Draft Brown Tree Snake Control Plan

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Draft Brown Tree Snake Control Plan

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the Draft Brown Tree

Snake Control Plan for public review and comments. The document was

prepared by the Brown Tree Snake Control Committee of the Aquatic

Nuisance Species Task Force, as required by section 1209 of the

[[Page 22074]] Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control

Act of 1990. Comments received will be considered in preparing the

final Brown Tree Snake Control Plan, which will become the basis for a

cooperative and integrated Brown Tree Snake Control Program with the

involvement of Federal, State, and Territorial, and local resource

agencies.

DATES: Comments on the Draft Brown Tree Snake Control Plan should be

received by June 19, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Written responses and requests for copies of the document

should be mailed to Robert P. Smith, Chair, Brown Tree Snake Control

Committee, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Box 50167, Honolulu, HI

96850.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Robert P. Smith, Chair, Brown Tree Snake Control Committee, at (808)

541-2749.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A native of Indonesia, New Guinea, the

Solomon Islands, and Australia, the brown tree snake (Boiga

irregularis) has caused or been a major factor in a modern extinction

episode beyond its native range that is unprecedented in its scope: the

extirpation of most of Guam's native terrestrial vertebrates, including

fruit bats, lizards, and virtually all of the island's forest birds. In

addition, brown tree snakes in Guam have caused more than a thousand

power outages, damaged agricultural interests by preying on poultry,

killed many pets, and envenomated numerous children.

Several governmental agencies and private entities have been

working to prevent similar ecological disasters on other Pacific

islands, since the threat of the brown tree snake's dispersal to other

islands and continents is significant. The brown tree snake is a major

threat to the biodiversity of the Pacific region and other areas at

risk. High densities of snakes occur in many urban areas on Guam where

cargo is loaded for transport by air and sea to other Pacific islands,

and dispersal has been documented by snakes discovered on islands in

Hawaii and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and even

in the continental United States.

In recognition of this threat, the United States Congress included

a section in the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control

Act of 1990 that authorizes a cooperative program to control the brown

tree snake outside of its historic range. Representatives of the

Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, and the Interior; the

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; the Territory of Guam;

and the State of Hawaii formed the Brown Tree Snake Control Committee

on May 1993 to develop an integrated pest management approach that

would:

Reduce existing brown tree snake population on Guam;

Prevent the spread of brown tree snakes to other Pacific

islands and mainland areas;

Eradicate or contain new populations as soon as detected;

Protect endangered species and other wildlife from brown

tree snake predation;

Assist organizations and individuals on Guam to manage and

control brown tree snake infestations, and especially to reduce

disruptions of electrical supplies and human-snake encounters resulting

in emotional trauma and bites;

Develop adequate information on the brown tree snake's

biology, dispersal dynamics, and control to support Federal, State,

Territorial, and Commonwealth needs; and

Develop more effective and environmentally sound control

strategies and methods.

To meet these objectives, the Brown Tree Snake Control Committee

has developed a draft plan reviewing the biology of the brown tree

snake, its population development and status on various Pacific

islands, its current and potential impacts on the environment and the

economy, and past and present brown tree snake control activities. The

draft plan also outlines specific tasks that need to be accomplished

and funding needed for operational and research activities.

Dated: April 28, 1995.

Gary Edwards,

Co-Chair, Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, Assistant Director--

Fisheries.

[FR Doc. 95-11021 Filed 5-3-95; 8:45 am]

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