New York State has eight PRISMs (Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management). In recent years, a powerful new tool has been added to their combat arsenal. Our canine companions can be trained to sniff out invasive species and help us battle them. They are really good at it.

Here in Sullivan County, our local PRISM is called the Catskills Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP). Check out their website at catskillinvasives.com for more information. They are hosted by the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development up in Arkville.

Across the mighty Delaware, the Wayne Conservation District works within the framework created by the Pennsylvania Governor’s Invasive Species Council. The goal is the same: to eradicate invasives and minimize the damage that they do.

So how do our furry friends help in the battle? Scientists estimate that a dog’s nose is 10,000 to 100,000 times better than a human nose, based on the number of scent receptors. Some breeds, like bloodhounds, are estimated at close to a million times better.

Just like dogs can be trained to sniff out drugs and explosives, they can be trained to alert on various invasive species. Their detections include aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. They are sometimes used at boat launches to detect invasives on watercraft.

Poking around the internet yielded examples of just how good the canines are. One case showed that after a human team spent days removing invasive plants from a more than 30-acre site and had completely finished, a single dog was brought in and found 1,200 more. As well-intentioned as we humans are, we simply don’t have the same nose for detection.

In certain cases, humans have a hard time detecting plants, especially when they are young. A good example is an invasive grass called False Brome. We often only realize what it is when it is already mature and preventing tree seedlings from becoming established and choking out other vegetation. The dogs can be trained to easily identify it.

Wayne County is part of Pennsylvania’s Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine Zone. These invasive insects have been found here in Sullivan County as well. Thankfully, canines can be trained to detect them, including their egg masses. Studies have shown that dogs find three times as many as human searchers do.

The biggest benefit of using dogs is that they can detect invasives earlier than humans can. We need more dogs. There currently aren’t enough of them.

The NYS DEC has a good webpage about the PRISMs. It includes links to each of them and a link to the iMapInvasives database that is run by the New York Natural Heritage Program (a program of SUNY-ESF, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry). Check it out.

Remember, if you see an invasive species, report it. We’re never going to win this war if you and I don’t do our part.

Let’s all enjoy the outdoors!

John S. Van Etten is the current president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, Inc.