Meet the very good dogs who hunt down invasive species
They can sniff out troublesome weeds and other pests.
By Ellen Airhart November 10, 2017
Lily is a golden retriever from Georgia. Seamus is a border collie from Montana. Together, they are leading a Working Dogs for Conservation team to eradicate an invasive weed from Mount Sentinel in Missoula, Montana.
Before the team of dogs took over, humans were doing a mediocre job of controlling dyer’s woad, a knee-high, light green weed native to southeastern Russia. The problem lay with how people usually identify the plant—by its distinctive yellow flower, which lights up roadsides across the southwestern U.S. The golden blossoms might be pleasant on the side of the highway, but dyer’s woad crowds out native plants from Arizona to Wyoming. “They displace multiple species within the native plant community,†says Jane Mangold, a professor of land resources and environmental science at Montana State University, via email. “A general loss in biodiversity ensues.â€
https://www.popsci.com/dog-sniff-invasive-species
