Guam - It is the first of its kind in the nation,  an Interagency  Biosecurity Task Force. It officially came into being Tuesday afternoon during a ceremony at Adelup.

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Its purpose is to combat the growing number of  foreign species that have entered Guam and damaged our plant and animal life.

For generations Guam has been a cross-roads in the pacific Because of its strategic position for the U.S. military and as a destination for tourists from throughout Asia. But the multitude of travellers and cargo that have come through our island have left behind some unwelcome creepers and crawlers.

The brown tree snake, the Rhino Beetle,  grubs, frogs,  even pythons;  the island has attracted more than its fair share of foreign species...who have wriggled off cargo ships onto our shores ..many of them  having done severe damage to our environment.

The Interagency Biosecurity Task Force was formed to combat that. It brings together the efforts of the Guam Department of Agriculture, Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Plant Inspection Service and Guam Customs.

The aim is to control or eliminate the  invasive species that are here and prevent others from getting in.

Efforts to combat the invasion of foreign species have lost some focus since Guam's Plant Protection and Quarantine office was transferred to Customs 8 years ago. The number of invasive species in recent years has risen and that number threatens to grow even more with the coming military buildup.

That why Guam's Soil and Water Conservation Districts took the lead in bringing together the various federal and local agencies to form this Task Force.

The formation of the Task Force however still has some major hurdles to clear before they can get down to work,  money and manpower.

30 additional personal are needed and $2.4 million dollars in funding. Next stop is the Legislature to help make the funding possible. 

Written by :

Kevin Kerrigan

 

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