Hawaiʻi Island lawmakers are considering giving the state $250,000 for invasive species management on the island, but have been critical about its efforts so far.
A Hawaiʻi County Council resolution would allow the county to award the Big Island Invasive Species Committee, University of Hawaiʻi project for pest management.
The funding would support relevant outreach, training and detection efforts, but most of it would go to two BIISC positions.
“Without these funds, those two positions wouldn't exist for their outreach and research. BIISC already runs a very small operation, so any assistance that they can get to do more work is definitely appreciated,” Dennis Lin, deputy director for the County of Hawaiʻi’s Research and Development Management, told the council Tuesday.
The island is the state’s agricultural hub, and is fighting to slow the spread of several introduced species, including the coconut rhinoceros beetle, the Queensland Longhorn Beetle, and the two-lined spittlebug — all of which can deal significant damage to crops grown in the state.
The council moved along the resolution, but not before some of the members criticized the state’s efforts to protect Hawaiʻi from invasive species.
“Invasive species are the state's kuleana, and we keep stepping in to administer what resources we have available to bolster their activities, because there seems to be a failure at the state level to protect us adequately,” Councilmember Matt Kaneali'i-Kleinfelder said. “We gave money to coqui frogs. … Now we have little fire ants, the QLB, CRB. We have skunks in Keaukaha. I guess, ‘Where does it end?’ is the question. I cannot say strongly enough that the state needs to step up their efforts.”
Councilmember Rebecca Villegas shared that criticism.
“ We don't efficiently, effectively, or, with any broad spectrum plan, actually inspect the containers coming in,” she said, calling on the state to “ step up, lean in, inspect our containers, stop them at the ports, because trying to fight them on the ground isn't working for us.”
The council did move along the resolution, but it wants more information on how much funding the state is allocating for similar efforts on the island.
