Protecting Michigan box turtles, with some help from man's best friend
Eastern box turtles, like this one, inhabit woodlands in southern Michigan. Humans have used dogs as helpers in innumerable pursuits for centuries, and that relationship seems to expand daily. John Rucker, a life-long bird hunting enthusiast, has always kept dogs to help him pursue upland game, but he’s also trained his Boykin spaniels to perform an unusual task. Rucker’s dogs have been trained to find and retrieve turtles. John Rucker, who uses Boykin spaniels to find and retrieve turtles, recently found box turtles at Fort Custer State Recreation Area. The 65-year-old Tennessee resident was in Michigan recently to help members of the Department of Natural Resources’ Parks and Recreation Division find Eastern box turtles at Fort Custer State Recreation Area, near Battle Creek. The box turtles, a species of concern in Michigan, inhabit the woodlands and adjacent fields of Fort Custer. Parks and Recreation staffers are attempting to understand the turtles’ season...