Invasive Species Mitigation on the Big Island

Funds would support BIISC's core mission: responding to the threats posed by invasive species. We work on fronts to mitigate impacts: preventing the sale & spread of invasive plants through our Plant Pono program, enacting direct control on the landscape to eliminate or contain incipient high risk invaders, providing support to partners & communities to control widespread invasives. Our most high-priority plant, devil weed requires the most time investment, with more than a dozen active sites being handled by BIISC throughout Hilo and Puna. Funding would allow us to expand our control efforts before devil weed reaches the verdant pastures of Waimea and Kohala, where this toxic plant threatens our cattle industry and would add an additional fire fuel to the landscape. Funds would also help us expand our work on pests, including coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB), Queensland longhorn beetle (QLB), and little fire ant (LFA).