Nature's Nap Time: Dormancy, Torpor, Estivation, Hibernation and Brumation

As youngsters, we learn about bears hibernating in the winter, but hibernation is just one of many strategies employed by animals to survive the harsh conditions of winter. In fact, according to some definitions of hibernation, bears don’t hibernate at all! Kevin Dodge, Director of the Natural Resources and Wildlife Technology program at Garrett College, will help us learn the similarities and differences among these strategies and understand the mechanisms and cost-benefits of each strategy for a variety of species.

Kevin Dodge has worked since 1987 at Garrett College, in far western Maryland, where he is Professor of Wildlife and Biology and Director of the Natural Resources and Wildlife Technology program. Kevin teaches various courses in natural history and ecology, including Wildlife Biology, Dendrology, Herbaceous Plant Identification, Plant Taxonomy, Herpetology, Ornithology, Regional Songbird Identification, and General Ecology. Kevin received his B.S. in Biology from Southwest Missouri State University in 1981 and his M.S. in Biology from Michigan Technological University in 1983, and he pursued further studies in Wildlife Biology at West Virginia University from 1983 through 1987.

Kevin is actively involved in natural resources issues in Garrett County and the surrounding area. He is a member of the Savage River State Forest Citizens’ Advisory Board, a board member of the Youghiogheny River Watershed Association, co-founder of the Garrett Natural History Association, and a past member of the Garrett County Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Advisory Committee.