Detection-dog teams are one of the fastest-growing survey options in wildlife management. They support everything from post-construction monitoring at wind facilities to presence/absence surveys for sensitive species and rare plant occupancy. Best practices for implementing, standardizing, and evaluating these teams, however, haven’t been widely shared with the researchers and agencies who rely on them.
At Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) WWRM, WEST’s Detection Dog Practice Group is leading a half-day workshop on building conservation detection-dog teams into renewable energy study design. We’ll cover how dogs learn and process odor, and how olfactory surveys compare with visual surveys, camera traps, drones, and acoustics. We’ll also discuss how detection probability and your study goals influence study design and whether detection dogs are the right fit. In small groups, you’ll work through a case study and design survey methods alongside researchers, regulators, and handlers.
Researchers, regulators, and conservation scientists are especially encouraged to attend. You’ll leave knowing the right questions to ask a detection-dog team and what a successful partnership looks like from both sides.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
8:00 AM โ 12:00 PM
Register here: https://rewi.org/news-events/wwrm/wwrm-registration/
