EXPERTS from academe, local government and federal agencies convened yesterday at the Top O’ the Mar to present their latest scientific research, programs, and emerging challenges in controlling brown tree snakes and other invasive species.
Daniel Vice, assistant state director of the USDA Wildlife Services, said on average, their program captures up to 14,000 snakes a year from very discrete or isolated spots.
Eventually, he said the goal is to control the snake population across Guam. “And we all share that as a vision, but we don’t have the methods available to us. Research is trying to figure out how to do that,” he said.
“Right now we don’t have the technical capacity to suppress the snake population on-island, so most of the work today is focused on preventing the spread of snakes from Guam. We want to make sure that the snake doesn’t turn out in the CNMI or in Hawaii,” he added.
Vice also mentioned that their agency collaborates with various agencies on Guam to address specific aspects of snake prevention and control.
Vice mentioned their partnership with the Guam Department of Agriculture to protect native birds from predation by snakes, as an example.
The research topics presented yesterday included biological management and control, aerial suppression methods, and baiting and attraction of brown tree snakes.
Other presentations focused on other invasive species on Guam, such as the coconut rhinoceros beetle, which is “the brown tree snake of the 21st century,” according to Dr. Aubrey Moore.
Diane L. Vice of the Guam Department of Agriculture also provided updates on the Ko’Ko for Cocos Project. Vice mentioned some of the management accomplishments they have implemented to ensure successful recovery of the endangered ko'ko.
Comments
What this means is that nothing really significant will be done about Guam's snakes, and most of the effort and probably money will go toward protection for Hawaii and Saipan.
No big effort, no hope for effort, just effort for someplace else. This is not the kind of blunt comment that is appreciated on Guam. It does tell us where Guam ranks in the snake problem.
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