Every January we’re inundated by top 10 lists, score
cards, and annual reports reflecting on the past year. Here is one little invasive species story
that didn’t make the news and won’t appear on anyone’s top 10 list for
2013. I want to tell it to you before I
forget because it illustrates the importance of communication, interagency
cooperation, and digital photography -- all increasingly important in our world
and in the fight against invasive species.
It
all started with a phone call to the invasive species hotline (1-866-INVADER).
Employees at a Beaverton distribution center had opened a shipping container
full of ground-up tennis shoes from Indonesia. Don’t ask me why we’re importing shredded sneakers from the other side
of the world, but we are.
Inside
were live lizards. Not just one, but
several and they were ready to get out. Thankfully the employees were aware that live critters from overseas can
be problems, so they called the hotline and asked, “What should we do?” My first thought was, "Who's in charge
of that? US Fish & Wildlife, ODF&W, Customs and Border Protection?”
I
was having flashbacks from five years when a toad hopped out of a shipping
container carrying granite from China. One agency after another said, "not
our problem," and the container languished on the dock for weeks until it
was finally fumigated. The cost to the importer and agencies: many hundreds of
dollars, countless headaches, and more gray hair for all involved.
So
instead of passing the buck, I asked if they could photograph the lizards and
send pictures. They had a cell phone camera and did just that. I forwarded the
photos to taxonomists here at ODA, to wildlife biologists at Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife, and to the US Dept. of Agriculture. One of those people
consulted with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Within hours the lizards were
identified and the appropriate regulations reviewed. Thankfully they turned out
to be a common species of gecko that is sold legally in the pet trade. A USFWS employee even offered to catch them and find them good homes. The cost to the
importer and agencies: a few hours of staff time and some chuckles.
The
lesson? Next time you’re confronted with a
head-scratcher of an invasive species problem, think of the lizards that lived
and not the toad that croaked! Take a picture, get on the phone, and let people know what you've found.
-- Dan Hilburn
-- Dan Hilburn
