One afternoon in June I got a call from my editor asking if I wanted to drive 3 hours to the Eastern Shore of Maryland and slog around a swamp photographing wildlife trackers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. My answer: "Absolutely!" So I set out to meet up with Wildlife Specialists from the USDA who are tracking and hunting an invasive species from South America called Nutria. The species lives and feeds on thick marsh grass that is essential for the preservation of wetlands. As Nutria have reproduced and spread through Maryland their feeding habits have irreversibly changed dozens of marshlands into open water, displacing many species who call the wetlands home. The USDA's goal is the eventual total eradication of Nutria from the Mid-Atlantic. Happy hunting:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains a captive population of Nutria for study and urine collection to aid in their eradication efforts in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Md. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.
The USDA is spearheading efforts to eradicate Nutria, an invasive species that destroys marshlands, here in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Md. among others. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.
USDA Wildlife Specialists Daniel Dawson and K.C. Kerr pilot an aluminum U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service skiff along the shoreline of the Manokin River in Dorchester County, Md. during Nutria eradication efforts in marshlands on the Eastern Shore of Maryland on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.
Wildlife Specialist K.C. Kerr pilots jets up the Manokin River in Dorchester County, Md. in search of fresh Nutria scat and nesting areas. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.
Wildlife Specialist K.C. Kerr sets a Nutria trap along the shoreline of the Manokin River in Dorchester County, Md. during Nutria eradication efforts in marshlands on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.
A fly lands on a U.S. Department of Agriculture hat worn by USDA Supervisory Wildlife Biologist Stephen R. Kendrot as he waits to rendezvous with a USDA Nutria eradication team in the marshlands along the Manokin River in Dorchester County, Md. on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.
Nutria huddle together in the USDA's captive colony outside their headquarters in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Md. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.
The Blackwater Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Md. is pictured on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. The USDA is spearheading efforts to eradicate Nutria, an invasive species that destroys marshlands. Luke Sharrett for The New York Times.
Thanks for looking!
**Photos copyright Luke Sharrett and The New York Times**
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