The invasive plant hopper, spotted lanternfly (SLF), has been on New York and New Jersey invasive species manager’s radars for years. As of fall 2020, SLF has become established in multiple counties in New Jersey and has been observed and confirmed in Staten Island, Port Jervis, Sloatsburg, Orangeburg, and Ithaca, N.Y. We know that early detection and rapid response efforts are critical to management success, but finding this invasive insect, especially its cryptic egg masses, in the early stages of the invasion creates a real challenge for land managers. We believe that conservation detection dogs can be used to augment traditional searches for spotted lanternfly egg masses in high priority agricultural and natural areas. In June 2020, the Conservation Dogs Program (in collaboration with researchers from Cornell University, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Working Dogs for Conservation) received funding from the Atkinson Venture Fund to focus on detecting spotted lanternfly egg masses in one of the highest risk agricultural settings: vineyards. At least 21 vineyards across New Jersey and Pennsylvania have agreed to host dog and human searchers between the months of December 2020 and March 2021 to carry out a comparative survey study. At each vineyard and in the surrounding natural areas, researchers from Cornell will act as traditional human surveyors while Conservation Dogs Program manager, Joshua Beese, will complete the searches with Dia and Fagen. Data collected by the Conservation Dogs program and Cornell researchers will be used to create an occupancy model that will estimate the probability of finding an egg mass in a given area and the probability that a dog versus a human can find it. From this pilot study, researchers are hoping to better understand what the most efficient search strategies are for SLF egg masses and what environmental factors play a role in detection so that best management practices can be developed. The Conservation Dogs Program believes the results will not only contribute to information on spotted lanternfly distribution, but elucidate the potential for conservation dog work in the early detection of other invasive insects. See all of our progress on Instagram @DiaSavesTheForest. |