36 CES participates in the 2025 Guam Island-wide Bat Count Published July 2, 2025 By Senior Airman Audree Campbell 36th Wing Public Affairs ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- U.S. Air Force members from the 36th Civil Engineering Squadron help count the Marianas Fruit Bats (locally known as Fanihi) at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, July 1, 2025. The Annual Fanihi Count started in 2014 and is currently the only bat count of its kind. The purpose of the annual count is to track the endangered species and ensure the population is stable. Multiple groups of volunteers spread out to different parts of the island under the cover of night to see if they can spot the Fanihi. To count the bats, the volunteers listed the place, time, and direction of flight. The flight paths and times in the different locations helped negate double counting the same bats. “This method of simultaneous counting is our best approach for something that can fly 30 miles quickly,” said principal investigator Tammy Mildenstein, who has participated in the count since it was initiated. “We’ve been doing it long enough now to see data trends change over time and it’s really cool to witness and be a part of.” The bats fly back and forth from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. While Guam is primarily believed to be a temporary location, two bat roosts have recently been found. “The 36th Munitions Squadron has been super helpful with access to the hard-to-get to areas where the bats like to be,” said Laura Duenas, 36th CES Environmental Flight natural resource specialist. “Andersen is part of a much larger effort to manage the Fanihi across islands.” Most bats have been spotted around Ritidian Point and Andersen Air Force Base’s area behind the flightline. The count originally started on Andersen AFB and has moved across the Island of Guam. “We now have volunteers from local conservation groups, Fish and Wildlife Service, Naval Base Guam, Camp Blaz, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and of course the general public,” said Jeried Calaor, Annual Fanihi Count project manager. This year, 19 of the 50 stations sighted approximately 79 bats and the final data is still being collected. For more information about the Marianas Fruit Bats, or how to be involved in the conservation efforts, email tammy.mildenstein@gmail.com.