Some folks say that organic produce is better for you than other produce. It hasn’t been covered in pesticides. It hasn’t been grown in a mutant-making mix of chemical fertilizers. It tastes the way God, Mother Nature and the Flying Spaghetti Monster meant it to taste. But in an effort to do good, organic produce–at least the organic produce we import from the mainland to the Islands–just might be doing bad. Those organic oranges from California, well, they might be packed with Vitamin C, but they just as well might be carrying an invasive species.

In fact, when it comes to the number one vehicle by which alien species end up on these shores, it’s not the tourist from Topeka, Kan., you should be pointing your finger at. It’s those organic heirloom tomatoes from the mainland. ‘The most infested things coming in are organic produce,’ says Christy Martin, public information officer for the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS). She adds, ‘Anything coming in fresh, they can keep an insect alive.’

How You Can Help Stop the Silent Invasion

1. Protect Hawai’i– Don’t Plant a Pest

More than half of the invasive plants that are threatening Hawai’i’s forests and natural areas started off as ornamental plants in yards and gardens and landscaping. Some of the most popular ornamentals today–including Australian tree fern and strawberry guava–are spreading through the forest and replacing native plants and the animals that depend on them. You can help protect Hawai’i by asking for native or non-invasive plants. Your choices at plant nurseries, garden shops and plant sales can make a difference in forests and natural areas.

2. Protect Hawai’i– Don’t Pack a Pest

In Hawai’i there is a tradition of bringing presents back from overseas to give to friends and family, and oftentimes it is food. However, we rarely think about the possibility that these omiyage (gifts) could be carrying harmful insects or plant diseases that will harm agriculture or forests. Help protect Hawai’i by declaring all items listed on agriculture forms such as fruits, plants and even soil and sand, so that they can be inspected for unwanted pests. Items will be inspected, and most times they are returned to you.

3. Protect Hawai’i– Report a Pest

Do you know whom to call if you see a snake or another alien species in Hawai’i? They may be illegal to import or possess in our islands (the Honolulu Zoo has a special permit), yet there were 236 snake sightings reported statewide between 1990 and 2000 and less than half were recovered or turned in. A new, toll-free pest hotline system has been instituted, 643-PEST (643-7378), and you can help protect Hawai’i by reporting illegal species such as snakes and unusual insects as quickly as possible.

4. Protect Hawai’i– A Living Reef Gives Hawai’i Life

Invasive marine plants and animals are a relatively new concept. There has been a rise in cases of alien aquarium species found not just in the streams, but also on Hawai’i’s reefs. Invasive seaweed introduced for aquaculture purposes in the 1970s can be spread when seaweed are moved from infested reefs (like Waikiki and Ala Moana) on dive and snorkeling gear to more pristine areas such as Hanauma Bay and Shark’s Cove. People can help protect Hawai’i’s reefs by washing their snorkeling equipment, dive gear and boats before moving to a new spot. We can also help protect the ocean and our pets by never releasing them into streams or the ocean.

5. Protect Hawai’i– Your Kokua is Needed

To participate in cleaning alien seaweed from O’ahu’s reefs, visit the Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species on the web at [www.cgaps.org]. To participate in cleaning invasive plants like miconia from Oahu’s forests, visit the Oahu Invasive Species Committee’s volunteer page at [www.oahuisc.org].

The Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS) is a statewide partnership of more than 14 government agencies and NGOs working together since 1995 to change policy, improve communications and collaborations and promote public awareness in an effort to protect Hawai’i from invasive species. It provided this information contained in this article.

Fortunately, Martin has a solution to stop the influx of alien species–from the brown tree snake to the red fire ant to biting sand fleas. ‘We need to market grown in Hawai’i [food],’ Martin says. ‘It seems like it’s a different topic almost, but when we import less goods, when we import less organic goods even, we import less bugs with it.’

While the brown tree snake of Guam is probably the most feared would-be alien invader, the fire ant just might give it a run for the money. ‘It has recently infested California, and that is where we get all of our organic produce from. We’re going to see it here,’ Martin says. ‘Actually, we intercepted it once in an infested mail parcel.’

However, Martin says there is hope. We can stop the invaders if we catch them before they get in–at our ports of entry. ‘We need to consider funding inspectors at ports of entry. We tried to do this early in session by introducing a fee for service charge,’ Martin says. ‘It would have been able to fund inspectors commensurate with the amount of cargo coming in.’

Unfortunately, Martin says, that measure looks like it went the way of the dodo.

CGAPS would also like to conduct a risk assessment at Honolulu International Airport, Martin says, ‘just to see what is coming in, you know, what boxes to open, and with limited resources, where best to put them.’ However, she adds that the funding for that appears to be in jeopardy this year.

A previous risk assessment at Kahului Airport produced shocking results Martin says, ‘They found there was an average of one new insect coming in each day, and that is way above and beyond what they thought was going on.’ According to the Department of Agriculture, during a 130 period, 125 alien species were intercepted. Another 51 that were discovered may or may not have been alien to Hawai’i. ‘It’s about paying attention to the pathways and looking for certain pests, but we need to do better at the ports of entry,’ she says.

Another area that needs improvement, Martin says, is that the state needs to strengthen its agreements with mainland exporters. Currently, those compliance agreements are as weak as Ashley Simpson’s singing voice. ‘We have an agreement with the Department of Oregon. They will shake [Christmas] trees before they load them up in containers. It’s not a real formal agreement. A lot trees get here without being shaken,’ Martin says. ‘The things that crawl out of the unshaken trees are just amazing.’

But, she says, ‘What we do for our Christmas trees can be fixed.’

And with a little work–and a bit of government funding–the problems at our ports of entry can be too.

The Silent Invasion website:
www.hear.org