NEWS

One curious question on the swimming capabilities of invasive brown tree snakes led University of Guam student and PI-CASC Climate Adaptation for Resource Management (CARM) scholar Farron Taijeron to embark on numerous “backyard science” activities, and this recently put him in the national spotlight.

Taijeron, an agriculture and life sciences undergraduate student also known as “TheGuamGuy” on social media, wanted to see if the snakes could swim from the southeastern tip of Guam to Cocos Island, or Islan Dåno — some 1.5-2 mile journey through the lagoon. Brown tree snakes have left a devastating impact on the island’s native bird populations, and Cocos Island serves as a haven for the endemic and critically endangered Guam rail, or ko’ko’. After reports of brown tree snakes on the islet surfaced, conservation managers investigated how they could have gotten there.

Farron’s question was: “Could they have swum there?” He addresses this through a series of water experiments he documented in a video titled, “Swimming with snakes: The backyard science of an invasive species in Guam.” He submitted the video as an entry for the Planet Forward Storyfest competition, which ended up winning the Best Short Video award out of seven finalists in the category.

“With this video, I wanted to reignite dialogue in the community about a serious issue that tends to fade in the background. It is my hope that more people will entertain their curiosity about Guam’s wildlife and natural resources and help be part of the solution to conserve and protect them. As an agriculture and life sciences student at the University of Guam, I am very much vested in understanding and advancing the sphere of knowledge of Guam’s ecology,” Taijeron said.

Planet Forward’s Storyfest is an annual competition that challenges college students from around the nation to craft stories that inspire, motivate, and drive change on caring for the environment. The summit where the winners were announced took place on April 17 in Washington, DC.

Judges for the competition stated that Farron’s short video “stood out for its engaging and inviting host, clear storytelling, and empowering message. The story showcased citizen science in a way that made viewers feel like they, too, could take part. With strong explanations, emotional depth, and a clear focus on solutions, this film was both inspiring and educational.”

Taijeron is the first student from UOG to participate in Storyfest. In addition to his winning video, he was also a finalist in the Best Social Media Video category, where he submitted an entry on the perceptions of Guam wildfires as part of his fellowship project with PI-CASC. Last year, he was a finalist and panelist at the summit.

As an award winner, Taijeron will have the opportunity to travel to the Galapagos Islands and apply his environmental storytelling skills to his experience in one the most biodiverse places in the world.