October 2011 is International Year of the Bat, and there’s a big conference this month at the Field Museum called Battle for the Bats.  White Nose Syndrome is decimating bats populations in my native Northeast, and the illness is spreading rapidly south and west.  Bats are the only flying mammal, incredibly important for natural pest control and pollination, and we’re losing them at a terrifying speed in the US.  I’m going to go and geek out at the conference, and I’m writing about the fight to protect bats in this month’s column for Tikkun Daily.  Read about why you should care as much as I do about the fate of bats.