Using detector dogs to track nutria is lecture topic Aug. 10
Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge will host Margaret "Marnie" Pepper, project leader for the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project, for a lecture at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 10, in the visitors center.
Nutria, which are rodents from South America that can grow to 15 pounds, were introduced to the Eastern Shore of Maryland nearly 70 years ago because of their luxurious fur. However, they ended up wreaking havoc in the marshes of the Chesapeake Bay, particularly in the area of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Md.
As the invasive nutria voraciously dined on marsh grasses and sedges, the freshwater marshes in Dorchester County began to disappear at an alarming rate. The Maryland, Delaware, Washington, DC Wildlife Services have all used various nutria detection techniques, including their detector dog program.
Pepper, a wildlife biologist and certified agricultural canine handler and field trainer, will be speaking about how the dogs are selected and trained to detect nutria scat, how the idea came about, and how the program was developed. Although dogs will not be present at the lecture, the story of how these detector dogs and their trainers have helped preserve Delmarva's wetlands is a unique and important one.
Seating for this event is limited and reservations are required; call 302-684-8419. Prime Hook Refuge is at 11978 Turkle Pond Road off Route 16/Broadkill Road. Light refreshments will be served beginning at 6:30 p.m.
