By Mick Zawislak | Daily Herald
Dog-walking is popular at scenic Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside but on a recent morning it was all work for two specially-trained Labradors from the Conservation Dogs Collective.
A bumblebee on a flower in the a Lake County forest preserve. | Courtesy of Lake County Forest Preserves
Canines Ernie and Betty White were brought in specifically for their expertise in helping detect valuable information for the Lake County Forest Preserve District.
Kathryn McCabe, wildlife ecologist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District, discusses how and why dogs were being used to help locate bumblebee nests at Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside.| Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
“Today, it’s all about the bumblebees,” explained Kathryn McCabe, wildlife ecologist.
More precisely, finding bumblebee nests generally located underground. Finding them helps researchers studying habitat preference and colony behavior. There are 12 species in Lake County, including the federally endangered rusty patched bumblebee.
McCabe and others have been gathering data on pollinators to help guide land restoration efforts and hopefully increase the number of pollinators.
Laura Holder, executive director of the Conservations Dogs Collective, pauses as her dog, Betty, searches for bumblebee nests on Aug. 13 at Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside. | Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Food crops we rely on grow because of them, experts say, but depending on the species, populations have declined 60% or more in recent years due to climate change, habitat loss, pesticides, diseases and other factors.
Which is where Ernie and Betty White come in. According to Conservation Dogs Collective, dogs are super sniffers and the part of their brains devoted to analyzing smells is about 40 times greater than humans and there is no human-made instrument that can replicate their scenting power and efficiency.
Betty, a black Labrador retriever, is released from her crate by owner Laura Holder to look for bumblebee nests during a work day this past week at Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside. | Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Finding nest sites is part of general bumble bee monitoring programs in Lake County but this is the first year dogs have been used to assist.
Read more here.
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