Please see attached file.

Please open the attachment below to read the article.

For background info, please read my blog post entitled "Guam has 32 of the World's Worst Invasive Species".

Please open the attachement below to read the article.

To be more precise, the Guam Department of Agriculture requires Christmas trees imported to Guam to be sprayed with a pyrethroid insecticide 3 to 6 weeks before harvest.  For background info, see:

http://guaminsects.net/anr/content/christmas-trees-potential-pathway-invasive-species-entering-guam

Brent Tibbetts is interviewed by Clint Ridgell.

See http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21984:video-new-non-native-snake-found-at-tiyan-softball-field&catid=45:guam-news&Itemid=156

Updated July 9, 2012.

The Invasive Species Specialist Group maintains a Global Invasive Species Database and they have compiled a list of what they consider to be "100 of the Worlds Worst Invasive Species".  The criteria for inclusion in this list are not clear and selection is quite arbitrary. However, I thought it my be informative to count which of these "100 worst invasive species" have established on Guam.  I highlighted species on Guam on the attached PDF. The count stands at 33 out of 100.

Guam - The regional invasive species council is meeting on Guam this week. The council is made up of all the various island nations that are a part of the Micronesian Executive Chief's summit.

Representatives from the CNMI, the FSM, Palau, the Marshall Islands as well as Guam are meeting.

The council is working on a five year strategic plan that deals with preventing invasive or non-native species of animals, bugs and plants from coming into the Micronesian region and preventing invasive species from spreading throughout the region.

Department of Agriculture territorial entomologist Dr. Russel Campbell says there has been an increase in invasive species on Guam. "Anytime you have increases in shipments of cargoes or arriving passengers of any kind you see an increase of invasives hitchhiking along or coming on imported products,” said Dr. Campbell.

 The buildup is expected to increase the incidence of invasive species as well. which is one reason why the council is meeting to develop plans on how to prevent the spread of invasive species.

Guam's Draft Emergency Response Plan for Invasive Species can be found here.

April will be a very busy month for those of us who are interested in invasive species and biosecurity for Guam.  Here is a list of planned activities (please click on the read more link to see the entire list):

Regional Invasive Species Council (RISC) Meeting - April 4-8

The main goals of the workshop are to develop a 5-year Strategic Action Plan for RISC; develop an emergency response plan (ERP) for coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) for Yap and Palau; discuss the MBP and work on other RISC business while all the jurisdictions are together.

Click here for an agenda.

Brown Treesnake Technical (BTS-TWG) Working Group Meeting - April 12-15

The April 2011 meeting of the Brown Treesnake Technical Working Group (BTS TWG) will consist of two different meeting segments.

The first two days will be a large-group meeting, which is intended for a broader audience that have worked or are interested in brown treesnake (BTS) issues, and will include presentations and discussion updates on the status of a wide range of issues associated with BTS. Besides the BTS TWG members in attendance, this meeting segment will be open to the general public and may include up to eighty persons in attendance.