Maui County App Connects Residents to MISC

The existing COM Connect application by the County of Maui’s Department of Management can now be used to connect residents with the
Maui Invasive Species Committee.

County of Maui Connect app.

COM Connect is a mobile communication tool that allows residents to alert the County of various issues such as abandoned vehicles, potholes, graffiti and now, invasive species to the proper authorities.

“We live in the most incredibly beautiful place in the world. There’s no doubt that a majority of people in our community want to keep it that way so that future generations will also be able to enjoy and appreciate it,” said Managing Director Keith Regan. “One of the ways to keep it beautiful is by preventing outbreaks of invasive species. Using COM Connect, we can help MISC identify these invasive species, where they are located and they in turn can dispatch their field staff.”

The County says invasive species on the MISC list residents should report include: coqui frogs, Little Fire Ant, miconia, pampas grass, ivy gourd, blessed milk thistle and fountain grass.

“Maui County residents are the eyes and ears of MISC. We can’t be everywhere all the time and reports from the community are essential to successfully finding our target species before they become a problem for the community,” said MISC Manager Adam Radford. “For example, the public has found and reported almost every known occurrence of the Little Fire Ant on Maui and community members regularly alert us to single coqui popping up in neighborhoods. Making it easier for people to report these pests is a win for us all.”

“This tool is another step towards involving our citizens in the fight against invasive species,” said County Environmental Coordinator Robert Parsons. “The easier we make it for people to report invasive species the easier it will be for MISC to respond before these species gain a foothold and negatively impact Maui Nui. I highly encourage our community to use this convenient tool and help us in our efforts.”

Since being made available to the public in March 2015, COM Connect has had 574 requests for service from the public, of which 486 requests have been completed.

For more information about COM Connect, click here or contact Communication Director Rod Antone at [email protected] or 270-8222.