24 



their movement patterns. We believe these changes could have 

 harmful consequences for the sea turtle. 



We were particularly concerned because the pines shade the 

 dunes and their roots obstruct sea turtles from trying to lay eggs 

 on the dunes. 



Because we know that sea turtle eggs are very sensitive to the 

 temperature of sand during incubation, scientists hypothesize that 

 shading the dunes may be changing the temperature of the sand, 

 and as a consequence changing the sex ratio of the sea turtles 

 hatching from the nests. Making the sand cooler creates more male 

 turtles and fewer female turtles. This is not advantageous to spe- 

 cies that are already endangered, where we would prefer an equal 

 sex ratio over an increase in males. We need the females to maxi- 

 mize reproduction. 



In the mid-1980's, we decided to take an aggressive approach to 

 the restoration of this preserve. Staff and volunteers used chain 

 saws, heavy equipment and herbicides to clear the dunes of exotics. 

 We then planted natives to begin restoration of the ecosystem. As 

 others have mentioned, you cannot simply remove the exotics and 

 expect restoration to occur. You also have to replace the natives to 

 reestablish the ecosystem and its associated functions. 



Between 1985 and 1988, we cleared and restored 14 acres. Not 

 a very large area, but it took quite a lot of work. We have contin- 

 ued these activities since 1988, and the cost to date, including the 

 value of the donated labor, exceeds $34,000 per acre. 



Now, I mention this because while this case is extreme case, it 

 is not unique. These figures provide some insight into both the fi- 

 nancial costs and the human energy required to manage non-native 

 species and restore native species. 



I would like to make a few remarks about changes I think we 

 could make to address the problems faced by invasive non-natives. 

 They are similar to many of the comments we have already heard 

 today. 



The OTA report has done an excellent job at identifying the prob- 

 lems and suggesting policy remedies. I would like to underscore 

 three recommendations. 



Prevention is the most important. We must prevent the release 

 of new harmful invasive species. The current regulatory efforts 

 have focused primarily on preventing the release of plants and ani- 

 mals that pose a threat to agriculture. Insufficient attention is paid 

 to those species which have adverse impacts on naturad areas. We 

 would like to see more attention paid to preventing the release of 

 invasive species as a means of protecting biological diversity and 

 natural areas. 



Secondly, as many have stated, we must encourage cooperation 

 among the many agencies that are involved in managing these 

 problems, both increasing the ability of these agencies to screen 

 and prevent the introduction of new attacks and coordinating ac- 

 tivities to manage and solve the problems where they already exist. 



As you are well aware, there is an unusual problem in Hawaii. 

 Particular attention has to be paid to coordination in Hawaii. 

 Progress is being made, in part because of your Alien Species Pre- 

 vention and Control Act, however, much remains to be done. We 

 need a better rapid response strategy and we need better manage- 



