Bat Appreciation Day at Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine

Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Tentative Agenda)

The 10th Annual Bat Appreciation Day at the Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine in East Granby will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM! The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Wildlife Division and Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) sponsor this celebration of bat conservation and Connecticut history. Bat Appreciation Day highlights the story of one of Connecticut’s most intriguing historical sites and its importance to the conservation of endangered species.

This event features bat activities for the whole family and includes exhibits, presentations, live bats, activities, bat story time, historical tales, the unique opportunity to sneak a peek at the “bat cave”, bat crafts, conservation partners, and more. Check out the tentative agenda (more updates to come).

• Bat-tastic Activities for Kids and Families to Do at Home
• Crafts and Recipes
• Videos from the Virtual Bat Appreciation Days in 2020
• Bats at Old New-Gate Prison and Coppermine
• Learn More About Bats

Bat-tastic activities for kids and families to do at home

Learn about bat houses and get tips on installing a bat house in your yard from this video posted on the CT Fish and Wildlife Facebook page.

Bat Bingo: Families can try to make a "bingo" with this fun activity about bats!

Learn about echolocation while playing the Bat and Moth Game.

Bat Kid's and Coloring Page

Creature Crafts: Toilet Paper Tube Bat (YouTube video) -- Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife outreach staff member Gabby DeMeillon shares some info about bat conservation and demonstrates how to make a simple bat craft out of a toilet paper tube!

Crafts and recipes

Color and cut out a Bat Mask. Pick from 4 designs, courtesy of Bat Conservation International:

• California leaf-nosed bat mask
• Grey-headed flying-fox mask
• Sword-nosed bat mask
• Dobson's horseshoe bat mask

7 Best Recipes for Bat Appreciation Day!
Bats, especially many found in deserts and the Tropics, are important pollinators. Here are 7 recipes (plus one just for adults) using bat-pollinated plants to enjoy each day during “Bat Week”. The bat-pollinated food is shown in italics.

Videos from the Virtual Bat Appreciation Day in 2020

All videos were either pre-recorded or livestreams that are posted on our Connecticut Fish and Wildlife Facebook page.

• Bat Appreciation Days Introduction - Wildlife Division Supervising Biologist Brian Hess provides an introduction about bats and the Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine.
• Bat Appreciation Days - Bat Houses - Wildlife Biologists Brian Hess and Kate Moran discuss some tips for installing a bat house. (Bat Houses)
• Tips on Bat Exclusion - How to live with bats in your attic.
• Bats for Kids -- A great video where kids can learn about bats.

Bats at Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine

Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine is our nation’s oldest state prison. It is also the first operating copper mine in the North American colonies. Today, it is not just an amazing cultural resource – its underground tunnels are the winter home of several state endangered bat species.

The bats of Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine are considered “cave bats”, in part because they hibernate underground in caves and mines. Cave bats are affected by the disease known as white-nose syndrome (WNS). In less than 10 years since its initial detection in New York, WNS has killed millions of bats throughout the Northeast and has spread to and been documented in 35 states and seven Canadian provinces.

Bat Appreciation Day offers the perfect opportunity to experience the remarkable history of Old New-Gate Prison through the lens of the state-endangered bats who have claimed it as their winter home. Little brown, tri-colored, and northern long-eared bats have all used this site to hibernate during the winter months. DECD and DEEP are diligently working to protect this site, and it is imperative to tell the story of the bats, the history of the site, and its importance for conservation efforts in the future.

Listen to a report by WNPR Connecticut Public Radio about the Wildlife Division's ongoing efforts to monitor Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine.

Follow Old New-Gate Prison and Coppermine on Facebook

Take an aerial tour of the prison and copper mine

Learn more about bats

There is so much to learn about bats and how you can help them. Check out the following resources for interesting natural history information, how to build a bat house, descriptions of Wildlife Division research and monitoring efforts, and so much more.

• DEEP's Bat Program
• Bats Count! Live Bat Cam at the White Memorial Conservation Center
• Learning from our Backyard Bats: a lesson booklet for Connecticut students in upper elementary to high school, developed and published by the White Memorial Conservation Center.
• Bat Fact Sheet (PDF version)

• Big Brown Bat Fact Sheet
• Northern Long-eared Bat Fact Sheet

• Build a Bat House
• Living with Bats (advice if you have bats living in your house or outbuildings)
• Teaching About Bats (A resource for educators and parents to teach children about bats)

Articles in Connecticut Wildlife Magazine:

• Bat Appreciation Day at Old-Newgate Prison and Copper Mine
• Rediscovering a Long-lost Bat
• Little Brown Bat Colony Discovered at White Memorial
• Sparks Fly for Bat Conservation
  
• Listening to Bats - A Glimpse into the Night
  
• Denizens of Darkness: Facts and Fables about Bats
  
• What You Didn't Know About Bats
  
• White-nose Syndrome Devastates CT's Hibernating Bats
  
• Bad News for Bat Conservation

Content last updated on August 19, 2026.