A new course of relief for residents plagued by little fire ant infestations or concerned about falling albizia trees is nearing the finish line in the state Legislature.
House Bill 606 allows county employees or authorized county agents to enter private property in order to manage invasive species or pests on the land.
Currently, the only agency that can access private property for this reason is the state Department of Agriculture.
“This is just another tool that’s going to help us on the path to dealing with the larger invasive species problem,” said Rep. Nicole Lowen, D-Kailua-Kona, Holualoa, Kalaoa, Honokohau, who introduced House Bill 606.
The measure was one of a handful introduced this legislative session that addresses private property access and control of invasives, although only Lowen’s bill is still alive. Some bills were specific to removing albizia trees.
In addition to albizia, which pose hazards because they are easily toppled during storms, neighboring properties also are frequently affected by little fire ants, coqui frogs and coffee berry borers.
“That’s part of the challenge: When somebody’s doing everything they can to treat on their property, but the neighbors aren’t … it undermines all of their hard work,” Lowen said.
Big Island resident Dennis Klimke wrote to testify that his neighborhood has treated for fire ants for two years, but “we still have a few outliers.”
“They create a problem for everyone … that still has to treat and test and establish barriers to deal with their no treatment,” he wrote.
In other cases, adjacent properties are vacant or unoccupied, making it difficult to reach homeowners regarding access.
HB 606 amends the Hawaii Revised Statutes that allow DOA employees on private land. At least five days notice must be provided to the landowner, with notice provided by certified mail.
Testimony in support of the bill came from Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim as well as Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa, the DOA and state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
It also came from an unexpected source: the Hawaii Association of Realtors.
“HAR feels the current plan for managing detrimental invasive species is not working,” HAR director of government affairs Myoung Oh wrote.
“It’s not just about conservation, it’s about property values,” Lowen said. “Usually you’d see the Realtors in opposition to a bill about private property, so it was nice to see their support.”
Having moved out of conferencing, the bill will have a floor vote early next week. An exact date has not been set.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
