Hawaii Invasive Species Council

Dr. James Leary, Assistant Specialist with the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, will be presenting his research and fieldwork to the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) in Washington DC on December 5. The presentation is part of NISC’s Innovation Summit, a day-long meeting to share innovative approaches to invasive species detection and control. Dr. Leary’s work with Herbicide Ballistic Technology (HBT) has provided a new treatment methodology for invasive plants in Hawaii, particularly those plants located in challenging terrain. Dr. Leary has optimized a system in which small amounts of herbicide are placed in a projectile and aerially deployed by an air-compressed gun. The method reduces the amount of herbicide introduced into the environment and represents a cost-savings in many circumstances when compared to the cost of mechanical control by ground crews. 

Information on the NISC Innovation Summit can be found at their website, and a live webcast of the presentations will be provided. See the summit agenda for individual presentation times and a link to the webcast.

Dr. Leary’s presentation on HBT in Hawaii will be on December 5, 8:30am HST (listed as 1:30pm Eastern Time on the agenda). 

Dr. Leary’s research into HBT has been partially funded by the Hawaii Invasive Species Council. You can review abstracts for his recent research grants under our Funded Projects tab and read the final report for his FY15 HISC grant here. Dr. Leary was also recognized during Hawaii Invasive Species Awareness Week in 2016, receiving the Maui MVP award for his work.