Monitoring

The National Detector Dog Training Center trains dogs for various agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on targets ranging from agricultural products to contraband wildlife items. Detector dogs are those trained to find a target odor. Dogs have 300 million olfactory receptors making them efficient at searching landscapes to find an odor target as opposed to people visually surveying. In addition, they also tend to cover more ground than the handlers, effectively multiplying an already impressive search area.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services contacted USDA-APHIS, Wildlife Services to help determine the feasibility of using detector dogs to survey for the threatened small whorled pogonia. In the summer of 2022 small whorled pogonia surveys using the detector dogs were conducted at Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County VA and Price William Forest Park in Triangle, VA. Results are included in Small Whorled Pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) surveys on Fort A.P. Hill and Prince William Forest Park: 2022 report of activities.

Library

2022 VA Small Whorled Pogonia Report_0.pdf

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services contacted MD/DE/DC Wildlife Services to help determine the feasibility of detector dogs to survey for small whorled pogonia. In the summer of 2022 small whorled pogonia surveys using the detector dogs were conducted at Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County VA and...

Facilities

Nest of with eight American black duck chicks
We work with landowners, private and community organizations, government agencies and others to conserve, protect and enhance fish and wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay area including Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Our conservation priorities include: endangered, threatened and at-...

Contact

Programs

A rocky shoreline of a river. The water is calm. Mist and green branches line the river.
The Ecological Services Program works to restore and protect healthy populations of fish, wildlife, and plants and the environments upon which they depend. Using the best available science, we work with federal, state, Tribal, local, and non-profit stakeholders, as well as private land owners, to...

Species