Description

In April of 2023, researchers at Texas Tech and Virginia Tech teamed up to run a proof-of-concept study - could pet dogs around the U.S. be trained to find one of the most environmentally damaging invasive species, the spotted lantern fly (SLF)? SLF is presently in 17 states, including New York and Massachusetts, and leaves the environment looking like "scorched earth without the fire." It's predicted to be in Maine by 2026. When the study started in May, Maine was absent from the roster. Maine dog trainer, Melissa McCue-McGrath, received an email in November 2023. The researchers were looking for a second cohort of dogs and trainers to complete the study that winter. Six dogs enrolled in McCue-McGrath's scent work classes at the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk were tapped to represent Vacationland in the study. These pet dogs, already trained to find a variety of oils on a q-tip for fun, pivoted their focus to save the environment. Join us at the Rangeley Public Library on Wednesday, July 9th, as Melissa McCue-McGrath describes the process the dogs and their trainers went through to learn to detect SLF using dead SLF eggs. McCue-McGrath will have live dogs on site to demonstrate the process they go through.