Lava Beds National Monument

While bats can get a bad reputation, they're actually vital for pest control and pollination in their ecosystems. To educate the public and dispel harmful myths, the Plumas Audubon Society is hosting speakers from a nonprofit devoted to bat preservation.

There are places—still—in California that are so remote, most people never get there, a fact I deeply appreciate. One of these places is the vast Modoc…