Posted on: Thursday, September 19, 2002

Congress bill targets snake infestation

By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — A new federal invasive species bill contains $6 million to combat the brown tree snake infestation on Guam and prevent the destructive snake from gaining ground in Hawai'i and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The money would be used on a variety of strategies to control the snake, which has devastated bird species on Guam and poses a substantial ecological risk to other Pacific islands.

"It would be an enormous increase. It would be groundbreaking," said Delegate Robert Underwood, D-Guam. "It is an ecological disaster on Guam, as well as a public relations disaster."

But it is uncertain whether the bill can move through Congress this session. Lawmakers have not completed work on annual spending bills, and they are still evaluating homeland security legislation and a possible resolution backing military action against Iraq.

Congress is expected to break sometime next month so that lawmakers can go home and campaign for midterm elections in November. If the budget work is not finished by then, they may return after the elections to settle any remaining issues.

The brown tree snake, a native of the South Pacific, was likely introduced to Guam after World War II through ship cargo. The olive-green and bright-yellow snake is responsible for decimating native bird species and has also torn a wide swath through populations of lizards, bats, chickens and household pets. The snakes are prey for pigs and monitor lizards, and many are killed by humans, but not nearly enough to contain the infestation, estimated in some parts of Guam at 13,000 snakes per square mile.

The snakes, which are nocturnal and impressive climbers, also have a frustrating ability to slither over power lines and are blamed for frequent power outages.

Researchers are testing several methods to control the snakes on Guam, including poisoning them with dead mice stuffed with acetaminophen tablets, which has had some early success. But a lack of money and staffing has confined the battle primarily to ports, a source of anger for some people on Guam who fear the federal government is more interested in keeping the snake out of Hawai'i than reducing its prevalence on Guam.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services division has 2,500 snake traps at ports in Guam and regularly conducts spotlight searches along port fence lines to intercept wayward snakes before they reach cargo. Jack Russell terriers are also used to search cargo.

Although brown tree snakes pose the biggest problem to Guam, the elusive reptiles have been sighted on several Pacific islands and may have already taken root on Saipan. A few snakes have been spotted on O'ahu over the past two decades, and the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture considers the snake a significant threat.

A state canine unit inspects aircraft and ships from Guam to search for snake stowaways. The department also has a pest hot line — 586-7378 — for residents who spot a brown tree snake or other illegal animal.

Congress approved an Invasive Species Act in 1996, and it is now up for reauthorization. Lawmakers are asking for an overall spending increase from $30 million a year to $160 million a year. The original legislation had a $6 million pool of money for several projects, including efforts against the brown tree snake. The new bill would dedicate $6 million directly toward containing the snake on Guam, Hawai'i, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and other Pacific islands.

The bill also would establish interagency rapid response teams that could act quickly on possible snake infestations. A coordinator would be appointed to oversee federal activities dealing with the snake.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, said invasive species are a constant risk to native plant and animal life. He named the bristle-nosed catfish and the blue-striped snapper as examples of species that threaten native fish.

"This is an invasion of Hawai'i," Akaka said. "It's a problem unbelievable in its magnitude."