by Taro letaka
For a human, finding a small object in a large area is dependent on luck and good eyesight. But for a dog, a sniff is enough to do it. The TSA and DEA have been using dogs to sniff for narcotics and explosives for years, and now land managers are getting in the game. On a cold December day at Croton Point Nature Center, Parks staff were treated to a demonstration by Dia and Fagen, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference’s conservation dogs. This pair of highly-trained canines is being used to detect the next wave of invading insects and plants before they take over our parks. They can currently recognize and show their handlers three invasive species but will learn several more as they gain experience. The dogs can sniff out hidden insect eggs in a car’s wheel well, a lone plant in a field of grass, and in the future may be able to recognize a fungal disease in affected trees. They also serve as ambassadors for Lower Hudson PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) and help to raise awareness of the economic and environmental damage that invasive species cause.
For example, Spotted lanternfly is the most threatening of the species the dogs can detect. This sap-sucking insect has caused significant damage to vineyards, orchards, and hardwood forests in Pennsylvania since it was first detected there about five years ago. In some areas it has reached plague proportions and significantly impacted quality of life, rendering affected parks and wooded areas completely unappealing to visitors. When lanternflies feed, they secrete excess sugar and water called honeydew. When honeydew accumulates, it ferments and grows mold. So imagine a park that smells like garbage on a hot day, where the base of trees are covered in black fungus, and tree bark is covered with crawling brightly-colored insects. (See https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSFqdEJoqew to see what our neighbors in PA are dealing with.)
Dia and Fagen are doing their part to detect the eggs of lanternflies on trucks and cars coming from Pennsylvania into New York, but they are only two small dogs and can’t be everywhere at once. This is where they need your help! Visitors should be on the lookout for these colorful bugs (see picture above) and should report any sightings to Mindy Quintero, mqs5@westchestergov.com along with photos and locations. Your help could help thwart the invasion on our doorstep!