roosts separate from the females but this roost (in the attic) is so big there could be male groups roosting there as well. This could possibly be the largest Yuma bat colony in British Columbia”.

Bats in the attic of Peachland Primary School have created a unique educational experience. Bats are a protected species and are now considered valuable mammals in the eco system. They can eat up to three quarters of their body weight in insects each night and mosquitoes are their choice of diet in Peachland, thus explaining why Peachland is virtually mosquito free.

Along with the massive colony an accumulation of more than 40 years of bat guano was also uncovered. Guano is becoming an increasingly popular home and commercial fertilizer due to its high content of nitrates. A mosquito diet creates an extremely high nitrate composition and is one of the more sought after fertilizers. Please stop by the Chamber of Commerce office to purchase your “Peachland Guano”. When the Peachland Primary School is refurbished it will become the new home of the Peachland Visitor Centre, Peachland Chamber of Commerce, Peachland Boys & Girls Club, and of course, our Peachland Yumas.

The colony lives in the roost from April to October. Mid October the bats begin departing the schoolhouse and fly across Lake Okanagan to hibernate in the rocks of Okanagan Park. Their fragile bodies cannot tolerate extreme changes in temperature so they will hibernate in caves or rock outcroppings where their body temperatures can remain more constant through the winter.

A visit to the Peachland Visitor Centre (VC) will show how humans and bats can successfully co-habitat. Learn how myths of health risks and other public fears have been put to rest by wildlife biologists. View the daily life style of these nocturnal mammals via video cameras installed in the Primary School roost. Learn of hibernation patterns, diet and other bat species with a stop at the local VC or you may want to take a blanket and sit outside the Primary School on a starry night to view these little mammals take flight for their nightly forging. For more information visit www.peachlandbats.ca

Media

Our bats were featured by ShawTV and includes an interview about the process and how it began with our president Rob Campbell.

Here are some pictures from our 'Go Batty in Peachland' event by SNAP Okanagan.

Check out a previously recorded webcam feed of our bats here:

Ogopogo

Could pre-historic sea creatures still exist, waiting for their secrets to be revealed?

Lake Okanagan is said to be the home of one of these mysterious creatures, known to locals as "Ogopogo" and to our First Nations people as N'ha-a-itk. Okanagan Lake is approximately 120 kilometres long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and is 235 metres at its deepest point. Some of the factors influencing its origin include tertiary volcanic and sedimentary activity, fault rupturing, regional tectonic forces, stream dissection and deep erosion. These glaciers and interglacial streams were the main causes of the deep formation of the original valley. Because of this activity, Okanagan Lake has been referred to as a fiord lake, as it was connected to the sea at one time by the Columbia River. A common pattern true for most of the reported lake creatures around the world is that all the animals are sighted in lakes and river systems that are either connected or were once connected to the sea. One theory is that during the Ice Age 4000 years ago, the mysterious creatures were trapped in the lakes.

Researchers suggest the plesiosaur, a 30ft- long prehistoric reptile that was thought to have become extinct 65 million years ago, is the true identity of the elusive beings. Many eyewitness accounts report that Ogopogo is a huge serpentine creature with smooth dark skin, large eyes and an elongated head. Ogopogo has been estimated to be 30-45 feet in length and to move at great speed, coiling its body in vertical undulations and propelling itself forward with a powerful tail. Local residents of the Okanagan Valley have claimed sightings for more than 300 years. There are more reported sightings of the Ogopogo than of any other lake creature in the world including Nessie, the so called Loch Ness monster. In 2008 avid photographer and cryptozoologist Sean Viloria took a photograph of what he thinks was Ogopogo, and independent sources verify that the image was not doctored. The picture shows what is thought to be the creature's head and neck poking out of the water.

Through the years many other images taken during sightings are all eerily similar. In 2005 the National Geographic television series Is It Real: Monsters of the Deep included a segment reviewing the evidence regarding Ogopogo. In 2008 a documentary was filmed for the History Channel, by Whitewolf Entertainment. The Legend Hunter team of Bill Steciuk and Len Melnyk lead the search. In 2009 a search for Ogopogo was conducted by Josh Gates for an episode of his show Destination
Truth. His team focused their investigation around Ogopogo Island where many sightings have taken place. In 2010 the TV series Monster Quest, conducted their search for the existence of Ogopogo. The movie ‘Beast of Bottomless Lake’ played in local theatres in the summer of 2010. Cryptozoology is concerned with “the possible existence of known animals in areas where they were not supposed to occur, either now or in the past, as well as the unknown persistence of presumed extinct animals to the present time or recent past.”

We invite you to join the Cryptozoologists of the world; look closely at Okanagan Lake during your stay in Peachland and prepare to be amazed.

Rattlesnake Island

Pete Spackman purchased an island actually called “Sunset Island” from an American Commodore. This same island changed hands again and eventually became the property of the Regional District and part of Okanagan Park. Though the District of Peachland does not own the Island, long-time Peachlanders know it was known for many years as “Ogopogo Island” after “Sunset Island” of course. But any way you look at it Peachlanders know that this little island is the home of Ogopogo.

Ogopogo Island

Each town within this valley fair
Claims Ogopogo’s home is there
But, have you ever stopped to think
Where he might go, when those bumps sink
Beneath the waters calm and clear,
When each part seems to disappear?
Where would dear Ogopogo stay?

Kelowna’s waters churned to foam
Are not a place to make a home.

Penticton’s shores and cliffs of clay
Provide no place for him to stay,
So now I let my secret out;
Tell what this poem is all about.

The silent town in this dispute,
A little town of small repute,
In fact is closest to the zone,
That Ogopogo calls his own.

Across from Peachland’s pleasant beach,
An Island’s within easy reach,
And underneath the waters there,
Old Ogopogo has his lair.

So come to Peachland – get a boat,
Or swim or paddle; fly or float

Across to Ogopogo’s Land,
And there just sit or lie or stand:
And wait for sights of greenish lumps,
A horse’s head and bony stumps
Of horns upon a classic head.

Oh, then you’ll know ‘tis truly said,
That Peachland is the home of he,
Whom each of us has longed to see.

By M.E. Domi
Submitted by Richard Smith, local historian.