HAWAI’I INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL
PLANT QUARANTINE CONFERENCE ROOM
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2008
2:09PM-2:35 PM

DRAFT MINUTESITEM 1. CALL TO ORDER
At 2:09 PM Co-chair Kunimoto called the meeting of the Hawaii Invasive Species
Council to order. The following were in attendance:

Ms. Sandra Kunimoto, DOA
Ms. Laura Thielen, DLNR
Mr. Francis Paul Keeno, DOT

MEMBERS:Mr. Laurence Lau, DOH
Ms. Liz Corbin, DBEDT

ABSENT MEMBER:
Mr. Sam Callejo, UH

Mr. Chris Buddenhagen, HISC
Mr. Christopher Dunn, UH
Mr. Dan Clark, USFWSMr. Domingo Cravalho, DOA-PQ
Mr. Earl Campbell, USFWSMr. Fred Kraus, Bishop Museum
Mr. Patrick Chee, DLNR/DOFAW
Mr. Paul Conry, DLNR/DOFAW
Mr. Rob Hauff, DLNR/DOFAWOthers:Mr. Tony Montogomery, DLNR/DAR
Ms. Carol Okada, DOA- PQ
Ms. Dorothy Alontaga, USDA-PPQ
Ms. Julia Parish, OISC
Ms. Pamela Matsukawa, AG
Ms. Priscilla Billig, HISC
Ms. Susan Gray-Ellis, DBEDT
Ms. Teya Penniman, MISCITEM 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM JULY 9, 2008
Typos and errors were noted by Member’s Lau, Co-chair Kunimoto, and Earl Campbell.
Member Lau gave written instructions to Buddenhagen.
Co-chair Kunimoto instructed staff to make the amendments.
Unanimously approved as amended (Member Keeno/Corbin).
ITEM 3. BRIEFING ABOUT BUDGET RECOMMENDATION FROM THE RESOURCES
WORKING GROUP CHAIR.
Member Corbin is also chair of the Resources Working Group and was in charge ofpresenting the budget recommendation. Corbin thanked all the working group chairs andBuddenhagen for their help. Described how each working group chair was presented
with high and low budget requests and a one page proposal- the low requests came inabout $380,000 over the available $4 million. The Resources working group met for 2.5hours on August 14 2008. Working group chairs presented their requests, and theirrequests were discussed, and at the end a general discussion was had about how tobalance the budget. There was not set process for making the decision, and the group
discussed the process. It went pretty well but it was difficult because there was moreneed than there were funds available. Corbin thought the process wasn’t an ideal
process, and thought the process could be more open and transparent. One of the firsttasks of the resources working group will be to address this issue. Corbin thought it
could be useful to use a panel of experts that don’t have a stake in it. It was a bit difficult
because time was short, and the proposals were not done via an RFP. Standardizationof the proposals and an independent review panel are options to be considered, andperhaps an evaluation of past work.
Corbin presented the figures for each of the working groups which are reflected in thesubmittal, with the funded amount indicated being the amount agreed by consensus.
See submittal at end of minutes.
There was a suggestion that some other funds might be available for some of theprevention items, and if they become available it was hoped that the Research andTechnology Working group might have some of the funds to augment the RFP process
they run, because they had $200,000 less funding than the in 2008.
The role of the group was to help the chairs of the working group to agree on the budget.
Member Lau: Raised concerns about the overhead for projects funded through the
Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, indicating that the overhead was over $240,000 just for
the invasive species committees. He wanted to know if this funding model wasnecessary and desirable.
Buddenhagen indicated that the rate was 11%.
Paul Conry administrator for DOFAW indicated that the overhead amount was
negotiated with the university on a 5 year basis. Federal projects are charged 40%. Thisrate was considered to be the best option available, and other private companies wereconsidered and PCSU was competitive.
Buddenhagen noted that the service they provide was valuable, and that the invasive
species committees were not state agencies, they work on public and private lands andrely on good will for access to private properties- their acceptance in the community isprobably helped by their non-state non-official status.
Co-chair Thielen asked when the 5 year term ends. Conry said thought it ended at theend of the current financial year.
Co-chair Thielen asked that the rates be revisited during the negotiation phase.
Earl Campbell indicated that the overhead is cheaper for State agencies than for Federal
agencies. A number of Federal entities also contribute to the Invasive Species
Committees, administrative and personnel issues are handled on a centralized basis, it
is effective for cost, and allows both federal and state monies to be combined incommon projects where it is simple to come up with and show match.

ITEM 4. APPROVAL OF BUDGET RECOMMENDATION FROM THE RESOURCES
WORKING GROUP.
Member Lau noted that the budget could be subject to restrictions that were imposed
this year.
Co-chair Kunimoto noted that the restrictions would likely apply to the budget, but theCouncil needs to be approve the budget so that the staff could move forward andagencies can implement their projects. Additional steps could be needed in light of theconditions and restrictions being in place by the governor.
Co-chair Thielen noted that restrictions depend largely on the changing economic
situation.
Co-chair Kunimoto are Department Chairs are being restricted with respect to spending
and signing authorities are reduced.
Co-chair Thielen noted that staff need to anticipate more drawn out time-tables in light ofthis.
Members Lau/Keeno- moved/seconded a motion to adopt the budget
recommended by the resources working group subject to executive budget
policies now and in the future.

Paul Conry noted that the process for setting the budget was a tough process with somepros and cons, but the process was clearly collaborative within each of the working
groups and worked well he suggested that the Council should support and approve thebudget.
Unanimously approved.

ITEM 5. NEW BUSINESSITEM 6. PUBLIC COMMENTS
ITEM 7. ADJOURNMENT.
Meeting was adjourned by Co-chair Kunimoto at 2:35 PM.

Hawaii Invasive Species Council - 09/03/2008
Budget Approval

Item A

September 3, 2008

Chairpersons and Members
Hawaii Invasive Species Council
State of Hawaii
Council Members:
SUBJECT:

Approval of the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year Budget for the Hawaii
Invasive Species Council (HISC)

The invasive species budget initiative calls for the expenditure of $3 million in State
special funds and $1 million in general funds for State Fiscal Year 2009 to provide
support for both the operations of the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC) and its
cooperating partners to develop and implement a partnership of federal, state, county, andprivate entities for a comprehensive state-wide invasive species prevention, detection andcontrol program. State dollars will be matched (1:1) voluntarily by non-state dollars orequivalent in-kind services making this an overall effort of at least $8 million.
Redistributing the percentages allocated to each budget area, as compared to the budget
proposed in the Interim State of Hawaii Strategic Plan for Invasive Species Prevention,
Control, Research and Public Outreach, builds on the lessons learned in the first three
years of the HISC budget initiative. This also acknowledges the successful Hawaii
Department of Agriculture Biosecurity initiative and its service fee establishment, as wellas coqui frog control funding.
Although this budget request is under the Department of Land and Natural Resources, it
includes and involves programs and projects through multiple departments, the four
counties and federal and private partners. The funding will not replace state agency,
private, or federal funding, but will support the development of innovative approaches
that address gaps in capacity and build on existing cooperative programs. The goal of thisfunding is to build successful new programs which better protect Hawaii from invasive
species and encourage the incorporation of these programs into agency operations.
A more transparent process for balancing the budget between working groups was
implemented. Projects were proposed in public meetings of the working groups. The
resources working group then met with working group chairs in a public meeting format
to determine how funds were to be allocated to projects proposed by each of the HISC
working groups. Working groups put together their proposals for funds that included highand low estimates to address their needs. Working group chairs and participants were
fully aware that their proposals had to be viewed in the context of a $4 million budget.
The working groups put forward proposals with merit but their requested funds exceededavailable funds by between $380,000 and $1.1 million. Funding restrictions have affected
HISC and indeed all participating agencies and collaborators are anticipating a need fordownsizing their programs due to budget restrictions on state and federal budgets. If therecently passed HB2843 is implemented successfully the funds it generates could be
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Item AHawaii Invasive Species Council - 09/03/2008
Budget Approval

Item Aavailable for additional and improved prevention efforts at ports and airports in Hawaii.
A number of high profile and costly pests, plus a multitude of more minor pests have yetto establish in Hawaii and prevention is considered a cost-effective strategy to avoid thecosts associated with their establishment in Hawaii (e.g., brown tree snake, red imported
fire ant, and West Nile Virus).
A detailed budget request is attached. The overall goals of the Administration’s budget
request for the Hawaii Invasive Species Council are to:
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Advise the governor and legislature on budgetary and other issues regarding
invasive species.
Coordinate invasive species management and control programs for county, state,federal and private sector entities by developing a structure for cooperators towork together to share resources and responsibilities to address specific invasive
species issues.
Educate the public and private sector about invasive species to positively affectperception, action and funding for control and prevention.
Review risks of pest/invasive species entry into the State; and implement
measures and improve Hawaii’s capacity to prevent the entry of newpests/invasive species with shared resources and shared responsibilities of allagencies.
Review priorities for the control of pests already present or recently arrived in thestate; and implement cost-effective eradication and control programs against
incipient and established pests with shared resources and shared responsibilities
among private, not-for-profit, county, state and federal agencies.
Encourage researchers to address the problems created by invasive species andthe development and implementation of new technology to prevent or control theestablishment of invasive species. In particular, to develop effective, sciencebased management approaches to control invasive species; effectively
communicate and apply the results of research to the field; and promoteinteragency collaboration and stimulate new partnerships.

The State funding is broken into four integrated components, as well as a separate
administrative budget:
1)
Building up Prevention capabilities $573,400 (14% of total funding). Projects
include;a. $307,300 to the Hawaii Department of Health – Develop the capacity of
the Department to prevent the establishment of West Nile Virus byproviding supplies and support for the State Laboratory, Vector Control
Branch and Environmental Education to promote awareness and public
participation.
b. $97,700 to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources – Tosustain two technicians to continue the screening of plants grown and usedcommercially in Hawaii via the locally developed Weed Risk Assessment(WRA). So far, the Maui Association of Landscape Professionals, the2
Item AHawaii Invasive Species Council - 09/03/2008
Budget Approval

Item A

Landscape Industry Council of Hawaii, Kauai Landscape Industry
Council, the Oahu Nursery Growers Association and a number ofindividual companies have agreed to adopt the voluntary Codes of Contactthat include screening plants using the WRA and promoting non-invasive
alternatives. The HISC passed a resolution that state agencies conducting
planting operations should request HPWRA scores, when available, as oneof the tools to assist decision makers in determining whether to plant a
particular species. For species that have scored as potentially invasive in
Hawaii, this information should underscore the need for containment plansor remediation efforts if they become necessary. HPWRA and outreachstaff should work with state and county agencies to identify the agencies
with planting guidelines, seek to gain their support of thisrecommendation and inform them of the weed risk assessment services weprovide.
c. $84,200 to the Division of Aquatic Resources – To support prevention
projects to minimize the introduction of alien aquatic organisms in Hawaii
from hull fouling and ballast water. This would include funds forregulation changes, compliance measures, early detection efforts,
specialized equipment and marine invertebrate taxonomic expertise.
d. $54,200 is for an apiarist to be based in the Department of Agriculture. Heor she will help in efforts to facilitate effective management and regulationof honeybees and their pests, especially the varroa mite, a pest that has had
a major impact on honeybee colonies on Oahu. Members of the lucrative
queen and bee-rearing industry on the Big Island are particularly
concerned about the recent arrival of this pest in Hilo and its potential todevastate their industry.
e. $30,000 for a Hawaii Ant Projects Coordinator to work for the Departmentof Agriculture to bring about more effective protection of Hawaii’s
environment from harmful alien ants, with special emphasis on prevention
and control of the little fire ant (present on the Big Island) and the red
imported fire ant (still absent from Hawaii). In early 2007 the “Hawaii
Invasive Ant/Red Imported Fire Ant Prevention Plan” was updated. To
this end, the interagency Hawaii Ant Group was resurrected to get input
and agreement on potential plan revisions some funds from FY2008 will
also be used to hire someone for a year. The plan identifies further actions
needed to address this threat. The position was recently advertised andshould be filled shortly.
3)
Developing Response and Control programs $2,092,700 (52% of total funding) to
conduct invasive species detection, response and control actions on the ground and in thewater. Projects include:a. $1,616,300 – Interagency invasive species committees guide on-island
field crews in each of the counties implementing early detection, rapid
response, eradication or containment programs for incipient invasive
species, working on public and private lands. The four invasive species
committees target more than 30 species of plants and animals in areas
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Item AHawaii Invasive Species Council - 09/03/2008
Budget Approval

Item A

covering tens of thousands of acres; some of their more high profile
targets include Miconia, coqui frogs, pampas grass and ants.
b. $411,400 is for the Division of Aquatic Resources – This statewide
program addresses marine and freshwater invasive species, through local
control, early detection and rapid response efforts. Control of algae on
reefs using the Supersucker, algae suppression strategies, habitat
restoration of wetlands, outreach and control of incipient invasive
invertebrates are key focus areas.
c. $65,000 – Environmental Assessment (EA) Coordinator for biocontrol
projects will support the EA process for biocontrol programs implemented
by the USDA and HDOA using up-to-date scientific methods. The
coordinator will identify stakeholders, conduct outreach, collect input,
write draft assessments, and address regulatory issues as appropriate.
4)
Research and Applied Technology funding $500,000 (13% of total funding) for
new research and technology projects.
a. $330,000 – Projects addressing invasive species will be solicited via apublic notice of request for proposals, to encourage competition amongproviders to obtain the most advantageous proposal(s) that the market can
support. Last year 15 high quality research and technology projects were
funded at a cost of $782,156; these were selected from a pool of 48
proposals that addressed coqui frog and general invasive species issues
with funding requests totaling approximately $2.8 million.
b. $10,000 – An international workshop seeks to develop collaborative
projects with other countries in the South Pacific to do research on
biocontrol agents for shared pests, with the desired end point of obtaining
biocontrol agents for priority pests at reduced cost. Funds will allow
USDA and HDOA staff to participate.
c. $160,000 – Bishop Museum’s Hawaiian Biological Survey program will
provide up to the minute information about the status of alien and invasiveplant and animal species present in Hawaii, as well as identification
services for introduced species. There are already 5,314 alien species
documented as established in the wild, many thousands more are known tooccur. This supports one of the HISC’s legal mandates “For those species
that do arrive in Hawaii, identify and record all introduced and invasive
species present in the State.” Extra attention will be given to incipient
species, and the information is expected to support management efforts
and regulatory and policy issues that require agencies to know which
species are present in Hawaii.
5)
Public Outreach Program $312,200 (8% of total funding) in cooperation with the
public and private sector for visitors and residents to increase voluntary compliance ofquarantine laws, avoid accidental introductions of invasive species, and establish aneffective pest hotline reporting system that delivers timely information to managers on
the ground. Funds fully cover specialist outreach staff on Kauai, the Big Island, and a4
Item AHawaii Invasive Species Council - 09/03/2008
Budget Approval

Item Astatewide role base on Oahu. In addition, half the salary is included for Oahu and Mauioutreach positions. Increased emphasis on statewide messages identified in the recently
updated HISC strategic plan are expected to provide better uptake in the community.
Specific collaborative efforts with appropriate agencies, groups and organizations are
expected to increase the impact of the outreach team. Effectiveness of the outreach effort
is measured through a third party survey.
6)
HISC Support functions $521,700 (13% of total funding) includes two HISC
support positions, overhead, a fee, and mandated 8% budget restrictions on general funds.
This Central Service fee (7%) is included in the budget this year to fairly allocate the costof these fees across all the programs receiving funding from the Natural Area Reserve
Fund. Central Service fees are estimated to total up to $900,000 for the Natural Area
Reserve Fund overall and $210,000 is the proportionate amount that should be assessedon the $3,000,000 being allocated to the HISC program from the Natural Area Reserve
special fund. The DOFAW overhead ($96,700) is calculated to be 3% for funds that areadministered through DOFAW – some funds, such as the Central Service fee and funds
transferred through journal voucher to member agencies, are not subject to the fee. The
HISC support positions include a half-time Grant and Budget Manager to contract for
research and technology application services and other projects, such as community
outreach grants. The second HISC support position is a HISC Coordinator who will
provide opportunities for more effective communication between members and meeting
support.

Central Services Fee
Staff and Support
DOFAW overhead
Budget restrictions$210,000$135,000$96,700$80,000

This budget request has been aligned with both the Hawaii Invasive Species Council
Strategic Plan and the HISC working group structures to assure not only compatibility
with existing efforts but also accountability with specific measures of effectiveness. Lead
HISC members will administer specific program components and HISC working groups
will assure funding specifications, address priority statewide issues and fit into HISC
member and cooperating partner operational programs.

RECOMMENDATION:
That the Hawaii Invasive Species Council approve the proposed FY08-09 budget
allocation as presented above and summarized below to implement the State of Hawaii's
Strategic Plan for Invasive Species Prevention, Control, Research, and Public Outreach.

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Item AHawaii Invasive Species Council - 09/03/2008
Budget Approval

Item A

Budget requests and recommended funding for financial year 2009

PREVENTION
Ant prevention and control techniques
Pathogen detection and ID
Apiarist for varroa mite work
Ballast Water and Hull Fouling Program
Weed Risk Assessment
WNV detection and suppression

RequestedHigh
Low$60,000$50,000$49,000$29,000$90,000$65,000$95,000$95,000$122,440$108,570$378,104$318,104

Funded$30,000$0$54,200$84,200$97,700$307,300$794,544$665,674$573,400$576,000$520,000$499,631$490,426$524,441$90,000$408,100$430,680$424,000$385,999$422,283$65,000$397,300$430,700$413,200$375,100$411,400$65,000$2,092,700

RESPONSE AND CONTROL
BIISC
MISC
OISC
KISC
AIS
EA coordinator biocontrol$2,700,498 $2,136,062
RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY$424,000$20,000$256,000$700,000$534,000$10,000$156,000$700,000$330,000$10,000$160,000$210,000$109,229$50,000$13,000$210,000$109,229$25,000$0$382,229$344,229$210,000$102,200$0$0$312,200

DOFAW Overhead (3%)$109,500$109,500$96,700

Central Services Fee (7% of 3 M)
Support Staff
Budget restriction 8%$210,000$135,000$80,000$210,000$135,000$80,000$210,000$135,000$80,000$534,500$534,500$521,700$5,111,771$4,380,465$4,000,000

RFP
Biocontrol capacity building
Alien species database$500,000

OUTREACH
Staff
Materials/Services/PSAs
RFPs
Americorp Stipends

HISC SUPPORT

Total

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Item A