‘Four credible sightings of brown tree snake in 2004’

The Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Brown Tree Snake program received increased funding for operations this year, even as the CNMI reported a total of four credible snake sightings in the past year.

Nate Hawley, who heads the program, said yesterday that funds for 2005 increased from funds made available in 2004, with $400,000 coming from the Department of Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs. Last year, the program received about $325,000.

Hawley said the program also received grant money from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife for containment barriers, as well as a smaller grant, the amount of which has yet to be disclosed, for education and awareness from Insular Affairs.

“The programs remain stable, especially since some programs have taken budget cuts. It’s important to note that the awareness campaign is still receiving support,” he said.

Hawley said construction of a snake containment barrier on Tinian is expected to begin soon in hopes of capturing brown tree snakes entering the jurisdiction via cargo. He said the bidding for the project would soon be out.

Saipan already has a containment barrier, located at the seaport. Hawley said the standard operating procedure for the facility is currently being drafted.

“The idea is to put high-risk cargo from boats into a snake-proof yard and let the cargo sit in there for a couple of nights,” he said yesterday.

Last year, President Bush signed the Brown Tree Snake Control and Eradication Act of 2004 into law, setting aside up to $15.5 million from fiscal years 2006 to 2010 to intensify the campaign against the economic pest that has plagued Guam and threatens other Pacific islands, including the CNMI.

The new law calls for the expansion of interagency and intergovernmental rapid response teams in the CNMI, Guam, Hawaii, Palau, Marshall Islands, and Micronesia.

FOUR SIGHTINGS IN 2004

Hawley disclosed that four credible snake sightings were reported on Saipan last year, including one in Fina Sisu and another in Kagman. No snakes were captured, though.

Saipan is considered a high-risk destination for the snakes, being located close to Guam and receiving so much cargo from the island.

“The boats don’t travel far, planes don’t get too high for it to get cold, so we are always a higher risk,” Hawley said.

Since 1986, 76 credible BTS sightings were reported in the Commonwealth, with two found dead on Rota in 1991 and 11 caught on Saipan.

“My feeling is that we’ve had so many, about 11 captures, and recently we’ve had a lot of good sightings on Tinian and Saipan,” Hawley said. “People saw the snake and by the way they describe [the snake], time of day, and characteristics…all match up. So I think there are some random snakes around the island, but not in situations where there are a lot of snakes and they’re reproducing.”

Hawley reiterated that, although no snakes have been caught through the snake traps on Saipan, the traps remain an important tool in the fight against the snake.

“The trapping program is of great importance because it’s a kind of method that’s always there, working with us 24-7 around high-risk areas such as the airport and seaport,” he said.

“Snake traps work really well, we just don’t catch them because we don’t have that many,” he said.

The same traps are being used on Guam and about 5,000 to 9,000 snakes are captured because of the traps.

“Guam is just more saturated with snakes. If we start catching more, then that’s when we get worried because it may indicate that numbers might have increased, and we have to change our plan.”

Hawley indicated that the campaign for community awareness is also of significant importance to the BTS program, and urges the public to contact the BTS line at 28-SNAKE to report any sightings.

“We want to make sure everybody keeps an eye out and if they see anything that could resemble a snake, they should let us know,” he said. “If you can’t capture it, just keep an eye on it [instead of disturbing it or chasing it], because if you don’t get it right away, it would take off.”

The brown tree snake, Boiga irregulari, is blamed for wiping out the native forest birds of Guam. Twelve species of native birds have disappeared from the island. It is also responsible for the many power outages experienced on Guam.

BTS are nocturnal and are agile climbers. They are able to survive in adverse conditions, with no food or water for several months or at hot or cold temperatures. They can survive almost everywhere.

ANTI-BTS LAW

The law signed by President Bush authorizes the allotment of funds to improve efforts to control the spread of the snake population from Guam to neighboring Pacific territories and freely associated states; its eventual goal is to eradicate millions of brown tree snakes on Guam.

It also expands research into chemical, biological, and other control techniques to significantly reduce the brown tree snake population. It mandates the establishment of pre-departure quarantine protocols for cargo and other items being shipped from Guam and other U.S. location where the snakes may be present.

It authorizes the appropriation of at least $15.5 million for different agencies for each fiscal year from 2006 to 2010: not more than $2.6 million for activities conducted through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Operations; $1.5 million, APHIS, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Methods Development; $3 million, Office of Insular Affairs; $2 million, Fish and Wildlife Service; and $1.5 million, U.S. Geological Survey.