October 19 through 31, 2026
Bat Weeksin the Black Hills
Something batty to bring home. A film to discover. Science to stand behind.
Shop something batty
15% off bat favorites through October 31.
8-inch bat plush Regular price $13.99 Sale price $11.89
See The Invisible Mammal
Free screening · October 26
6 to 9 p.m. Mountain
Matthews Opera House, Spearfish
Follow the bat science
Tiny transmitters help reveal where bats roost.
Explore Adopt-A-Bat.
Give to education programs.
Make your day a little batty, but in a good way
Plush companions, a Jewel Cave story, something to wear, something to keep. These bat favorites are 15% off October 19 through 31. Sale prices are already applied.
For the builders: Bat Mini Building Blocks are also in the sale, but currently out of stock.
Available sizes and stock vary. Adopt-A-Bat items are excluded from the sale and featured separately below.
The Invisible Mammal
Meet the women scientists working to understand and protect bats in this feature-length documentary. Come for the film. Leave with a closer connection to the life overhead.
- When
- Monday, October 26, 2026
6 to 9 p.m. Mountain - Where
- Matthews Opera House Theatre
614 Main Street, Spearfish, South Dakota - Admission
- Free
Presented with Matthews Opera House and Black Hills National Forest.
Small signals.
A closer look at bat lives.
Finding a bat after sunset starts with a tiny signal. Our 2025 field story follows Black Hills National Forest and South Dakota State University researchers studying where northern long-eared bats roost.
Through Adopt-A-Bat, BHPFA has helped fund radio transmitters for this work. You can follow the research, explore the adoption program, or give to education and interpretation across our partner parks and forests.
Adopt-A-Bat items are excluded from the merchandise sale. The donation form below supports BHPFA’s general work, not a restricted bat fund.
A bat to take home.
A reason to care.
Our Adopt-A-Bat program connects a familiar face with real conservation work. BHPFA has helped fund the tiny transmitters researchers use to find bat roosts in the Black Hills.
Choose a plush or a hat, then follow the story of the bats and people behind the program.
Read the Adopt-A-Bat storyAdopt-A-Bat items are $35 each and excluded from the Bat Weeks sale.
Follow your curiosity
past the first flutter.
From our field notes
A tiny signal. A much bigger story.
How do you help an animal you can barely see after dark? Start by finding where it rests. Follow the Black Hills research story and see how Adopt-A-Bat support helped put transmitters in scientists' hands.
Read: Tracking hope in the Black HillsLife in the dark at Jewel Cave
Go beyond the formations to explore the cave as a living ecosystem, and learn about the work that helps protect its bats.
Explore Jewel CaveYour cave visit can help protect bats
White-nose syndrome makes the little things matter. Learn what to expect underground, including the precautions that help keep caves and wildlife safe.
Read the cave tour guideAbove the cave, another world
Follow Wind Cave's trails through prairie and pine. Our wildlife guide includes the bats that emerge near the natural entrance on summer evenings.
Explore Wind Cave wildlifeFrom the feed · July 17, 2025
Every blip on a tracker matters
A field report on northern long-eared bats, roost research, and the partnership between Black Hills National Forest and South Dakota State University.
Read the field report on FacebookFrom the feed · October 28, 2025
One legendary cave. Reasons to care.
Return to a Bat Week reflection from our feed about Jewel Cave, its bats, and the people who help protect them.
Read the Bat Week story on FacebookMore from the bat archive
Moon Walk: Bat Biology, Let’s Turn On the Dark (July 25, 2026, past event)
2025 Moon Walk season: exploring the forest after dark (season archive)
Keep the questions
coming.
A child's first bat question. A ranger's explanation of a hidden world. The moment a visitor sees a cave as a home, too.
Your gift to Black Hills Parks & Forests Association supports education, interpretation, and visitor programs across our partner parks and forests.
BHPFA is the nonprofit cooperating association for places including Jewel Cave and Wind Cave. We help connect people with these public lands through park stores, programs, and support from people like you.
This is our general donation form. Gifts support BHPFA's work across partner sites. For the bat conservation program, explore Adopt-A-Bat.
A few Bat Weeks questions
When is the Bat Weeks sale?
Our Bat Weeks celebration and sale runs October 19 through 31, 2026. The featured sale items are 15% off, with sale prices already applied. Stock and available sizes vary.
Are Adopt-A-Bat items on sale?
No. Adopt-A-Bat plush and hats are excluded from the sale. We are highlighting them separately so you can learn about the conservation program and choose a way to support it.
When and where is the free film screening?
The Invisible Mammal screens Monday, October 26, from 6 to 9 p.m. Mountain at Matthews Opera House Theatre, 614 Main Street in Spearfish, South Dakota. See the event details.
Does the donation form fund only bat programs?
No. The embedded form supports BHPFA's general work, including education, interpretation, and visitor programs across our partner sites. Our Adopt-A-Bat story explains the separate bat conservation program.
Stay curious about the night.
Celebrate Bat Weeks October 19 through 31, 2026.