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Bugs could slow strawberry guava
(Note: There is absolutely no mention in this article's title that
this bug is "non-native." For all the major muzzled media
and congressional hoopla about "native /
non-native," "invasive," "invasive alien
species," etc., the fact remains that there is nothing more
than a monetary incentive for the Language Deception -- i.e., if this
"non-native" bug can be unleashed upon first Hawaii's Big
Island, and then, after scads of Forest Service employees
"monitor the impact of the bug for several years," release
it on the other islands, it will be nothing more than another specie
known as "job security." Notice that there's no hue and cry
about this "non-native" bug, because a government agency is
the one with the agenda to use it. Where are the self-proclaimed
"environmental" and "conservation" groups
screaming to the skies about "invasive species?" Not one
whimper from ANY of them!)
October 8, 2005
By Kevin Dayton kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com
The Honolulu Advertiser Big Island Bureau
P.O. Box 3110
Honolulu, Hawaii 96802
808-525-2445
Fax: 808-535-2415
To submit a Letter to the Editor: letters@honoluluadvertiser.com
Hilo, Hawaii - Scientists want to release on the Big Island an insect
that attacks strawberry guava in an attempt to curb the invasive plant
that has already crowded out native species on thousands of acres of
forests.
U.S. Forest Service researchers are seeking state permission to release the Brazilian scale, or Tectococcus ovatus, at about the 3,000-foot level in state-managed forest reserves north of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, and hope to begin distributing the insect in the next year or so, said Tracy Johnson, research entomologist with the Forest Service. Conservationists have been hacking down or bulldozing stands of strawberry guava, or waiawi, for years, but the plant spreads aggressively as birds or pigs eat its fruit and distribute its seeds. It is found in thick stands on every island. Originally brought to Hawai'i in 1825, strawberry guava is very difficult to remove once established. It sends up new shoots from cut stumps, and trees toppled by bulldozers quickly sink new roots into the ground, Johnson said. It has no natural enemies in Hawai'i, it is spreading in the national park, "steadily advancing in the forests where it occurs," he said. Even releasing the scale isn't expected to kill thick stands, at least not right away, Johnson said. "The best we can really hope for at this point is to stop strawberry guava in its tracks," he said. Scientists aren't certain how quickly the scale will spread, but they expect the process will be relatively slow. The males can fly, but can't spread the species on their own. The eggs and newly hatched nymphs can be distributed by the wind, but scientists don't know how far they will move or how quickly. Newly hatched nymphs crawl to new tissue on the plant, which triggers a process where the tree forms what's called a gall to isolate the insect. The galls look like cones or bubbles on the leaves, and each one has an insect inside. When the tree forms galls to protect itself, that drains off energy the plant would otherwise devote to growing and producing fruit, and the plant weakens. Johnson said he is proposing that the impact of the scale be monitored in the national park and the Big Island for perhaps two years before releasing it on other islands. As for the overall effect, "We're looking at decades for the impact to unfold," he said. He said scientists in Florida are also studying the scale as a possible method for controlling strawberry guava infestations there. This is the first time this scale has been released for this purpose, but the state has a very long history of biological control efforts, Johnson said. Examples include the use of moths to chew the insides of prickly pear or panini cactus, and a number of insects that were introduced to attack the lantana weed, which was much more common years ago. There are some people who have planted strawberry guava as an ornamental plant or have considered it as a potential alternative crop, but Johnson said it does not have a high commercial value in Hawai'i. As for commercial-grade guava crops, Johnson said years of lab tests and observations of the scale in Brazil demonstrated the scale does not attack the commercial guava varieties. Extensive tests have also been done on a variety native plants such as 'ohi'a, and the scale does not attack them, he said.
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WHAT'S NEXT WITH SCALES The U.S. Forest Service's Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry will ask the Department of Agriculture's Advisory Committee on Plants and Animals to set permit conditions for release of the Brazilian scale, which attacks strawberry guava. The meeting will be in the Plant Quarantine Conference Room at 9 a.m. Wednesday at 1849 Auiki St. For more information call 808-832-0566.
Copyright 2005, The Honolulu Advertiser.
Related, researched, recommended
reading:
Results 1 - 10 of about 100 English pages
for 808 Hawaii
strawberry-guava
"Forest
Service
" with Safesearch on.
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Results 1 - 10 of about 26 English pages
for 808 Hawaii Forest-Service "strawberry guava "
site:.gov with Safesearch on.
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Annual Report to the Twenty-first
Legislature, Regular Session of 2002, Relating to the Forest
Stewardship Program
Prepared by The State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural
Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife
In response to Section 195F-6, Hawaii Revised Statutes
Honolulu, Hawaii
November 2001
[Excerpted]
(Note: See Appendix 4, page ix/36, regarding Continental Pacific, LLC,
below.)
Continental Pacific, LLC
P.O. Box 755
Troy, Alabama 36081
Project Manager: Jere A. Henderson
Consultant: Courtney A. Murrill: 808-981-0253
Continental Pacific, LLC is receiving assistance to establish a small
number of research trials on 58.9 acres of former pasture land to
determine which species will perform best at this and similar sites
for the purpose of high-quality hardwood timber production. Trials
will also seek to detect genetic variation among provenances within
species by comparing the growth performance of seedlings from a
variety of parent sources. The project's primary objectives are to
determine which species perform best in this area, where there
is a lot of agricultural land that could be used for timber production,
and to select superior trees that will be managed to produce
high-quality seed for local growers and landowners. In addition, Continental
Pacific intends to test a method for establishing forest plantations
in areas that have been taken over by thick stands of strawberry
guava.
It is hoped that the availability of such information will
reduce potential forestry investor risk
perceptions and encourage other private landowners in the area
to establish plantations of higher-value hardwood species.
All such efforts are contributing to development of a viable and
sustainable supply of hardwood timber for Hawaii's developing forest
industry.
-----
Programs and Projects: Institute of
Pacific Islands Forestry, Pacific Southwest Research Station
Wendell H. Sato, Biological Science Technician
Education
(1981) B.S. Agriculture, University of Hawaii, Manoa (1995) Teaching Certificate Elementary Education, University of Hawaii, Hilo Research Interests/Duties Quarantine and nursery operations in support of biological control of weeds. Plant propagation with emphasis on native Hawaiian species. Current Studies/Projects Host specificity testing of Tectococcus ovatus, a candidate for biological control of strawberry guava.
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Julie S. Denslow, Research Ecologist
808-933-8121 Ext. 16
Pacific Southwest Research Station
Forest Research Laboratory
23 East Kawili St.
Hilo, HI 96720
808-933-8121 Ext. 10
Fax: 808-933-8120
Education: A.B., Zoology, 1964, Oberlin College,
Oberlin, OH M.S., Biology, 1969, University of Miami, Coral
Gables, FL Ph.D.,Botany, 1978, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Research Interests/Duties Ecology of invasive exotic species; risk
assessment and cost/benefit models for invasive species; population,
community, and ecosystem processes associated with disturbances to
tropical and warm temperate forests; effects of changing hydrology on
nutrient processes and forest dynamics in bottomland hardwood forests
of southeastern US.
Current Studies/Projects: Limitations to seedling
establishment in mid-elevation, mesic Hawaiian forest (with A. Uowolo
and F. Hughes)
Growth rates and physiological characteristics of exotic and native
Hawaiian trees and shrubs under light and nutrient variation. (with A.
Uowolo)
Economic and ecological cost-benefit assessment of the invasive tree,
Psidium cattleianum (strawberry guava), in the Hawaiian Islands (with
J. Yanagida, U. Hawaii CTAHR)
Demography of the invasive tree, Psidium cattleianum, in mid-elevation
moist Hawaiian forest. (with T. Johnson, A. Uowolo, R. Nagata, and C.
Perry)
Assessment of invasiveness among exotic plants in the Hawaiian Islands
(with C. Daehler and the Hawaii Exotic Plant Evaluation Committee)
Impact of the biological control agent, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
v. miconieae, on the invasive tree, Miconia calvescens (with P. Conant
and E. Kilgore, Hawaii DOA).
Selected Publications
Denslow, J. S. and L. L. Battaglia. 2002. Stand composition and
structure across a changing hydrological gradient: Jean Lafitte
National Park, Louisiana. Wetlands 22:738-752.
Smith, C. W., J. S. Denslow and S. Hight.(eds.) 2002. Biological
control of invasive plants in native Hawaiian ecosystems. Proceedings
of the 2000 Conservation Forum of the Secretariat for Conservation
Biology. Technical Report 129, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit,
University of Hawaii at Manoa, 122pp
J. S. Denslow. 2003 Weeds in paradise: thoughts on the invasibility of
tropical islands. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 90:119-127.
S. J. DeWalt, J. S. Denslow and K. Ikes. 2004. Enemy release
facilitates habitat expansion of the invasive tropical shrub, Clidemia
hirta (Melastomatacee) Ecology 85: 471-483
DeWalt, S. J., J. S. Denslow, and J. Hamrick. 2004. Biomass
allocation, growth and photosynthesis of native and invasive genotypes
of the shrub Clidemia hirta grown in a common garden. Oecologia. 138:
521-521.
Daehler, C. C., J. S. Denslow, S. Ansari, and H.-C. Kuo. 2004. A risk
assessment system for screening out harmful inasive pest plants from
Hawaii and other Pacific Islands. Conservation Biology: 18:1-9.
-----
Fighting invasive species with
BIOCONTROL
May 29, 2005
By Valerie Monson, Staff Writer vmonson@mauinews.com
Maui News
100 Mahalani Street
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793
808-244-3981
To submit a Letter to the Editor: editor@mauinews.com
Olinda, Maui, Hawaii - The last resort has suddenly become the only hope.
“The introduction of new species to Hawaii is the last thing
scientists want to do,” said research biologist Art Medeiros as he
stood nearly swallowed up in a sea of spreading kahili ginger that has
slowly been strangling sections of the Makawao Forest Reserve. “But
we’re in a corner. With careful testing, there is a way out, there
is a way for Hawaiian forests to live, maybe not in pristine form, but
with all the native players present.”
The battle against some of the most destructive invasive species in
Hawaii might be won only with the help of some unexpected ammunition:
more invasive species.
As Medeiros frets over the ginger in the forest, Ulupalakua Ranch
President Sumner Erdman rides through a pasture he can barely use
because fireweed has raged across it like a five-alarm blaze and now
intrudes on thousands of acres that were once blanketed in thick
grasses.
The fireweed, a native of Africa that may have been introduced in
contaminated grass seed, is toxic to cattle and horses. It was first
sighted on Maui in 1997 along the Pukalani bypass.
The problem has gotten so severe for cattle operations that Erdman and
his colleagues at Haleakala, Hana and Kaupo ranches have joined forces
with Maui County and the state Department of Agriculture in financing
a research project to bring insects from Africa that would slow the
fireweed before the pastures are completely overtaken.
“The part that’s the toughest for people to grasp is that the
species we’re trying to fight are introduced species that have no
natural predators here and so they go rampant, they go wild,” said
Erdman.
Of the thousands of plants introduced to Hawaii, only a handful have
gone on to become superweeds, terrorists that take over forests and
pastures. For years, biologists and environmentalists have
concentrated on tediously removing large populations by hand or by
applying poisons. But as they find themselves unable to keep up with
these prolific invaders, many believe that drastic steps are needed to
keep the islands from losing their natural identity and native
biological resources.
More and more, experts in the field find themselves looking at
biocontrol -- the release of a new species to impede another --
as the key to giving Hawaii’s forests a chance against these plants
that are spreading with a tenacity rivaling that of a science fiction
invader.
Medeiros, who has
dedicated his career to restoring native ecosystems around
Maui, would seem to be the least likely person to suggest bringing in
more foreign species. The island is
already reeling from other species imported with the intention of
making Hawaii a better place, from the mongoose to miconia.
“It’s a dangerous subject, I know,” said Medeiros. “But so is
the consequence of doing nothing.”
Already, after years of experiments, a fungus has been released to
attack miconia, often referred to as “the green cancer” and
another to hamper clidemia, a shrub that like miconia will displace
native forest plants. Officials also are considering the release of a
beetle that could throttle tibouchina, a colorful relative of
clidemia, as well as two insects -- a fly and a moth – to put
the brakes on fireweed. A scale insect being tested in a Big Island
lab could deter strawberry guava.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of it all is that environmentalists --
those who have pushed for strict quarantine laws to inspect incoming
cargo at the airport and harbor to keep out new pests -- have
become some of the most ardent proponents of biocontrol.
“I’m very pleased to see the tide turning,” said Ken Teramoto,
biocontrol section chief at the state Department of Agriculture. “At
one time, the naturalists were totally against us because they saw us
as just introducing invasive species. We were being criticized all
through the 1970s, but about 10 years ago, the tide started to turn.
They were seeing how serious some of these invasive species were.”
Bishop Museum entomologist Frank Howarth has witnessed the destruction
of native forest by superweeds but still worries that biocontrol is
too often seen as a magic potion.
“People are enamored by the potential power of biocontrol,” said
Howarth. “In fact, biocontrol is the most powerful tool in the
pest-control arsenal, which means it should have limited use.
Biocontrol is well-named, as it can not only control the pest, but
also the biology of the region where the agent is introduced.”
Biocontrol of plants in Hawaii is nothing new -- the vadalia
beetle was released in 1890 to inhibit a scale that attacked citrus --
but the method has remained in the background mostly because of the
image conjured from the disastrous story of the mongoose and the rat.
“Everybody says ’You’re gonna bring in something else? Don’t
you remember the mongoose?’ “ said Tracy Johnson, research
entomologist for the U.S. Forest Service in Hilo.
Her job is to conduct exhaustive studies to determine that predatory
pests pose no threat to native species or commercial crops before they
are approved for release.
“People are very skeptical about bringing something new in.”
From 1902 to 1999, 21 species of invasive plants were targeted for classic
biocontrol in Hawaii, according to Teramoto. A total
of 84 species of potential agents were released, with 60 now
established: 55 insects, one mite and four fungi. The last biocontrol
agents approved for release six years ago by the state Board of
Agriculture were two insects aimed at attacking ivy gourd.
East Maui photographer and farmer Masako Cordray has devoted much of
her time urging tougher quarantine regulations to keep destructive
pests from entering Hawaii in the first place. Although she
has the utmost confidence in Medeiros, the very talk
of biocontrol makes her nervous.
“Anything that comes into Hawaii will have an impact on nature,”
said Cordray. “We have to be serious, thoughtful, deliberate and
smart. I’m not suspicious, I’m frightened by the seriousness of
this, by the fact that we’re in a situation where we have to
consider these far-reaching actions.
“It should make us all pause. Why are we in this predicament?”
The mongoose might be Hawaii’s most well-known example of how a
perceived solution can go terribly wrong. Hoping to control the rat
problem, Big Island sugar plantation officials ordered a shipment of
mongoose from the West Indies in 1883 despite at least one warning
that more forethought should be given before releasing them.
The mongoose, which are active during the day, were little threat to
nocturnal rats, but they did prey on ground-dwelling birds such as the
native nene.
Since the mongoose spread to all of the major islands (except Kauai),
biocontrol -- whether for plants or animals -- has been
“couched in negativity,” said research biologist Lloyd Loope.
“Hopefully, we’ve learned something since 1883,” said Loope.
“Biocontrol is the only hope in the long run for a place like Hawaii
where invasive species has become such a threat to the native
biota.”
Teya Penniman, manager of the Maui Invasive Species Committee,
wasn’t sure what to think when she first heard about it.
“This has been an education for me,” said Penniman. “I’m
definitely someone who errs on the side of caution. Are we opening a
Pandora’s box by looking into biocontrol? You can point to the
spectacular failures of the past, but these failures occurred years
ago, before we had such a rigorous approach that’s used by
biocontrol agents now.”
Medeiros said he believes the tight regulations governing biocontrol
make it a risk worth taking.
“The native forest is in serious trouble,” said Medeiros. “If we
were driving a car in the same situation, there would be a red light
blinking on the front panel and something would be smelling. If
nothing happens to slow down these weeds, in 100, 200 or 300 years,
they’ll be occupying their full range in the forest, with heavy
implications.”
Although complete studies have yet to be done, Medeiros and others
fear that the spread of the superweeds through the native forest will
impact the watershed, speed erosion and send silty runoff into the
nearshore waters and onto the reefs.
Species like clidemia and tibouchina are not as effective at trapping
rainfall as the native ferns they displace in the forest. When they
take over a slope, rainfall does not percolate into the ground as
well, running off instead straight to the ocean.
“We know the native Hawaiian ecosystem
is a perfect sponge that produces clean water,” he
said. “I don’t think we fully know the implications, but why mess
with perfection?”
Medeiros recently returned from Brazil, home to some of the worst of
Maui’s invasive plants: miconia, Christmasberry, strawberry guava,
tibouchina and clidemia. Oddly enough, those plants in their native
surroundings look nothing like the megaweeds they’ve become in the
islands, mainly because, in their native habitat, they have natural
predators to keep them in check.
Those predators are what lured Medeiros to South America.
For years, Hawaii has developed a strong working relationship with
universities in Brazil to locate insects, fungi or other pathogens
that attack the plants in question.
Once identified, the predators are tested in their native countries
and, if they pass muster, are then shipped to quarantine labs on Oahu
or the Big Island, where they undergo years of scrutiny to ensure that
they won’t harm native plants, related plants or commercial crops.
Medeiros said the insects sought are specific “like computers” so
they target only certain species instead of attacking at random.
The required length of the testing can sometimes be frustrating to
scientists as the targeted invasive species continue to multiply in
the wild.
“At times the rules appear overly stifling, but they are necessary
to prevent abuse and to adequately demonstrate the safety of the
proposal,” wrote Clifford Smith, the University of Hawaii retired
entomology professor who pioneered the bond with Brazil. “It is
tragic that such rules are not applied to the importation of alien
plants in the first place.”
That’s how Hawaii got on this bizarre merry-go-round. The first
known instance of biocontrol took place in 1865, when the myna bird
was brought in to eat army worms. But myna are omnivorous, eating
fruits and seeds as well as worms, and spread lantana seeds in their
droppings. So, in 1902, a succession of 25 insects began to be
released to impede lantana, another plant originally brought in as a
colorful ornamental.
While lantana still thrive, that particular disbursement of insects
actually helped control the plants, which can grow 6 feet tall. The
lantana story also demonstrates the limited capability of biocontrol:
it’s not a cure-all, only an added weapon.
“Biocontrol does not cause
extinction,” emphasized Teramoto. “It
reduces the population density or favorite hosts to
manageable densities. You still see lantana here, but it’s not
everywhere.”
With tenacious weeds, Tracy Johnson said, biocontrol
has become “the only thing that will put a dent in them.”
“It’s very helpful to have a tool that gives you an edge to slow
down the spread,” he said.
Steven Lee Montgomery, a longtime entomologist and president of the
Conservation Council of Hawaii, echoes those comments.
“There is no alternative than to reestablish that enemy in this new
range of these alien invaders,”
said Montgomery. “Every year the (testing) process becomes more
environmentally aware and more restrictive. I’m impressed with the
safeguards we now have in place.”
Howarth thinks a few alien weeds that have no close relatives in
Hawaii, like miconia, might be suitable for biocontrol “with
adequate research,” but he remains cautious with so many unknown
risks at stake. He’s concerned that only the feeding stage of new
species is usually tested in quarantine.
“Often we have no idea what other roles the agent might play in the
ecosystem,” he said. “For example, the agent might be highly
effective as a weed biocontrol agent as larvae, but the adults may
pollinate other weeds, disperse harmful agents or serve as a food
resource for other invaders.”
Sheila Conant, professor and chairwoman of the Department of Zoology
at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, doesn’t think that biocontrol
should be used for every little problem weed, either, but sees it as
the only option to get a handle on the major invaders.
“There’s no way we’re ever going to control things like miconia
if we just continue to send out Sierra Club volunteers and Boy Scouts
with machetes or helicopters with poisons,” said Conant. “We have
to decide if we’re going to accept this or if we’re going to take
a risk.”
Erdman and the other ranchers are keeping their fingers crossed that
they’ll have some new tools in fighting fireweed, a stubborn shrub
with yellow flowers that’s amazingly profuse: one plant alone can
produce 30,000 seeds. Teramoto said that a 1999 trip to South Africa
and Madagascar, both home to fireweed, has resulted in two insects
that are close to being approved for release.
The journey has been a long and complicated one. A state biologist was
sent to Africa, where he collected about 14 different species that
appeared to attack the weed. Once in the quarantine lab in Honolulu,
attempts were made to colonize the insects and begin testing them
against native plants or other plants that might be in the same family
as fireweed. Some insects failed to colonize, others attacked
something in addition to fireweed and still others simply weren’t
effective at all. That left two -- a moth that defoliates
fireweed and a fly that feeds on the flower head.
Six years later, a proposal is finally being written up to get the
moth out of quarantine, said Teramoto; the fly could be approved for
release by the end of the year.
Another trip to South Africa and Madagascar came up with another moth
whose larvae appear to be “a more voracious” feeder.
“But for this new one, it will be at least four years to get new
data before it can be released,” said Teramoto.
Erdman has faith in biocontrol because he knows the success that
occurred more than 50 years ago with pamakani, an invasive semi-woody
shrub that had overrun the Ulupalakua pastures and was making the
horses sick. (Pamakani was given its Hawaiian name because its leaves
resemble a native plant; the shrub, however, came from Mexico).
David T. Fleming, the agronomist who converted the former Honolua
Ranch to a pineapple plantation, introduced a wasp that diminished the
pamakani so much that Edward Baldwin, ranch manager at the time, gave
him 17 prime acres at Puu Mahoe as a gift of gratitude.
“It was fantastic, it reduced the pamakani to more than
manageable,” said Erdman, who nowadays has to keep a few of the
offending plants growing to maintain the biocontrol population.
Unfortunately, pretty names associated with some particularly nasty
plants gives the public the wrong impression about their true nature.
Montgomery said kahili ginger, a relatively recent import from Asia,
got its Hawaiian-sounding name from “a nursery operator trying to
increase sales.”
In reality, the ginger spreads so fast that Montgomery says it’s
“irresponsible” to even allow it to pass quarantine.
Any effort to control ginger with biocontrol will most likely prompt
protests from those who who love the plant -- “moral
quandaries,” as Medeiros puts it. Howarth correctly notes that "One
man’s weed can be another’s livelihood.”
Another dilemma centers around an insect that attacks Christmasberry,
but also defoliates neneleau, a small native Hawaiian tree also known
as Hawaiian sumac. The bug attacked no other native plants, but all
testing was dropped in the islands to protect the neneleau.
“I was willing to make a deal,” said Medeiros. “Why don’t we
give up neneleau? We’re going to lose
an entire ecosystem.”
Others didn’t agree, so experiments were shelved. However, the
insect continues to be tested in Florida, where Christmasberry is also
a problem, meaning Hawaii officials will watch from afar. In addition,
Florida has caught the attention of biologists with its new,
multimillion-dollar quarantine labs for conducting the tests while
Hawaii struggles along with three research facilities around the state
that Johnson describes as “decrepit.”
“This is a need the state is going to have to address,” said
Johnson, who estimated that it costs $1 million for about five years
of research and testing on one bug or fungus that would target an
individual weed.
For years, millions of dollars have been invested, mostly in the form
of human labor, in attempting to control the superweeds. The Hawaii
Invasive Species Committee has a 2004-05 budget of $4 million, and the
same amount has been approved for the next fiscal year. Haleakala
National Park has allotted $560,000 this year to battle miconia,
including $50,000 for biocontrol.
Maui County has budgeted $850,000 for everything from education to
projects targeting certain species such as fireweed, miconia, banana
bunchy top virus and coqui frogs.
Other costs associated with invasive
species may never be known. Erdman said it’s impossible to put a
monetary figure on something like the loss of pastureland.
Montgomery speculates that, in the long run, that biocontrol will
prove to be a better investment in the battle against the superweeds.
“The evidence is overwhelming,” he said. “It’s much more
cost-effective than to spend $1 million on field crews.”
Howarth said if biocontrol is to proceed, funds and resources must be
committed for long-term monitoring of the results, as well.
“For most past projects, we have no idea what the agent did, and
claims for success are based solely on hearsay,” he said. “We have
just a handful of studies where people have actually followed what
happened.”
Howarth still believes Hawaii needs to concentrate on beefing up its
quarantine system to make any biocontrol effort worthwhile.
“It makes no sense to biocontrol a pest which is then replaced by
another, which is then biocontrolled to again be replaced by another,
ad absurdum,” he said.
Medeiros agrees. He emphasizes that biocontrol is one of only four
steps that must be in place to sufficiently reduce superweeds and
allow the native forests to rejuvenate. Just
as crucial to the effort, he said, are
strict quarantine regulations, the various invasive species committees
to rein in existing problems or emergency outbreaks, and traditional
management such as building fences and getting rid of feral cattle.
All together, it might just work and
save an ecosystem.
“Are we ever going to get rid of these weeds? Clearly, the answer is
no,” said Medeiros. “We need to make them less super plants. And
for some of these, there’s no other option but biocontrol.”
Copyright 2005, Maui News.
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Renewable Resources Extension - Hawai'i Forestry News
Volume 1, Issue 1 Summer 1999
[Excerpted]
Herbicides for Weed Control Workshop Dr. Philip Motooka of UH CTAHR taught a workshop on weed control for dryland forestry in Kona last December. Several herbicides were tested for effectiveness on fountain grass. Fountain grass, an alien invasive species, poses a fire hazard in dryland Hawaii forests. Among herbicides which do not have residual effects and can be used
in areas to be planted later: Dr. Motooka demonstrated drilling and injection of herbicides to control weedy tree species at a workshop at the Komohana Agricultural Complex in Hilo in April. Drilling holes in tree trunks with a gasoline-powered drill allows the application of more herbicide than spraying herbicide notches cut with a machete. Herbicides used for injection or notch application included Roundup
(glyphosate), Remedy (triclopyr), and DMA4 (dimethylamine salt of
2,4-D). For more information on herbicide control for woody plants, contact Dr. Philip Motooka, Cooperative Extension Service, P.O. Box 208, Kealakekua, HI 96750, 808-322-4896. pmotooka@hawaii.edu.
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Weed bill signed into law
S.144, the Noxious Weed Act of 2004 was signed into law on 30
October 2004. This law is designed to provide assistance to invasive
species management entities in their efforts control and eradicate
noxious weeds on United States Bureau of Land Management and Forest
Service lands. The law is available online in full text. [See below]
Bill Summary & Status for the 108th Congress
S.144 Title: To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program to provide assistance to eligible weed management entities to control or eradicate noxious weeds on public and private land. Sponsor: Sen Craig, Larry E. [ID] (introduced 1/13/2003) Cosponsors (12) Related Bills: H.R.119 Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 108-412 [GPO: Text, PDF] Senate Reports: 108-6 House Reports: 108-517 Part 1
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Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project
(HEAR)
"The mission of the Hawaiian
Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) is to provide technology, methods,
and information to decision-makers, resource managers, and the
general public to help support effective science-based management of
harmful non-native species in Hawaii
and the Pacific."
Other
links - many VERY USEFUL links
about invasive species and resources they affect
Archives: Old
announcements from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project
(HEAR)
"The Alien Pest Species Invasion
in Hawaii" paper is now available online
"The Alien Pest Species Invasion in Hawaii: Background Study and Recommendations for Interagency Planning," the document widely considered to be the best of its kind about interagency planning regarding the alien pest species invasion in Hawaii has been made available online through the HEAR website. This report was originally jointly prepared by Susan Miller of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Alan Holt of The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii (TNCH). Read the full text pdf online. (Information posted 25 JUL 2003 by EMS) (URLs: http://www.hear.org; http://www.hear.org/articles/tnchnrpp1992/)
Hawaii Tops Nation in Extinctions
The 04 April 2004 Honolulu Star Bulletin article entitled "Hawaii tops nation in extinctions, report says: A federal agency is accused of failing to protect species," discloses that 52 Hawaiian species became extinct in the first 20 years of the Endangered Species Act, one half of the entire 114 species listed. The article summarizes a new report, Extinction and the Endangered Species Act, released in April 2004 by the Center for Biological Diversity. (Information posted 28 MAR 2004 by EMS.) (URL: http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/23/news/story2.html; http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/Programs/policy/esa/eesa.html; http://www.biologicaldiversity.org) Oh No! Not My Wisteria! A National Public Radio (NPR) piece entitled "Oh No! Not My Wisteria!" talks about invasive exotic plants, many of which are sold in nurseries and coveted by unsuspecting gardeners. Favorite garden and horticultural plants can escape from yards and parks into natural areas, wrecking havoc on native ecosystem properties. Visit the "Oh No! Not My Wisteria!" webpage to listen to the radio piece, view an invasive plants slide show, and for more information. (Information posted 17 MAR 2004 by EMS.) (URLs: http://www.npr.org/; http://www.npr.org/programs/talkingplants/features/2002/020320.invasive.html)
CALFED to hold an invasive species
adaptive management workshop!
The San Francisco Bay/ Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary Restoration Consortium (CALFED) will be presenting a workshop on adaptive management techniques for control of nonnative invasive species on 17 July 2003 in California. The full schedule of presentations is available online. For more information or to register, email jfquinn@ucdavis.edu or kwebb@delta.dfg.ca.gov. (Information posted 03 July 2003 by EMS) (URL: http://www.hear.org/announcements/pdfs/20030716nisamw.pdf)
Info on funding available for U.S.
invasive species issues!
The report "Invasive Species: Federal and Selected State Funding to Address Harmful, Nonnative Species" (RCED-00-219. 29 pp. plus 7 appendices [34 pp.] August 24, 2000) is now available on the General Accounting Office (GAO) website. (The GAO is the investigative arm of US Congress.) http://www.gao.gov/new.items/rc00219.pdf [NOTE: This pdf file is not loading as of 11-2-2005]
Announcements from the
Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR)
[Excerpted]
HISC Research and Technology Grants
The Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC) is soliciting proposals for projects that initiate and support research that will result in improved management or control strategies for alien invasive species in Hawaii. The final deadline for proposals is 03 November 2005. For more information about how to apply, download the request for proposals . Information posted 07 OCT 2005 by EMS.) (URLs: http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/HISC/; http://www4.hawaii.gov/bidfiles/Public%20Notce%20HISC%20RT%20004.pdf
Ecology and Management of Alien Plant
Invasions
The 9th International Conference on the Ecology and Management of Alien Plant Invasions will be held on 17 - 21 September 2007 in Perth, Australia. Visit the conference web page for more information. (Information posted 16 DEC 2004 by EMS.) (URL: http://www.congresswest.com.au/emapi9/)
Comments, questions, feedback about this website or its contents? Send
e-mail to the HEAR webmaster (webmaster@hear.org)! This
page was created on 26 July 2001 by PT,
and was last updated on 07 September 2005 by *
EMS.
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*EMS
Contact Information:Elizabeth M. Speith
Professional Interests: Elizabeth's professional interests encompass a
wide gamut of ecological topics including raptor conservation,
wildlife management, environmental
education and bioinfomatics. Most of her career has
been spent wrestling small mammals; from goats as an animal keeper
with the Louisville Zoo, chipmunks as a field technician in the New
York Adirondacks, and even elementary school students as an environmental
educator at Mount St. Helens NVM. Her present position
with the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project allows her to pursue an
ongoing passion, disseminating
pertinent biological information to
the public.
Education: B.Sci. State University of New York- School of
Environmental Science and Forestry (2002)
Professional Experience: 6/03-present: Information Administrative
Assistant, Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) Project, Maui, Hawaii.
12/02-present: Biologist, Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN), US Geological Survey, Maui, Hawaii. 5/02-10/02: Park Ranger, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, US Forest Service, Castle Rock, Washington. 10/99-5/02: Research Assistant, Adirondack Ecological Center, Newcomb, New York. 4/99-8/99: Animal Keeper, Louisville Zoological Gardens, Louisville, Kentucky. 09/98-04/99: Raptor Rehabilitator (Intern), Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky and Indiana, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky. Elizabeth's complete resume is available in pdf format.
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