by Heather Hauswirth

Guam - The Department of the Interior's assistant secretary for insular areas, Tony Babauta, signed-off on a grant of $230,000 for the Department of Agriculture's Brown Tree Snake Program, which sponsors the agency's continued research through 2010. There are currently 700 brown tree snake traps on island that DOA maintains.

Babauta said he understands the devastating affect that the tree snake has had on other native species. "The unintended introduction of the brown tree snake to Guam has had devastating impacts on native species. Since the mid-eighties, a model multi agency effort has worked to develop control strategies, prevent damage to other vulnerable ecosystems and preserve and restore wildlife populations to Guam," said Assistant Secretary Babauta.

He added, "This is an important project and I'm glad to continue supporting it."