Brown tree snake prevention gets funding

[Linkmeister]

Despite the ridicule that Senator McCain throws at this every time an appropriation bill comes up, it's a serious problem, as we all know. So it's nice to know that the House approved funding (http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2004/09/27/daily35.html) for prevention programs.

I lived on Guam in 1969-1970. My dad was in charge of many things as the Navy's Chief of Public Works there, including one of the power plants. At that time I don't recall that the snakes were a big problem for electrical lines, or surely I'd have heard him muttering about it, yet now in nearly every story about these critters we hear about them disrupting power lines by wrapping themselves around the lines. It's interesting that the problem has taken such a relatively short time to cause such havoc.

[craigwatanabe]

Didn't that snake wipe out all native species of birds there too? I'm told you can't hear a bird anywhere on Guam anymore. How sad. Can you imagine our exotic bird population destroyed by this snake?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Didn't that snake wipe out all native species of birds there too? I'm told you can't hear a bird anywhere on Guam anymore. How sad. Can you imagine our exotic bird population destroyed by this snake?
I don't care about our exotic birds, I'm worried about our native birds. :(

[craigwatanabe]

that's what I meant...native not exotic. But it could happen. As much as I am a republican, I did vote for Inouye because he does bring in the pork to battle these invasive species. His ranking in Congress is like Hawaii's Carte Blanche card and we need all the clout we can get since our electorial college votes don't seem to matter in any major election.

[Glen Miyashiro]

This is one of those times when conservative is the right thing to be: you want to conserve these fragile ecosystems. Funny how politics changes the meanings of words. :p

[Miulang]

Well, somewhere in da forests in Hana dere lurks one of doze brown tree snakes from Guam (must be hiding out wit da panther dey neva catch either on Maui! :eek:

So far dey neva wen catch da buggah. Hope if it was a she that she wasn't hapai. It would be very tragic if dakine alien predators going do more damage to da native flora and fauna.

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

So far dey neva wen catch da buggah. Hope if it was a she that she wasn't hapai. It would be very tragic if dakine alien predators going do more damage to da native flora and fauna.
The spooky thing is that many female snakes, the brown tree snake included, can retain sperm for years after mating, before they decide it's time to lay eggs. That really increases the chance that a female snake stowaway could reproduce once she arrives here. :eek: