Gerda Nordquist
Gerda Nordquist is the animal survey supervisor and mammalogist for the Minnesota County Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. In this capacity, she has directed surveys for rare animals, including bats, throughout the state. Her graduate research focused on important bat hibernacula in Minnesota and adjacent portions of Wisconsin and Iowa. She is a long-time member of the Minnesota Speleological Survey, a grotto of the National Speleological Society. Currently, she is the state’s point-of-contact for White-nose Syndrome.
White-Nose Syndrome
A serious disease has been killing off bats in the United States and Canada. It was initially discovered in New York, but has now spread to many of the surrounding states and as far west as Oklahoma.
These bats have a white fungus growing on them during hibernation. This fungus is called Geomyces destructans. It is now estimated that over a million bats have died as a result of White-Nose Syndrome
Photo courtesy Al Hicks, New York Department of Environmental Conservation