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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0341.001 2010-2012DONALD IKEDA Council Member District 2 South Hilo HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawai`i Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 DATE: September 19, 2011 TO: Dominic Yagong, Chair Hawai`i County Council FROM: Q Donald Ikeda, Council Member lt RE: Invasive Species Presentation Agendized for the September 20, 2011 Meeting of the Council Committee on Environmental Management Phone No.: (808) 961 -8261 Fax No.: (808) 961 -8912 E -mail: dikeda @co.hawaii.hi.us I have just received the attached two -page summary from Dr. Jan Schipper, Manager, Big Island Invasive Species Committee. I request that this information be processed in a timely manner so that the information will be available for the above - referenced meeting. Thank you for your attention in this matter. Dl:awm cc: L. Murashige J. Aiello G. Yamada Comm. No. 3 W. / Ref. To: P /EMc-- Ref. Dote, SEP 2 0 nit Hawai`i County Is An Equal Opportunity Provider And Employer misc BIG ISLAND INVASIVE SPECIES COMMITTEE The Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) is a voluntary partnership of private citizens, community organizations, businesses, land owners, and government agencies to address invasive species issues on the island of Hawaii. BIISC's primary objectives include public outreach, early detection, control and eradication of invasive pests threatening agriculture, native ecosystems, industry, human health and the quality of life within Hawaii county. Ho`ala I Ka Maka Restoring the land, awakening the people FY 2011 Accomplishments Our team expanded to include a vertebrate and invertebrate response and survey team (3 people). • We continue to monitor and treat high value natural areas such as critical habitat and forest reserves. • Teaching and empowering local communities to seek, identify and control Coqui frog around their residence. • Working with the community to create sustainable programs to restore habitat for endangered Hawaiian Coot. • Responding to reported sightings of new vertebrate pests including rabbits, chinchilla and reptiles. • The team attended specialised training in Guam to identify and respond to the risk of Brown Tree Snake introduction- this would present a major threat to native birds. We educated the public about Hawai`is unique environment and how to help BHSC manage the risks invasive species present. • BIISC manned public displays at 71 events since last December reaching approximately 7000 people. • Eyes and Ears Worshops were held to promote reporting of pests. • New educational materials were procured for display and handout at these events. • BIISC gave presentations to stakeholders as part of the Malama 0 Puna educational series. • BIISC had a presence at major island - wide events such as the Waimea Solar System Walk, Bamboo fest, county fair and the biocontrol conference. We are working with the community to restore habitat for endangered Hawaiian Coot We formed a deer working group to research and manage the new threat of axis deer becoming established on the island. • Axis deer have had a devastating impact on Maui, Lanai and Molokai agricultural industry. • More than 8,425 acres were surveyed to determine the presence of Axis Deer on the Big Island. Survey results are being analyzed using GIS as a tool to map out potential populations. • Preparations are underway to ensure BIISC is ready to respond to deer sightings as soon as reported. • Communication planning is underway to educate the community about the impacts of axis deer. • Interisland transport of exotic animals is being addressed at a policy level. Axis deer- a new rnrear ro agriculture and native species. We developed new techniques for remote sensing. • BIISC is trialling new technologies such as Near Infrared (NIR) to better meet our resourcing challenges. • Remote sensing has been used to map out Rauvolfia vomitoria in north Kohala and Miconia calvascens on the east side of the island. • Rauvolfia has successfully outcompeted the most aggressive invasive species in north Kohala. • We have been working with our partners to keep these species out of the Kohala watershed, and culturally and environmentally significant areas. • We have started working on control of outlier populations to reduce the infestation to a single management unit that can be considered for eradication and monitoring. • Remote sensing work has mapped out the established pest Falcataria moluccana (Albizia) on the island. Large trees starting to fall in the Puna district raises red flags for the growing infestation around Hilo. BIISC has used remote sensing to identify areas where large fallen trees present a risk. In particular, large infestations around the Hilo Medical Center threaten access to the hospital should roads become blocked following a natural disaster event. BIISC is working with the community to address roadside Albizia. Funding BIISC is continously adapting to maximise its' efforts with increasingly limited funding. This year we have used trialled remote sensing technology to fast track data collection for established weeds to keep them out of pristene areas. We are increasingly engaging the community to educate and empower them to stop the spread of invasive species. We move quickly to address constantly changing priorities, most recently with new and serious pest introductions such as axis deer and rabbits. We seek to establish ourselves in strategic locations around the Big Island to cut down on We began prioritizing early detection targets for rapid response to ensure our resources are best utilized. • We focussed our control efforts this last year on Rubbervine Cryptostegia madagascariensis, Smokebush Buddleja madagascariensis, Pampas Grass Cortaderia jubata, Barbados Gooseberry Pereskia aculeata, Palo Verde Parkinsonia aculeata, and Empress tree Paulownia tomentosa. • Paulownia is a fast growing tree able to survive even the most adverse conditions. Our prompt handling of a small population of Paulownia has resulted in complete eradication from the island. • Parkinsonia is a fast - growing shrub that is successful in dry areas and has prolific seed production. Removal of a couple of trees has meant the tree is no longer present on Big Island. We completed a 6,000km roadside weed survey spanning four years and covering most roads on the Big Island. • This four year survey has better placed us to prioritze targets for rapid response and outreach activities. Top left: high resolution aerial image in a remote areas clearly identifies our target species. Bottom left; forming dense monotypic stands, Rauvolfia outcompetes native plants. Right; roadside surveys have provided a clear picture of the type and spread of invasive weeds on the island. Contact Information: Jan Schipper, Manager, Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) 23 East Kawili Street, Hilo, Hawai`i 96720 travel time for control and outreach activities. Office: (808) 933 -3340 E- mail:gjs @hawaii.edu Mahalo to our Partners: Hawai'i Department of Land & Natural Resources: Division of Forestry & Wildlife; U.S.D.A. Forest Service; University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources; U.S Fish & Wildlife Service; Hawai'i Department of Agriculture; Hawai 'i Volcanoes National Park; U.S. Geological Survey; The Nature Convervancy of Hawai'i; Kamehameha Schools; Malama 0 Puna; Hawai'i County; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Kohala Watershed Partnership; Three Mountain Alliance.