Hannibal night hikes resume next Friday

HANNIBAL (WGEM) - As the bugs emerge and the flowers begin to bloom this spring, hibernating bats are beginning to wake up at Sodalis Nature Preserve.

With the bats starting to get more active, Hannibal Parks and Recreation and the Mississippi Hills Master Naturalists are restarting their monthly night hikes.

According to Mississippi Hills Master Naturalist volunteer Kristy Trevathan, focus of the hike will be on the huge number of bats that take refuge in the old mines.

“We’re not sure how many we’ll see, but there are over 215,000 Indiana Bats hibernating in these old mines so we know we should see a few,” said Trevathan.

In addition to the bats, she said they will also discuss the other plants and animals emerging for the spring, such as the Spring Peepers and Chorus Frogs.

Trevathan said she is excited for the hikes as previous ones have been successful.

“We had people from Bowling Green, Monroe City, so a lot of people want to do this. It’s a great way to get out in nature. We’ve been in the house all winter long,” said Trevathan.

The hike is free and open to the public. It begins at the preserve Friday night around 7:30 p.m.

There is a two-mile paved trail that the hike follows, which takes around two hours.

Participants are encouraged to register for the hike. You can find that registration information here.

More night hikes will be planned on a monthly basis through the warm weather months.

Copyright 2023 WGEM. All rights reserved.