A nose for conservation

South Jersey Central Record • April 10, 2020

Dia, Fagen and Fly are “conservation dogs,” trained to use their sensitive noses to detect specific animals and plants. They can find target species far more efficiently than people, who rely on eyesight alone. Dia, a Labrador retriever, and Fagen, a Belgian malinois, work with handler Joshua Beebe of the nonprofit New York-New Jersey Trail Conference to sniff out invasive plants and insects. Fly, a cattle dog mix, helps biologist Gretchen Fowles of the state’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program track rare animals for her research. In addition, the nonprofit Clean Ocean Action has brought in dogs from Maine-based Environmental Canine Services to track down sources of pathogen pollution, like raw sewage, in the Navesink River.