2016 Brown Treesnake Visual Survey

Extensive interdiction networks exist to prevent accidental escape of Brown Treesnakes (BTS) from Guam. A single gravid female snake bypassing the interdiction programs may be sufficient to establish an incipient population on a previously BTS free island. Due to the high cost of removing established invasive species and the risk of accidental BTS transport in the Pacific Region, the USGS-led BTS Rapid Response Team (RRT) can be deployed within 24-48 hours. The members of the BTS Rapid Response Team deploy according to established response proedures when a credible sighting is reported. The membership includes Federal, State, and Local Government agencies involved in invasive species work in the Pacific. Responses include control tools such as traps, intensive nocturnal visual surveys, and other methods to detect an incipient population or assess the probability that a lack of detection indicates absence of a population.