Bats generate heightened public interest each year for about the same window of time that Halloween Spirit Stores reanimate the innards of shuttered Big Lots. But the truth is, bats are above us every day of the year, just about anywhere we go.

At UCLA, bats are the focus of vital research and creative inspiration. On Sept. 5, visitors to the UCLA Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve will get to learn why. 

The twilight program, “An Evening with Bats,” is open to the public and will feature a talk on bat behavior and biology with UCLA bat researcher Joseph Curti. A screening of the award-winning short film “Bat Boy,” created by alumnus Aaron Lemle, will follow.

The centerpiece of the program will be a twilight walk led by Curti, who will use an ultrasonic microphone to detect bats flying overhead in real time.

“People don’t realize that there are bats flying over our heads all the time, even in the most urban areas of Los Angeles, like in literal downtown,” said Curti, a postdoctoral fellow at the UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science. “The ultrasonic microphone gives us a chance to see them up close without having to capture or stress out animals.”

At a past program at the reserve, four different species were detected. Curti hopes to add to that list this year.

Curti’s research at UCLA explores the ecology and conservation of bats, animals often overlooked despite their vital role in the environment. Southern California is home to a surprising diversity: 11 of the state’s 25 bat species have been detected in the Santa Monica Mountains alone. By controlling insect populations, dispersing seeds and pollinating plants, bats provide “ecosystem services” that humans depend on more than we realize.

Curti also likes to use the Halloween season to remind people about simple ways to protect bats — for example, people can plant a bat-friendly native garden, reduce outdoor lighting, bring their cats inside and skip synthetic cobweb decorations, whose strands can entangle and injure bats and birds. 

As the program shifts from science to cinema, “Bat Boy” offers a different perspective. The story follows a young man on the autism spectrum whose fascination with bats leads him on a journey of discovery. The film, which Curti consulted on, blends ecological facts with human storytelling, underscoring how bats can inspire not just research but art.

Writer and director Lemle, who earned a master’s degree from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in 2023, said the project grew out of an initiative at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability that paired filmmakers with scientists.

“I ended up interviewing about three scientists, but Joey and I just connected immediately,” said Lemle, who is now a bona fide bat enthusiast. “He’s really great at communicating his science, which is not something all scientists can do.”

While Lemle won’t be present at the Sept. 5 event, his film will set the stage for Curti’s live walk in the Santa Monica Mountains — a pairing of art and science that reflects UCLA’s spirit of cross-disciplinary collaboration.