Animals

The last week of October is International Bat Week. Our Samantha Larned reports on research at Texas Tech's Natural Resource Management Department into how bats adapt to human infrastructure in the state. Governor Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that the Texas Workforce Commission has awarded grants to four West Texas school districts as part of the Jobs and Educations for Texans program. Two of those grants are in partnership with South Plains College to train Denver City ISD and Seagraves ISD.

Bats love to munch on insects like stink bugs and moths. Some farmers are now relying on the mammals for pest control – and ditching chemicals.

The ground-dwelling bird's preferred grassland habitat overlaps with agricultural and energy-rich regions, putting the species' future in the hands of private landowners. In the second installment of a two-part series, StateImpact's Chloe Bennett-Steele reports on continued conservation efforts for the species.

Monday is the deadline to register to vote for the November 4th election, which will feature 17 constitutional amendments at the top of the ballot. Our Bishop Van Buren reports that applications must be signed and mailed by Monday or delivered in person to the Lubbock County Elections Office at 1308 Crickets Avenue. Lubbock Animal Services has received several recent reports of scammers pretending to be LAS employees. The city shared ways folks can identify a scam.

The bird is likely the result of shifting weather patterns and climate change.

Lubbock Lake Landmark is a snapshot of the land before settlement, preserving archeological evidence of early-human life and the natural history of the region’s plants and animals. Through its discoveries, education, and conservation, staff with the Landmark have reintroduced native wildlife driven out of the area, and continue to explore possibilities for the land and for those who love it.

The bird dwells west of Lubbock, and in the tip of the Panhandle, north of Amarillo.

The decision by a Texas federal court removed the lesser prairie chicken of any endangered or threatened species protections, which were established through a Biden-era ruling. The Trump administration had tried to reverse the designation, on behalf of livestock and oil producers.

The West Texas measles outbreak has been declared over, after eight months and 762 connected cases in the state. However, our Samantha Larned says Lubbock’s Public Health is still hard at work, helping other communities prepare for these kinds of emergencies. A West Texas federal judge has reversed protection for the Lesser Prairie Chicken. Texas Public Radio's Brian Kirkpatrick reports the state agriculture commissioner is praising the decision.

Quail populations across Texas have been plummeting for decades. But now, a Texas Tech researcher and his team may have turned that trend around with the invention of a medicated wildlife feed that’s been approved by the FDA and is now commercially available.