Active response updates

• Little Fire Ant (LFA): 
  • A recent survey for LFA in early May, after three years of treatment in Mililani Mauka, resulted in no LFA detections by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA).
• Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB):
  • Latest Week Reported (June 3, 2017)
    • 24 adult CRB detected in 3,085 traps out of 3,937 CRB adults captured since December 23, 2013.
    • A spike in the number of CRB trap finds in the Pearl City Peninsula area and the first breeding site found just outside the Joint Base Pearl Harbor - Hickam boundary is a cause for concern.
• Rapid Ohia Death (ROD):
  • Researchers have found that the two species causing Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (ROD) symptoms act very differently within a tree. Ceratocystis species A spreads rapidly throughout an infected tree and is referred to as ʻōhiʻa wilt. Ceratocystis species B spreads slowly and creates dead tissue (necrosis) in a limited area around the infection point, referred to as a canker. These new species of Ceratocystis are in the process of being formally named and described.
  • Survey results released in May by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and partners have found that ROD is still only confirmed on Hawaiʻi Island and that the affected area has increased from 50,000 to 75,000 acres in the last few months.
  • Within Hawaiʻi Island there are still no confirmed cases of ROD in Kohala.
  • The Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death Strategic Response Plan is available at www.rapidohiadeath.org

• Rapid Ohia Death (ROD) reminder: Anyone on ROD-free islands (other than Hawai`i Island) with suspect trees should call their local Invasive Species Committee (see links below) so that any samples go through HDOA's Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB) and not through the regular post – More information can be found at www.rapidohiadeath.org.

• BIISC outreach specialist Franny Brewer has collaborated with researchers at Stanford University to publish new studies on community engagement in invasive species management. BIISC contributed to a report by Rebecca Niemiec et al. titled "Motivating residents to combat invasive species on private lands: social norms and community reciprocity" in the journal Ecology and Society (vol 21, issue 2, 2016). Franny is also a co-author on an article titled "Civic and natural place attachment as correlates of resident invasive species control behavior in Hawaii" in the journal Biological Conservation (vol 209, 2017).

• In addition to maintaining focus on existing targets, MISC assisted the Maui Health Office in responding to new incidences of rat lungworm disease in March 2017. MISC is working with partners to facilitate surveys for invasive molluscs that can carry the parasite that causes rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis). This work is supported in part by a grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation.

• KISC Manager Bill Lucey is departing this month after 3 years with the organization. We wish Bill well in his next adventure and thank him for the excellent work and strategic focus he brought to KISC during his time on Kauai.
• KISC early detection botanist Kelsey Brock gave a presentation on KISC's new assessment tool for prioritizing plants for eradication on Kauai, as part of the HISC Brown Bag Series. A video of Kelsey's presentation is available online at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/category/brownbag/. 

• The HISC Brown Bag Series continued its series of brownbag talks; an ongoing series of informal lunchtime presentations to facilitate information sharing regarding invasive species. All presentations are recorded and are available for viewing online at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/category/brownbag/.
  • 5/31/2017: Brownbag series no. 6: Review and Updates from the Micronesia Regional Invasive Species Council (RISC) meeting. Presented by Hawaii Invasive Species Council Planner, JC Watson.
  • 6/22/2017: Brownbag series no. 7: Rapid ‘Ōhi’a Death Update. Presented by Ambyr Mokiao-Lee; Rapid ‘Ōhi’a Death (ROD) Statewide Outreach Coordinator.
  • 7/6/2017: Brownbag Series no. 8: Invasive Land Snails and Rat Lungworm Intermediate Hosts in Hawaii. Presented by Dr. Norine Yeung, Malacology Researcher, Charles Montague Cook Jr. Malacology Center, Bishop Museum and Dr. Kenneth A. Hayes, Assistant Professor of Invertebrate Biology, Howard University; Bishop Museum Malacology Research Affiliate
• The HISC's  Facebook page now has over 600 likes. Like HISC on Facebook to receive updates from HISC news, posts from our website, and invasives-related posts from our constituent agencies and partners.
• Pacific Invasives Partnership (PIP) Annual Meeting
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  • The 2017 Pacific Invasives Partnership Annual Meeting was held in Honolulu and Hilo the week of June 5-9, 2017.
  • Over 50 people from around the Pacific Basin participated in PIP meetings over the course of the week; including representatives from Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, Fji, Guam, Palau, Samoa and the USA.
  • Participating agencies included; the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS), the East-West Center (EWC), Island Conservation (IC), Landcare Research NZ, the Palau National Invasive Species Council (NISC), PIPES, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the (SPREP), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) , the University of Guam (UOG), University of Hawaii (UH) NREM, UH Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit's (PCSU) BIISC/KISC/MISC/OISC, USDA APHIS, USDA APHIS PPQ, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services,(WS), US DOD Air Force, US DOD NAVFAC Pacific, US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), US Geological Survey (USGS).
  • Participating host agencies included; the County of Hawaii (COH), Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA), the USDA ARS Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) and the University of Hawaii's (UH) Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit's (PCSU) Hawaii Ant Lab (HAL).
• Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council (HISC)
  • The HISC FY18 Grant applications for interagency project funds deadline has passed and the Evaluation Committee of the HISC Resources Working Group is in the process of reviewing all 77 applications received. A total of $12,008,716 in requests were received for only $3.8m in available funds. The HISC Resources Working Group will meet on Thursday, July 27, 2017, from 8a - 4p, to determine the final budget recommendation for the full council.
  • HISC FY18 funding priorities are based on the strategy described in the Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan 2017-2027. The plan is available at http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/plans/hibp/
  • The next HISC meeting will be August 24, 1pm, in the board room of the Department of Land an Natural Resources (1151 Punchbowl St, Honolulu). At this meeting the Council will review the recommended FY18 budget and discuss implementation of the Hawaii Interagency Biosecurity Plan. A full agenda will be provided on the HISC website prior to the meeting.
  • Visit the HISC website for more details.

• Hawaii-Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (HPWRA)
• O`ahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC) 
• Molokai-Maui Invasive Species Committee (MoMISC)

Upcoming events

• Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance: The 24^th Annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference will be held at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center, July 18^th-20^th, 2017
  • The annual Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference (HCC) brings together over 1,200 conservation professionals, natural resource managers, cultural practitioners, scientists, and students from throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The theme of this year’s 24th annual conference, He Waʻa He Moku – Mālama Honua: Caring for Our Island Earth, was chosen to honor the return of Hōkūle‘a from the Worldwide Voyage (WWV). As the waʻa returns home, the conference provides a unique opportunity for the community to reflect on global ties and Hawaii’s legacy for the future.
  • Keynote Speakers include Nainoa Thompson, the President of the Polynesian Voyaging Society; Ruud Kleinpaste, an environmental education enthusiast from New Zealand; and a Plenary Panel on Hawaiʻi Commitments: Inspiring Conservation at Home and Around the World featuring Governor David Ige, Chipper Wichman, Denise Antolini, Ulalia Woodside, moderated by ʻAulani Wilhelm.
  •  We invite you to join us for the Conservation Connections Public Afternoon on Wednesday, July 19^th from 1:00pm to 5:30pm, when all conference sessions and activities will be free and open to the public, including the panel presentation “One Canoe, One Island, One Planet: Governor Ige’s Sustainable Hawaiʻi Initiative” featuring Governor David Ige.  The conference will also feature many opportunities to learn about various technologies, methods, and approaches to conservation, and develop new partnerships among Hawaii’s conservation community.  
     
    Register online at regonline.com/2017hcc.
    Program book available at www.hawaiiconservation.org/conference 
    Conservation Connections Public Afternoon: Wednesday, July 19^th, starting at 1pm
     
• Rapid Ohia Death (ROD)
  • Ōhiʻa Love Fest –This highly anticipated event will be held at ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center in Hilo, Hawaiʻi on Sunday, August 27, 2017. There will be arts and crafts, demonstrations, music, and performances for all ages to celebrate ‘ōhiʻa trees. Please mark your calendars! More detailed announcements will be posted on our ROD website and ROD Facebook page.
  • The ROD Documentary team has been chosen and have begun filming certain fragments of the story. The majority of the filming will take place on Hawaii Island during the week of June 12, 2017.