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This Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care federal grant program (CFDA 10.025) provides $329,889 in funding to the Nez Perce Tribe to increase the availability and distribution of biological control organisms for integrated weed management in Idaho and surrounding states.

The key products and services to be delivered include: 1) managing and expanding a network of biological agent nurseries to increase the supply of control organisms, 2) distributing biological control agents and monitoring their impacts, 3) providing annual technology transfer workshops for cooperative weed management areas and other landowners/managers, 4) compiling and managing a centralized database of biological control release records, and 5) developing educational materials and tools for distribution to the public. The Cooperative Agreement will run from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025. The Nez Perce Tribe will serve as the sole recipient for this award.

Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is as follows: • increase local mass rearing BIO-control insectaries of agents in limited supply. • increase BIO-control agent monitoring throughout the state of idaho and other states through collaboration with each state. • increase its ability to collect and distribute BIO-control agents not readily available at local nurseries. • increase BIO-control collaborative efforts with private landowner. • increase education outreach and agent distributions through annually scheduled technical transfer workshops. • increase development of education material/literature and devices/tools for distribution to the public. And • improve access to biological control information entered into the centralized agent release database though implementing technology advances and capabilities through the internet. 2.

Activities

The NEZ perce BIO-control center will continue to manage and establish biological agent nurseries to increase biological control organism availability, distribute biological control organisms, monitor their impacts, and provide annual technology transfer workshops to cooperative weed management areas and other landowners/managers regionally. This program will continue on-going achievements and expand future efforts developed through collaborative partnerships with USDA staff, local universities and regional experts to maximize the effectiveness of implementing a complete BIO-control of weeds program in an integrated weed management strategy. The NEZ perce BIO-control center (NPBC) will expand and build upon its existing services provided to private and public weed warriors. 3. Deliverables and expected outcomes: the NEZ perce BIO-control center will work cooperatively with federal, state and county agencies and private groups to increase the availability and distribution of biological control organisms used in an integrated weed management. BIO control organisms will be reared, distributed and their impacts monitored by the NPBC and cooperators. The NPBC will compile and manage biological control release records that are collected in idaho and surrounding states utilizing a database that is interfaced with the tribe's GIS for tabular and special reporting, data analysis, and for compiling information for development of semi-annual and final reports submitted to aphis. 4. Intended beneficiary(IES): beneficiaries include private landowners and managers along with federal, state and county agencies involved with different methods of invasive weed control. 5. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: hivemind technology LLC-update and upgrade tribal website and database.