Exhibit, Talks Illuminate Fragile Inner World of Caves

Jackson, WY - Bats live on every continent except Antarctica, but this winged mammal is often misunderstood and increasingly endangered. Two back-to-back talks at the Teton County Library will delve into the lives of bats and the environments they inhabit in combination with the Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibition, "Caves: A Fragile Wilderness."

Teton County Library invites those curious about caves to celebrate the Smithsonian exhibition opening Saturday, March 8 with a talk at 5 p.m. by bat biologist Annie Band and a second lecture at 6 p.m. by Jonathan Friedman of Bat Conservation International. Band will present colorful images to illustrate "Bats: Myths and Realities." Friedman will give a tour of Texas' Bracken Cave, a summer home to some 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Both talks are free and open to the public and will be held in the library's Ordway Auditorium.

Bats are one of the many intriguing animals and plants that inhabit the dark, underground habitat provided by caves. The Smithsonian Institution's traveling exhibition, "Caves: A Fragile Wilderness," looks at the unique and mysterious environment of caves, which can be found in every state in the United States. The exhibit features 39 color photographs taken by 23 National Speleological Society members, who have explored and photographed caves from Alaska to Malaysia. The traveling exhibit will be on view at the Teton County Library through April 28.

Whether underground, underwater, or within ice, caves have intrigued explorers since the days of early man. Adventurers have entered these hidden chambers seeking the thrill of seeing an unknown world and finding ornate features sculpted by nature from water and stone. Contemporary cavers often combine spelunking skills with photographic expertise to bring these extraordinary places to light.

Caves, however, are endangered by human activities both under and above ground. Once destroyed, a cave and its contents cannot be recovered. Working in cooperation with the National Speleological Society, the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History developed the exhibit "Caves: A Fragile Wilderness." The National Speleological Society is the largest caving organization in the world with more than 12,000 members in 180 chapters in the United States and abroad. The primary goals of the NSS have been to protect, conserve, explore and study caves. For information, visit www.caves.org. The National Museum of History is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world's most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts. To learn more, visit www.mnh.si.edu.

Each year, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) shares the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside of Washington, D.C. The exhibition "Caves: A Fragile Wilderness" is organized by the National Museum of Natural History, circulated by SITES and sponsored locally by the Teton County Library Foundation. For information on this exhibit and related programs, contact the library's Adult Humanities Program Coordinator, 733-2164 ext. 135 or odoherty@will.state.wy.us.

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