23 



which the other panehsts have addressed from the threat of exotic 

 pests. 



As I mentioned, these maps illustrate a number of species that 

 have been hard hit already by exotic pests, and I did give you the 

 sample of the hemlock. Please do not go out and grab a hemlock 

 immediately after touching that. Wash your hands first. 



Thank you. 



Senator Akaka. Thank you very much, Dr. Campbell. 



Dr. Jensen? 



TESTIMONY OF DEBORAH B. JENSEN, PH.D.,i THE NATURE 

 CONSERVANCY, ARLINGTON, VA 



Ms. Jensen. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to be 

 here to testify about the threats posed by non-native species. 



I work for The Nature Conservancy which, as you know. Senator, 

 is £in international nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to 

 the preservation of biological diversity through the protection of 

 threatened species and their ecosystems. 



We own and manage 1,300 preserves nationally. We have a pres- 

 ence in all 50 States. This morning I would like to talk about the 

 problems we struggle with as land managers; problems that are 

 posed by invasive exotic species. 



Other panelists have already spoken eloquently about many of 

 the threats posed by invasive plant and animal species. My written 

 testimony contains other examples. What I would like to focus on 

 this morning are some of the challenges of trying to manage and 

 control these indigenous species and point out that it is neither 

 easy nor inexpensive, and then make some recommendations about 

 changes that could be made to help us get ahead of the problem. 



As you mentioned in your opening remarks, there is a silent in- 

 vasion going on of non-indigenous species into natural areas of the 

 country, and it is best thought of, as Dr. Campbell has stated, as 

 biological pollution or environmental contamination. 



The consequences can be diverse, wide-reaching, and often se- 

 vere. And at times, these species change the nature of the eco- 

 system that they have invaded. 



Because these species threaten biodiversity on our preserves, our 

 land managers must control and manage them to protect the re- 

 sources for which we bought these lands. I would like to tell you 

 about one case study where we are struggling to control invasive 

 non-indigenous plants and give you a sense of how hard it is to suc- 

 ceed at this task and how hard we try. 



The case is the Blowing Rocks Preserve in Florida. It is a 73-acre 

 site along a barrier island in southeast Florida. There is about a 

 mile of shoreline there. Now, this preserve is the nesting site for 

 the endangered leatherback turtle, for the threatened loggerhead 

 turtle, and for the green sea turtle. We acquired the site in 1968. 

 At the time, it was already dominated in the dune ecosystem by 

 non-native plants. There was a particular problem posed by the 

 Australian pine, Casuarina equisetifolia. The pine had changed the 

 nature of the dune ecosystem, both the shape of the dunes and 



*The prepared statement of Ms. Jensen appears on page 87. 



