Finding the Last One: Use of Detector Dogs in the Final Stages of the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project

Nutria are invasive, semi-aquatic, non-native rodents that were first released in Maryland in the 1940s. Their voracious feeding habits destroyed thousands of acres of wetlands throughout the region, prompting the formation in 2002 of the Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Project (CBNEP) with funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, operational implementation by the USDA, and support from a coalition of 25 conservation partners. Marnie Pepper, the project leader for the CBNEP, will be on hand to share this project's fascinating history and to specifically highlight a key innovation: the introduction in 2014 of highly trained teams of canine handlers and detector dogs which are adding another level of confidence to the project's final phase of verifying total eradication. Making a special guest appearance at the presentation will be one of the detector dogs!

Special Assistance - For those in need of special assistance (such as an interpreter for the hearing impaired) or inquiries regarding the accessible entrance, please notify museum staff at (202) 208-4743 in advance of the program. Special needs will be accommodated whenever possible.

Building Access - Visitor access to the building is through the C Street entrance lobby. All adults must present a valid, government-issued photo ID to enter the building. All visitors will be subject to security screenings, including bag and parcel checks.

Location - The Rachel Carson Room is located adjacent to the cafeteria in the lower level of the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC, 20240.