Territorial Assistance

What this funds

Brown Tree Snake (BTS) Control combines research and operational components designed to prevent the dispersal of BTS from Guam to other vulnerable geographic areas and to ultimately eradicate existing or The invasive BTS was introduced to the island of Guam following World War II. Due to an abundant prey base and an absence of natural predators, the BTS population in Guam grew exponentially. It was not until the 1980s when researchers began to study the sudden and sharp decline in Guam's bird populations that the ecological and socioeconomic damage caused by the BTS began to be understood. The BTS Control Program funds BTS suppression efforts, which are critical to our country's biosecurity and national security as the BTS causes significant damage to the electric grid and utility infrastructure in Guam. With Guam serving as a hub for a growing regional U.S. military presence, including in Tinian, risk of BTS dispersal is also increasing and would cause harm to national security infrastructure and military readiness. The BTS routinely climb wires accessing electrical distribution and transmission lines. This can cause ground faults or short circuits resulting in power outages of varying severity and duration. In 2024, there were 86 power outages on Guam due to the BTS. Island-wide outages result in lost productivity, damage to electrical equipment and lost revenues, and jeopardizes national defense The BTS has had significant, negative impacts on Guam's economy. The risk of accidental transport and establishment of the BTS in other locations has impacted regional shipping and transportation through Since Guam is a major transportation hub in the Pacific, numerous opportunities exist for this invasive species to be inadvertently introduced to other areas. The BTS has already been accidentally transported from Guam to other sites worldwide through infested civilian and military vessels and cargo. Anchorage, Alaska; Wake Island; Taiwan; Kwajalein; Diego Garcia; Darwin, Australia; and Rota, Spain. Most of those sightings were in the CNMI (93) and on Oahu (10). Assistance to Territories 26 Territorial Assistance Office of Insular Affairs FY 2027 Budget Justification As stated in the Brown Tree Snake Technical Working Group Strategic Plan, interdiction costs would grow exponentially if BTS were to get to Hawaii, as it is a major transportation hub in the Pacific and a new interdiction program on any of its islands there would be very expensive. This would also increase the risk of BTS invasion to more areas in the continental United States that have direct flights to and from Hawaii. Guam is a central hub of the Pacific, and when a natural disaster strikes a nearby island, increased shipments move between Guam and other islands, thus increasing the chances of BTS Research is conducted to improve existing BTS control tools, such as barriers, traps, and baits, as well as to develop better control techniques such as toxins, repellents, and attractants. Research is also intended to improve our understanding of the basic biology of the BTS and to develop methods enabling large- scale suppression of BTS on Guam. It is largely accepted that severe population suppression must be achieved before eradication can be pursued. The operational program utilizes the control tools and techniques developed via the research effort to reduce the risk of BTS dispersal to other Pacific islands, the U.S. mainland, and other vulnerable locations. The BTS Control Program is a cooperative effort primarily involving OIA (financial assistance and grants management); the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (overall program coordination); the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) (basic and applied research); the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (USDA-APHIS-WS) (control, management and applied research); the U.S. Department of War (financial assistance, control and management on military facilities); and the Governments of Hawaii, Guam, and the CNMI. The 2027 budget requests reduced funding for the Brown Tree Snake Control subactivity. The 2027 BTS program will support a continued focus on operational interdiction and control initiatives including suppression and eradication. Funding will be used to aid in the efforts to increase suppression of BTS in Guam and to continue research funding and educational outreach. Assistance to Territories 27 Territorial Assistance Office of Insular Affairs FY 2027 Budget Justification

Extracted from Office of Insular Affairs, p. 13. Verbatim; nothing here is paraphrased.

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