**National Invasive Species Council (NISC) Success Stories ---
September, 2004**

**Introduction**

The National Invasive Species Council (NISC) is a cabinet level council
that was established by Executive Order in 1999 to provide leadership
and to ensure complementary, cost-efficient and effective federal
activities regarding invasive species. Like many other federal entities,
NISC depends on cooperation from local, state, tribal, private and
public partners across the globe to perform its mission. Council members
include three co-chairs: the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture,
Commerce, and the Secretaries of State, Defense, Homeland Security,
Treasury, Transportation, Health and Human Services, as well as the
Administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Agency for International
Development and the U.S Trade Representative.

An "invasive species" is defined by the Executive Order as a species
that is both non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration
and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or
environmental harm, or harm to human health. Invasive species can be
aquatic or terrestrial; plants, animals (including insects) and
microorganisms. Not all non-native species become invasive species.

Non-native species are extremely important sources of food, fiber and
recreation. Only a small fraction of non-native species that are
introduced to a new environment become established and less than 10% of
those species are harmful and thus considered invasive. The work of NISC
focuses on these truly harmful species and the strategy for doing this
is defined in the document, Meeting the Invasive Species Challenge:
National Management Plan (NISC Plan), 2001.

Sharing information is a key part of the mission of NISC and presenting
the work of some of the over 40 agencies that work on invasive species
issues is a vital part of increasing awareness and enthusiasm at all
levels. These are complicated, long-term problems, but there is
hope\--due in no small part to the work of partners in the federal,
private, tribal and public sectors. The examples and stories that follow
capture only a tiny piece of the national and global efforts to battle
invasive species.

These stories are not meant to represent the scope of the problem or the
work going on to deal with it and are only designed to illustrate some
of the many highlights to be found. Most of the stories are about work
that has occurred within the past few years or is continuing even now.
It is important to mark these successes both great and small so no
matter how huge the challenge, we can all feel some accomplishment. As
the saying goes, the greatest journey begins with a single step.

**Fruit Fly Areawide Pest Management Program**

In Hawaii, fruit flies limit development of a diversified fruit and
vegetable industry, require export fruits to undergo expensive
quarantine treatments, and provide a reservoir for pest introduction
into the mainland United States. Hawaii has four species that have

become established, three of which (Medfly, melon fly, oriental fruit
fly) are considered major pests of agriculture worldwide. When these
pests are introduced into the U.S. mainland, they often require
large-scale eradication programs, often at great public expense. In
California, where the total value of the fruit and vegetable industry
has been estimated to be more than \$14 billion annually, the California
Department of Food and Agriculture has estimated that an established
infestation of Mediterranean fruit fly would cost from \$855 million to
\$1.4 billion during the first year of establishment.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Research Service
(ARS) partnership Hawaiian fruit fly area-wide pest management project
has resulted in the first successful program to control fruit flies that
have been devastating Hawaiian agriculture for almost 100 years. The
control system is based on a combination of techniques, which have been
adapted and coordinated into an integrated pest management (IPM)
initiative specifically designed to work in Hawaii's environment.

The target fruit flies\--melon, Oriental, Mediterranean, and
Malaysian\--attack more than 400 different fruits and vegetables. A
hallmark of the program has been a network of partnerships involving
ARS, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, the University of Hawaii
Cooperative Extension Service and local communities, with the support of
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and other
research, regulatory and government agencies.

The 285 signed cooperating growers in this program, representing 6,200
acres, across four islands so far-Oahu, Hawaii, Molokai, and Maui\--have
already been able to cut conventional pesticide use by 75-90 percent,
and reduced fruit fly infestation from 30-40 percent to less than 5
percent. Small farms are now growing crops they had previously abandoned
due to fruit fly damage. Full implementation of the program will be
extended into FY 2005 and 2006, an additional 2-years beyond the normal
five-year time frame for the areawide pest management programs. The
impact of the program is expanding in Hawaii and throughout the Pacific
Basin (e.g., French Polynesia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Guam, and the Northern
Mariana Islands).

**Brown Treesnakes**

Brown Treesnakes are native to New Guinea but have virtually wiped out
the native forest birds of Guam, including the flightless rail. Twelve
species of bird unique to the island have disappeared as a direct result
of brown tree snake predation. Since 1978, more than 1200 power outages
on Guam have been caused by the brown tree snake, which frequently
scales power lines and transformers. The outages and damage to equipment
represent a significant economic burden to the island. These snakes are
aggressive and mildly venomous and present a danger to small children.

Since 1995, APHIS' Wildlife Services' National Wildlife Research Center
(NWRC) has received funding from the U. S. Department of Defense's (DOD)
Legacy Program to research methods to control brown treesnakes (Boiga
irregularis) on Guam. Research efforts have encompassed development of
repellents, attractants, toxicants, fumigants, reproductive inhibitors
and improved trapping methods. Dozens of attractant materials have been
evaluated for use in improving trapping efficacy and toxicant baiting.
Additionally, scientists have successfully developed methods for
quantification of trapping efficacy. These methods have been employed by
Wildlife Services Programs on Guam to prevent the spread of this
invasive snake to other parts of the world.

During Fiscal Year 2003, NWRC researchers identified and completed
written technical use guidelines for three naturally occurring compounds
that can be used as repellents for the snakes---clove oil, cinnamon oil,
and anise. Additionally, NWRC scientists completed testing, and
successfully registered acetaminophen as a snake toxicant with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Other successes during FY 2003
related to control of brown treesnake invasions include evaluation of
beef baits and snap traps for capture of brown treesnakes in affected
environments. These two tools show some likelihood of being effective in
continued control programs. Other efforts involve testing of several
compounds as reproductive inhibitors, and improvement of bait delivery
systems to minimize nontarget effects and protect endangered species.

**Caribbean Tree Frogs**

Wildlife Services' NWRC is focusing current research efforts on the
control of two Caribbean frog species that have recently invaded the
Hawaiian Islands, the coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui) and the
greenhouse frog (E. planirostris). The frog's arrival in Hawaii is
assumed to have been through accidental transport from its native range
via contaminated plant materials from Florida. Currently, the coqui frog
is known to exist on Hawaii, Maui, Oahu and Kauai.

Control of the frogs is a priority in Hawaii for three reasons; the
frogs are a potential threat to Hawaii's fragile native fauna because of
increased competition for prey and impacts on native invertebrates; they
are a threat to the commercial flower business because buyers have begun
to refuse to purchase plant material from nurseries know to contain
either frog; and the coqui's loud call disturbs residents and visitors
to the islands. As a result, resort owners and people dwelling near
coqui populations are complaining about the noise.

In response to the growing need to control frog populations, NWRC
scientists began a series of studies evaluating more than 70 chemical
compounds (registered pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals) that
could be used as dermal toxicants to eradicate the frogs. Two compounds
that could be applied as a field spray were identified as effective ---
caffeine and citric acid. Early research efforts focused on caffeine.

The current emphasis is now on citric acid because it does not require
registration with EPA as a pesticide. Through the efforts of both
Wildlife Services researchers and operational program staff, an initial
application of citric acid to an isolated frog population was
successful. Continued immediate spot treatments should eventually lead
to the eradication of the coqui frog on Kauai. In addition, this study
proved that citric acid could be used with little impact on the treated
environment.

**Nutria**

Nutria (Myocastor coypus) are large semi-aquatic rodents native to South
America. They were first introduced into the United States because of
their fur. Accidental and intentional releases have since allowed nutria
to get established in wetlands across the United States. Burrowing and
foraging by nutria often inflict severe damage and can be devastating to
native vegetation. Nutria are recognized as a contributing factor to the
decline of native Louisiana coastal marsh. Management plans to control
nutria typically involves population reduction or eradication.

During 2003, Wildlife Services partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) Chesapeake Bay Field Office (CBFO), USFWS Chesapeake
Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex (CMNWRC), , the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS), the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), and Tudor Farms
to address damage being caused by nutria to wetlands in the state.
Nutria's plant eating has resulted in the destruction of 7000 acres of
salt marsh on the CMNWRC Blackwater Unit. The total marsh acreage lost
throughout the rest of Maryland is estimated to be as high as hundreds
of thousands of acres. The Maryland Nutria Project at the CMNWRC, has
effectively cleared 21,000 acres during initial activities to control
damage by this invasive rodent. The challenge ahead is for the project
to expand into surrounding State wildlife management areas and private
marshlands while preventing re-infestation of the National Wildlife
Refuge.

**Logan Wash Weed Check**

In 2003, the BLM received a call from a reclamation contractor for a
mine closure about abundant thistle plants in the area. Within a week,
BLM weed specialists responded to a request for a site visit only to
discover the plants were native thistle. However, while searching the
mine area, a small patch of Canada thistle and a few houndstongue plants
were found. Both of these are invasive and toxic weeds. The contractor
learned thistle and houndstongue identification, and two potentially
troublesome weeds were eliminated. This example shows how important
partnerships are in early detection and response efforts.

**Exotic Newcastle Disease**

Exotic Newcastle disease (END) is a contagious and fatal viral disease
that affects all species of birds. It is most severe in chickens, guinea
fowl, peacocks, pheasants, pigeons, and quail. Up to 100 percent of
unvaccinated commercial chickens and up to 20 percent of vaccinated
chickens infected by the virus can die from the disease. If allowed to
spread unchecked, END has the potential to devastate the U.S. poultry
industry, which is worth more than \$20 billion annually.

On October 1, 2002---after END was detected in backyard poultry flocks
in Southern California---the California Department of Food and
Agriculture (CDFA) and USDA-APHIS activated emergency response systems
and began a disease eradication campaign. Since then, APHIS, CDFA, and
many other cooperating Federal (including the Forest Service, Food and
Nutrition Service, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service), State,
and local entities have carried out eradication and surveillance
activities to contain the spread of the disease and eradicate it from
the States where it has been detected: Arizona, California, Nevada, and
Texas.

To manage the dynamic situation presented by the END outbreak during FY
2003, APHIS set up an incident command system similar to that used by
USDA's Forest Service when responding to wildfires. During the height of
the END outbreak, five incident command posts were established in three
states, and more than 1,500 personnel were assigned to the program.

Through September 30, 2003, the END Task Force had carried out more than
118,000 investigation activities; placed 19,265 premises under
quarantine; submitted and/or interpreted the results of 26,878 samples;
identified 932 positive premises; conducted 4,200 appraisals; carried
out 2,925 euthanasia and disposals; depopulated 2,744 premises (close to
4.5 million birds); and carried out 2,762 cleaning and disinfections.

As of September 30, 2003, the Task Force had released all premises from
Federal quarantine. No new infected premises have been detected since
May 31, 2003, and the last Federal quarantine was released on September
16, 2003. Surveillance activities are ongoing at the national and local
levels.

**American Elm Restoration**

The American elm, which was devastated by Dutch elm disease (DED), will
be lost from the American landscape unless disease-resistant strains can
co-evolve with the fungus that causes the disease. Highlighting the
promise of genetic research to stop the spread of destructive invasive
species, the USDA's Forest Service's Northeastern Research Station
initiated and planted the first disease-resistant elms in U.S. forests
as part of our American Elm Forest Restoration project. The first DED
resistant American elms were planted this summer in three Ohio forests
where they can regenerate and spread.

The American Elm Forest Restoration Project is the first forest
restoration project of a hardwood tree species in the United States.
This effort is being carried out in partnership with the Ohio Department
of Natural Resources Division of Forestry; Metro Parks, Franklin County
(OH); and The Wilds, Muskingham County (OH).

**Invasive Species Management in Ecological Frameworks**

Research lead by the Wildlife Ecology Unit of the USDA's Forest
Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station is forwarding invasive species
management by evaluating management alternatives in an ecological
framework. Recent work has focused on biological control, an
increasingly common management strategy that involves the release of
exotic organisms for the control of invasive species. The research
identifies previously ignored, unintended consequences of biological
control, and provides guidelines for improving the effective and safe
use of this powerful tool. Additional research moves us beyond the
"weeds are bad" mantra to quantify the specific ecological impacts of
"strong" versus "weak" plant invaders. Such information is being used to
measure the ability of common weed control measures to reverse the
negative effects of invasions. By developing understandings of the
consequences of weed management strategies, including the "no action"
alternative, this research is improving the ability of managers to
formulate decisions in line with management goals.

**For More Information**

Further information on all the items and activities discussed here is
available on the NISC Web site. Point your Internet browser to
[http://www.invasivespecies.gov](http://www.invasivespecies.gov/).

The Web site contains information on NISC, other success stories and
challenges and links to member agencies. The full text of the NISC Plan
is available there as well. The development and ongoing enhancement of
the Invasivespecies.gov Web site is an important component of the NISC
Plan. In the future, you will be able to find more ways you can make a
difference in this battle on the Web site too.

You can write to NISC for more information, although please be advised
Federal mail is subject to a clearance and screening process that adds
time to delivery, to: National Invasive Species Council, U.S. Department
of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, 1849 C Street, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20240