Searching for Snakes: Agencies Join Forces to Reduce Impacts, Stop Spread of Invasive Brown Treesnake

Product Type: Popular Article

Year: 2008

Author(s): Stanford, J. and J. Wilson

Pages: Online

Suggested Citation: Stanford, J. and J. Wilson. 2008. Searching for Snakes: Agencies Join Forces to Reduce Impacts, Stop Spread of Invasive Brown Treesnake. People, Land and Water. : Online p.

Abstract

It has been 27 years since Dr. Julie Savidge and other biologists first took notice of the invasive Brown Treesnake’s impacts on Guam’s native birds. Savidge (now of Colorado State University) was one of the first to document the snake’s predatory role in the demise of the bird community on Guam. Today, we are aware not only of this snake’s invasion legacy on Guam but also of the growing threat it poses to other Pacific islands. To prevent a similar ecological catastrophe, the U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with other federal agencies and island governments, is developing ways to stop brown treesnake invasions. The devastation the snake has wrought on Guam, as well as the island’s role as a major transportation hub on the Pacific, underscores the critical nature of the work underway.