Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin testing ruffed grouse to gauge West Nile exposure

Under the program, now in its second year, researchers in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin collect the carcasses of ruffed grouse along with blood samples from the birds during the states' respective grouse seasons.
 Each state's DNR searches the birds' organs for signs of West Nile and sends the blood samples to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study group at the University of Georgia for further testing.
The data collected by the group then helps researchers evaluate the effects of West Nile on grouse populations throughout Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.