Sam Morgulas, a senior at Scarsdale High School, built and installed three "rocket" bat boxes in the woods at the Greenburgh Nature Center on Oct. 15.
The tall, cylindrical structures give bats a safe place to roost during the day.
Rocket bat boxes are multi-chamber cylinders designed to provide the enclosed, elevated shelter that nocturnal bats seek between nighttime flights.
Morgulas developed a passion for bats through his science research at Scarsdale High School, the Yonkers Times reported in September.
Over the past year, he researched, designed and built the boxes, taking his interest in bat conservation well beyond the classroom.
The work was not a solo effort.
Morgulas partnered with the Greenburgh Nature Center and the Westchester Land Trust as he scouted locations and refined his designs, the Yonkers Times reported.
He weighed factors including sun exposure, flight access, surrounding vegetation, predators and the specific needs of local bat species before choosing where to place each box.
The Journal News covered the project Oct. 22, with photographer Seth Harrison capturing Morgulas standing beside one of the finished installations in the nature center's woods.
The boxes stand on poles among the trees along the center's paths.
The Journal News described the structures as looking "a bit like goth-style birdhouses."
