DR. KRISTEN LEAR
BAT CONSERVATIONIST
IF/THEN SERIES
Dr. Lear “lives and breathes BATS.” As she writes in her If/Then Ambassador profile “Many people are afraid of or misunderstand bats, so that’s why I’ve dedicated my life to protecting them.”
As a conservationist, Dr. Lear works around the world to help protect bats, especially endangered species. She has studied bats in the US, Australia, and Mexico to understand bats' insect pest control services, bat house preferences, population dynamics, and conservation. She also leads bat educational and outreach activities and helps people build bat houses to protect bats in their own backyards.
Dr. Lear got her start in bat conservation in 6th grade when she built bat houses for her Girl Scout Silver Award project. She now works with Bat Conservation International with the job title “Endangered Species Interventions Specialist.” She works to help restore the agave plants that some pollinating bat species use for food across the US Southwest and Mexico.
Dr. Lear would like you to know that she climbed a giant mound of bat guano (poo) in a cave full of bats, she’s a Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts, a National Geographic Explorer, and she designs her own bat-themed clothing!
Educational Pathway: Dr. Lear first became interested in bats in middle school. She studied zoology and bats in college and graduate school.
Name Pronunciation: You can hear the correct pronunciation of Dr. Lear’s name at the beginning of her If/Then ambassador videos.
Further resources
(some links may be repeated from above)
Bat Conservation International, where she works
Read about the Agave Restoration Project that Dr. Lear leads.
See Dr. Lear on Mission Unstoppable discussing making bat houses (4:11)
Follow her on:
Twitter: @BatsForLife
Instagram: @batsforlife_kristen
Tik Tok: @batsforlife_kristen