Invasive Species Proliferate While the Department of Agriculture Does…Something?
by Wayne Tanaka, Chapter Director and Kirsten Kagimoto, Chapter Deputy Director | Reading time: 3.25 minutes
Photo: DLNR
For almost a year now, Sierra Club members, legislators, and community stakeholders have been prevailing upon the Department of Agriculture (HDOA) to come up with invasive species action plans, and to use its unique authority to pass rules that would fill critical gaps in our biosecurity infrastructure - including rules to stop the movement and sale of invasive pest-infested plants and other products. At the last Board of Agriculture meeting on August 27, HDOA staff had yet another opportunity to describe just what it has been doing to respond to these ever more desperate calls for support.
Once again, however, the public was left in the dark.
HDOA staff did share that they were working on a vaguely described Memorandum of Understanding with other agencies, and that there was now an approved little fire ant action plan, with two draft plans for coconut rhinoceros beetles and coqui frogs in development. These plans appear to have been largely driven by other agencies, perhaps explaining the lack of details HDOA staff provided about their contents.
After a two minute (or less) summary devoid of details, no questions were asked by the Board of Agriculture regarding the HDOA updates, raising questions regarding their own understanding of, and commitment to, the responsibilities of the agency they are tasked with overseeing.
Are organizations like CGAPS, the invasive species committees, the Hawai‘i Ant Lab, and other frontline efforts being adequately supported and collaborated with, particularly after they were told by HDOA staff to “stand down” and refrain from assisting businesses struggling with invasive species infestations?
What plans are there and what progress has been made, if any, on the $10 million that the Governor allowed to be allocated to HDOA biosecurity efforts, after he had slashed a “historic” $20 million biosecurity funding bill in half?
And what is the continued hold up on critical quarantine and other biosecurity rule provisions that were approved for public hearing in February of 2023, overwhelmingly supported in a public hearing in January of 2024, and that have not been heard about since (despite the growing spread of little fire ants on O‘ahu, and new detections of coconut rhinoceros beetles on Maui and Hawai‘i Island)?
Unfortunately, we may have to wait until the next Board of Agriculture meeting to get any deeper insights on these and other pressing matters, if any.
Please stay tuned for more calls to action and other opportunities to get greater transparency and accountability out of the HDOA. In the meantime, be sure to send Governor Green a message urging him to get his administration and HDOA leadership to take their biosecurity responsibilities seriously, and see below for more opportunities to help combat the spread of invasive pests across the islands.
Opportunities to join in the fight against invasive pests
We are gearing up to hit the streets to equip communities with the tools they need to protect their homes, keiki, kupuna, and neighbors from invasive pests. We are seeking volunteers to help us pack little fire ant detection kits and to canvass both in-person and virtually. If you're interested in helping out, please complete this form, and we’ll be in touch. Also, be sure to sign up for invasive species action alerts to stay informed about other ways you can join the fight against these pests. (Can’t come out to a kit-making or canvassing event? You can still support these efforts by using this link to make a donation to support these efforts (a $25 donation can fund materials, including postage, to make 17 kits).
Lastly, we are compiling photos and videos that show the impact of invasive pests across the islands. If you have photos of little fire ant infestations, bites, or other impacts, coconut rhinoceros beetles, larvae or damaged plants, hala scale, two-lined spittlebug, Queensland longhorn beetles, or other invasive pests, please email them to us at hawaii.chapter@sierraclub.org, including your name and the general location where the photo was taken.