Val T. Hoyle

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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4219, the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act would codify and build an innovative program within the National Wildlife Refuge System to target and eradicate invasive species. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the largest network of land and waters in the world dedicated to the conservation of wildlife, but many of these refuges face funding and staffing shortages that make it difficult to keep up with invasive species. The sooner an invasive species is identified and removed, the more successful and affordable that effort is likely to be. That is where the strike team model comes in. Instead of spreading limited resources thin, strike teams allow the Fish and Wildlife Service to bring large teams into an area and quickly target an invasive species before it can reproduce and spread. The Fish and Wildlife Service has already demonstrated that this approach works. At the Johnston Atoll, yellow crazy ants had been swarming seabirds and their nests for more than a decade. These ants release a poisonous chemical that can injure birds and cause serious infections. The Fish and Wildlife Service brought in strike teams to find and eliminate the ants' nests. After several months of intensive works, the yellow crazy ant was completely eradicated. That success has led the Service to use the strike team model in other regions against other invasive species. We have also heard from stakeholders that these efforts are sometimes limited by what happens just beyond the refuge boundary. Invasive species do not stop at a property line. That is why this bill allows the Service, on a voluntary basis, to work with willing neighboring landowners to address invasive species on adjacent lands. This will allow the Service to take a more coordinated approach and make better use of limited resources. H.R. 4219 will help protect wildlife habitat, support the recovery of endangered species, and preserve opportunities for hunting, fishing, and recreation on our national wildlife refuges. I thank the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case) for his work on this important program, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I reserve the balance of my time.