Previous Story
Bordallo talks invasive species with federal officials
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Delegate Madeleine Z. Bordallo met with Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Environment Don Schregardus and other federal officials and experts from the Navy and U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday last week, to discuss efforts to combat and eradicate invasive species in Guam and Hawaii. As the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, Bordallo chaired the meeting and expressed her deep concern of the impact that several invasive species have on Guam, particularly the coconut rhinoceros beetle.
The beetle was first detected in Guam in 2007 and has led to the destruction of local vegetation throughout the island. Since 2008, the Navy, in conjunction with the USDA and the University of Guam, has supported islandwide efforts to eradicate the beetle. Bordallo has consistently supported efforts to provide federal funds to combat the spread of the beetle in Guam. She said more attention and resources should be focused on improving the science to eliminate the CRB from Guam.
“Invasive species have caused significant harm to our ecosystems and have decimated local bird and plant species [in] Guam,” said Bordallo. “I appreciate the efforts of the Navy, USDA, and UOG to combat the spread of the rhino beetle [in] Guam, and I hope see more progress to eradicate this species from the island. There is still much work to be done, and I look forward to working with federal and local partners to achieve this goal. I will continue to support providing federal resources to combat the spread of all invasive species on Guam, prevent the introduction of any new species to our island, and do more to eliminate current invasive species.” (PR)
