A dedicated team of biologists is working towards bat conservation in the Kootenays. Due to the human impact of forestry operations, many species of bats have lost natural habitat needed for raising their young. Bats often like to use large, hollow trees for roosting, depending on defects like small cavities or loose bark found in mature, old growth forests. Female bats require warmth and a very specific micro-climate to raise their pups. For example, Californian Myotis, a common species found in Columbia Basin, needs spaces small enough to allow their tiny bodies to warm and moisten the air around them. Younger trees rarely have the crevices they seek. Some species have adapted to using buildings and bat boxes instead. However, of the 12 species in the Creston area, only four regularly use buildings to roost, while the other seven do not.