***Brown Treesnake Review Panel Comes to Washington, D.C.***

Washington, D.C., March 15, 2005 ---The brown treesnake, an invasive
species, has been a menace on Guam for years and continues to threaten
nearby Pacific Islands like Saipan and Hawaii. Efforts to eradicate and
prevent the spread of brown treesnake have showcased partnership and
interagency cooperation in many ways.

In 1996, representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce,
Defense, and the Interior; the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI); the Territory of Guam; and the State of Hawaii formed
the Brown Treesnake Control Committee. In 1999, the Department of
Transportation became part of the group.

This committee developed the Brown Treesnake Control Plan to outline
research and control guidelines used currently. The Department of
Interior's Office of Insular Affairs, recognizing the need for regular
program review, convened an expert panel in January 2004 to assess
research and control programs relating to the brown treesnake. Panel and
committee members met recently with colleagues, state, commonwealth,
congressional and federal officials to discuss the review report.

According the panel's report, "The program is interdisciplinary,
requiring diverse skills and integration at all levels. Significant
opportunities for control and long-term eradication are emerging now.
Among invasive species, the brown treesnake program is a success story
ready to happen, but policy decisions need to be made at appropriate
administrative levels and progress must be made on new technologies and
control strategies."

The brown treesnake program has been part of the National Invasive
Species Council's (NISC) performance-based cross cut budget initiative
for several years and also serves as an example of an interagency
approach to invasive species issues for NISC.

"The unprecedented cooperation and interagency coordination has made a
difference in dealing with this invasive species," said Lori Williams,
Executive Director of NISC. "The review panel was able to capture even
more ways agencies can work together to find and use resources needed to
actually contain the brown treesnake."

The brown treesnake (*Boiga irregularis*) was likely introduced to the
island of Guam shortly after World War II. The snake's historic range
includes portions of Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and
Australia. Upon arrival in Guam, it encountered an abundant prey base
and an absence of natural predators and pathogens. Since its
establishment, the brown treesnake has caused significant environmental
and socioeconomic problems on Guam and has greatly raised the overall
awareness of invasive species problems in the Pacific Basin.

\--MORE\--

The snake is responsible for the extinction or local extirpation of nine
of the 12 native forest birds and two of 11 native lizards on Guam.
Native fruit bats also have experienced similar declines. The brown
treesnake is the single greatest threat to terrestrial ecosystems in the
CNMI and is considered one of the greatest ecological threats to Hawaii.

Guam has suffered more than ecological consequences. The snake causes
frequent power outages\-- nearly 200 outages occur each year. These
localized and island-wide power failures have resulted in millions of
dollars of losses from damaged power equipment, electrical repair costs,
and lost productivity. A University of Hawaii economic study estimated
that the introduction of the brown treesnake to Hawaii could cost the
state's economy between \$28,515,800 and \$405,174,800 annually.

The brown treesnake also affects human health. It is a rear-fanged,
mildly venomous snake that

potentially poses a danger to infants and small children. Snakebite is
the cause of approximately

one in every 1,200 emergency room visits on Guam, with infants
constituting a disproportionately high number of these cases. There are
no known mortalities due to snakebite on Guam.

The Brown Treesnake Review Panel consisted of four individuals from the
private and public sectors with recognized international expertise in
applied ecology and public policy, with specializations in environmental
management, applied herpetology, invasive species biology, plant and
animal quarantine, and vertebrate pest control. The panel was charged
with assessing progress and achieving objectives outlined in the 1996
Brown Treesnake Control Plan and developing recommendations to improve
the effectiveness of federal, state and local brown treesnake research
and control programs. The panel's findings will assist the cooperating
agencies in drafting an updated plan for brown treesnake research and
control efforts in the Pacific Basin. The panel's full report can be
found on the web at:
ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/cr/co/fort.collins/BTS/Brown%20Treesnake%20Review%20Panel%20Report%20March%202005.pdf

NISC is a cabinet level council established by Executive Order in 1999
to provide leadership and to ensure complementary, cost-efficient and
effective federal activities regarding invasive species. 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 U.S. Agency
for International Development and the U.S Trade Representative. More
information on NISC is online at www.invasivespecies.gov. More
information on the brown treesnake can be found at
<http://www.invasivespecies.gov/profiles/bts.shtml>.

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***[Note to Stakeholders:]{.underline}*** Stakeholder announcements and
other NISC information are available on the Internet at
<http://www.invasivespecies.gov/>. For additional information on this
topic, contact Anna Cherry at (202) 354-1891 or
<anna_cherry@ios.doi.gov>