Rafi Saleem, 17, is batting a thousand to preserve nocturnal species on Long Island. Saleem is helping preserve their habitat and trying to reverse this dire situation by creating and installing bat boxes in areas like Old Westbury Gardens. “I’m in high school and I can’t do anything about the disease, but I can do something about the habitat loss,” Saleem said. “So I attempted to tackle that issue by proposing a project to my school with the hopes of implementing the creation of bat boxes into the woodshop curriculum.” Bats play an essential role in the ecosystem, as they help pollinate plants, get rid of unwanted pests, and more. However, according to NationalParkService.org, about 52 percent of bats in North America may face a population decline over the next 15 years. Saleem said after researching the bat population on Long Island, he found out that bats here are extremely endangered for two main reasons. One is white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease that stops their growth and prevents them from developing correctly. The other reason is habitat loss, which is primarily caused by deforestation. Saleem, a senior at The Wheatley School, creates the boxes at his school with his classmates. The boxes are three by four feet and three inches thick and they get placed towards the top of trees. The narrow space between the bark of the tree and the wood of the box provides the ideal space for a bat to sleep and reproduce.

After constructing the boxes in his school, Saleem contacted multiple gardens and parks on Long Island to see if he could get them installed there. At the beginning of this year, Saleem worked with Paul Hunchak, director of visitor services and public programs at Old Westbury Gardens, to install five bat boxes at the park. “I met with Mr. Hunchak and he was showing me around the property where he hung the bat boxes,” Saleem said. “He said that he sees bats going in and out every day.” Saleem said more boxes will be installed in Old Westbury Gardens later this year. He also installed bat boxes in his and his neighbor’s backyards. He hopes to get that number up to the double digits. “This initiative is basically just a small step towards a larger goal of environmental conservation,” Saleem said. Saleem said by making these boxes, he learned how important bats are and it has connected him and his fellow classmates to nature. He said these little projects have the potential to make a big difference for saving bat populations. Although Saleem is very pro-bats, his mindset on the little critters was very different not too long ago. He said he originally thought bats were unhelpful, gross and just carry diseases. This changed after a visit to Austin, Texas, three years ago.

“We (Saleem and his grandparents) signed up to take a boat tour of the Congress Avenue bridge, which is known worldwide for its bats,” Saleem said. “So on that bat tour, I came with no interest, but I learned that there were roughly 1.5 million bats living there and I learned how pivotal bats are to the environment.” The tour sparked Saleem’s interest throughout the trip. After he got back home, he said he researched the local bat populations. When he read about their habitat loss, he decided that he wanted to help by educating others on why bats are essential to the ecosystem. Saleem held events at elementary schools, teaching students about the positives of preserving bat populations. He said he tells those who are scared of bats that bats are a keystone species and play an important role in the environment. “I had prepared a presentation to teach children and parents the importance of bats in an ecosystem, making sure to explain how they help us, and how we can help them. It was fun being able to debunk common myths about bats that most people believe,” Saleem said on his website BatBoxesLI.com. “For example, did you know it’s extremely rare for bats to carry harmful diseases? In fact, less than 0.5% of bats carry rabies. These gentle and fascinating creatures are often misunderstood, and it was immensely rewarding to share their truth, challenging preconceived notions and fostering a deeper appreciation for the role bats play in our environment.” On his website, Saleem said bats play a crucial role in reducing humans’ exposure to diseases by consuming insects that can transmit illnesses. He said bats have a “direct and positive impact on agriculture.” With fewer crops lost to insect pests, farmers can produce more food at lower costs. Saleem said he will continue to construct bat boxes in the future. He also plans to major in environmental ethics in college. He hopes to work on more projects—similar to this one—and bridge the gap between humans and the environment.