(Pop quiz- Which is thicker? The ice on Carlin Lake or the snow that rests on top of it? Answer below.)
What would a summer evening floating on Carlin Lake be like without the presence of the numerous bats that swoop and dive over the water as soon as dusk settles? At a recent home show I heard a presentation by the Organization for Bat Conservation and the Michigan based group had some scary news that could impact bat populations throughout the US. I have been aware of white nose syndrome (WNS) for a couple of years but thought this bat killing disease was confined to the the Northeastern US. Apparently, this fungus, that is recognizable by a whitish substance on the nose of roosting bats, is spreading eastward and may reach the upper midwest this year or next. To date, the disease, for which there is no practical cure, has killed millions of bats in caves in Pennsylvania and other states.
Some of you shudder at the very thought of this kinda homely mammal but probably would applaud its consumption of zillions of mosquitoes and other insects that make sitting outside in the summer a bit trying. Bats spend their winters in one of two ways, migrating to warmer climates or in damp caves, mostly in the UP in this region. It's the ones that hang (literally) around that are the most suseptable. They cluster tightly together all winter in caves or old mines and the disease can spread quickly in the close quarters. It is almost always fatal.There is a Wisconsin connection to finding a solution. The work to find a cure for WNS is taking place at the USGS Wildlife Health Center in Madison.
(OK, pop quiz answer: As of last Sunday... ice wins 14" to 10" of snow. Still a lot thinner ice than last year. A good sign for early ice out?)
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