VOTING MEMBERSDAVID IGE

SUZANNE CASE
DEPARTMENT OF LAND & NATURALRESOURCESGOVERNOR OF HAWAIISHAN TSUTSUISCOTT ENRIGHTHAWAII DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

LIEUTENANT GOVERNORKEITH KAWAOKA, D.Env
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
MARIA GALLO, PhD
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘IHAWAII INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL1151 PUNCHBOWL ST, #325
HONOLULU, HAWAII 96813

LEO ASUNCION
OFFICE OF PLANNING, DEPARTMENT OF
BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT &TOURISMDAVID RODRIGUEZDEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATIONMay 31, 2016SUBMITTALTO:Co-chairs and Members
Hawaii Invasive Species Council
State of Hawaii

FROM:Joshua Atwood, Ph.D., Program Supervisor
Hawaii Invasive Species Council

SUBJECT: Approving the integration of online pest reporting as a function of the HISC
support program
Background
The Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC) provided a grant in Fiscal Year 2005 for a
project entitled “Pilot Multi-Agency Early Detection Reporting System.” This pilot project
allowed for the initial infrastructure to be created for an online pest reporting system that would
allow invasive species reports from members of the public to be reviewed and, when necessary,
forwarded to various agencies for response. This pilot system, known as “Report-a-Pest,” wasmanaged by the US Geological Survey’s Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) until reductions
in federal funding caused PBIN to close in 2010. Key PBIN staff working on Report-a-Pest
restructured in 2011 as the Hawaii Biodiversity Information Network (HBIN), a project of theUniversity of Hawaii (UH) Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. The technical infrastructure for theReport-a-Pest system was moved to servers at UH. The HISC continues to support developmentof the system as a pilot project.
Discussion
During the time that HISC has funded Report-a-Pest as a pilot system, opportunities havebeen explored to implement it as a standard reporting tool utilized by the State, and to integrate
online pest reporting with the existing pest hotline (643-PEST) managed by the Hawaii
Department of Agriculture (HDOA). At the October 28, 2014 meeting of the HISC staff
presented a review of the Report-a-Pest system and, based on meetings with HDOA staff, a listof issues to be addressed in order to facilitate implementation and integration with 643-PEST. Inparticular, HDOA staff requested the development of a taxonomic training module for users of
the online reporting system, the development of a pilot implementation program, and a clear
delineation for reports of illegal animals to be handled directly by HDOA for potential
investigation. Staff at various agencies also noted that it may be confusing to the public if theState utilizes pest reporting systems under two different names (“643-PEST” and “Report-aPest”).
In coordination with HDOA and the HISC Public Outreach Working Group, HISC staffand HBIN staff have worked to rebrand Report-a-Pest as the online component of 643-PEST.

The underlying infrastructure from www.reportapest.org will be available at 643pest.org in late
2016. A taxonomic training module has been developed for users of the 643pest.org system, anda pilot implementation program is being developed for 2016 that will allow staff at various
agencies to use the system to receive sample reports and provide feedback. Following a
successful pilot implementation program, 643pest.org could be publicly launched and utilized as
standard reporting tool for receiving public pest reports.
This system presents a number of advantages over relying solely on a telephone hotline,including the ability to geographically tag the location of a species sighting on a map, providing
standard input fields for collecting information, recording reports in an archived database, andallowing erroneous reports or reports for common pests to be handled by HBIN or HISC staff
instead of staff at HDOA or other responding agencies.
The HISC has invested in the development of an online pest reporting system for 11years. Given recent technological progress and collaborations amongst agency staff to begin
testing implementation of this system, providing an institutional home for this reporting system
is timely to ensure stability during implementation. As an interagency coordinating body, theHISC is uniquely situated to serve as a host to a multi-agency reporting system.
Should the HISC adopt online invasive species reporting as a function of its support
program, the following would become components of the annual request for “HISC Support”
rather than being submitted by HBIN as a competitive proposal for HISC grant funds:• Part-time FTE for 1 technical support position, part-time FTE for two web
application developers, partial FTE for project administrative support(approximately $65,000)• Costs associated with server access and support (approximately $5,000)• Interisland travel for support technician to work with agency staff (approximately$1,500).
Legal Authority• HRS 194-2(a)(1) mandates that the HISC shall maintain a broad overview of the invasive
species problem in the State• HRS 194-2(a)(2) mandates the HISC to advise, consult, and coordinate invasive speciesrelated efforts with and between the departments of agriculture, land and natural
resources, health and transportation, as well as state, federal, international, and privatelyorganized programs and policies• HRS 194-2(a)(6) mandates that the HISC shall identify and record all invasive species
present in the State.
Recommendations
That the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC) adopt as a function of its support program themaintenance of an online invasive species reporting system, known as 634pest.org, to facilitate
the collection of public reports and their appropriate dissemination amongst HISC agencies andpartners for response.