RES 816 Draft 01 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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COUNTY OF HAWAII STATE OF HAWAII RESOLUTION NO. ~~~ 08 A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE COUNTY OF HAWAII TO IMMEDIATELY INITIATE A CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT HAWAII ISLAND FROM THE INVASIVE LITTLE FIRE ANT. WHEREAS, section 2.1 of the Hawaii County General Plan, Economic; Introduction and Analysis, states, in part: "The opportunities for the expansion of agriculture on the Big Island seem to be immense. The demand for fresh, locally grown products continues to grow as restaurants, grocery stores and hotels seek the highest quality products for their guests. Export products grown mostly on the Big Island, such as coffee, papaya, macadamia nuts, and flowers, also continue to expand. These commodities and others, such as ginger, guava and other tropical fruits, have potential for growth.... Concerns regarding the transmission of plant pests and diseases during export have or could be adequately addressed by current treatment or processing technologies. The development of new protocol and processing facilities for quarantine treatment will assure the further expansion of the agricultural industry." (pages 2-3 and 2-4); and WHEREAS, the Puna, Kona, South Kohala, and North Kohala community development plans provide for stewardship of the environment consistent with the County's public trust responsibility, protection of agriculture, and protection of the health and safety of residents; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii County Council acknowledges that county government should take an active role in the effort to protect tourism, commerce, specialty crops such as Kona coffee and taro, growth of a viable local food supply, and the quality of life of the people of the island from the devastating effects of the Little Fire Ant; and WHEREAS, according to "Field Suppression of the Invasive Ant Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a Tropical Fruit Orchard in Hawaii" published in 2008 in the Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 101, pages 1068-1074: • The Little Fire Ant (Wasmannia auropunctata), a native species of Central and South America, was introduced to Hawaii Island approximately nine years ago, and in the absence of natural predators, now threatens to blanket the island; • Little Fire Ants (LFA) dominate other ant species, covering every square inch of vegetation, including trees and shrubs, in areas they colonize, particularly in the district of Puna;