Of course, what we are doing is to try to keep Hawaii as pristine as we can, because it is a beautiful place for the people who live here as well our visitors.

Somehow we need to let the rest of the country know how important it is to Hawaii that we do this.

State officials strongly opposed USDA's decision to allow diseased honeybees to travel from New Zealand through Hawaii.

I would like to commend Kevin Harriger and Dianna Bowman for their strong leadership in guiding these efforts.

Mr. Phocas, your testimony raised the issue of Hawaii being used as a clearinghouse for the distribution of illegal or harmful species of fish and reptiles traveling to and from the mainland and even foreign countries.

I want to commend the Service for making prevention a primary focus.

I think the Federal quarantine on Hawaii is old, I believe it is archaic, and it should be seriously reviewed.

Each of your statements raised an important issue about the uncertain future Hawaii's farmers face.

Even if one person lost his or her life because of a snake invasion, I think that is one infestation too much.

I share your view that prevention is the most effective management strategy for invasive species.

Thank you for inviting me to testify at this important hearing on protecting Alaska Native (AN) youth.