The primary objectives of this project are to protect washington state's natural and agricultural resources through: early detection and timely implementation of additional delimiting surveys and…

This Cooperative Agreement award from 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 $119,490.00 to the State of Washington Department of Agriculture (WSDA) for post-treatment delimiting surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of a previous eradication program targeting spongy moth populations in Washington state.

Key project activities include deploying 575 traps in the Steamboat/Olympia area and 250 traps in the Lake Shannon Boat Recreation Area to monitor for spongy moth presence from July to September 2025. WSDA will also conduct outreach to property owners through the use of informational door hangers. All trapped moths will undergo genetic analysis to confirm species identification. The project runs from May 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026.

Activities

Spongy moth post treatment surveys project sites: steamboat, olympia, washington; proposed number of trap sites: 575; lake shannon boat recreational area, concrete, washington; proposed number of trap sites: 250. Per USDA-aphis PPQ spongy moth survey manual post treatment guidelines, trappers will deploy 49 traps per square mile centered on each of the catch sites for the first square-mile radius (core zone) and 25 traps per square mile for an additional four-mile radius (extended zone). Traps will then be monitored for the presence/absence of spongy moth on a regular 7-10 day cycle in july and august and removed by the end of september 2025. All trapped moths will be sent to the wsda molecular diagnostics laboratory as well as USDA, aphis, forest pest methods lab for genetic analysis to determine species identification. Deliverables and expected outcomes: the washington state department of agriculture will use the following timeline to monitor project goals and accomplishments: 1. May - june 2025: recruit, interview and hire field staff; procure supplies; 2. June 2025: train and equip field staff with supplies and protocol; trap installation; 3. July - august 2025: begin trap monitoring and installation of additional response grids; 4. September - october 2025: trap removal; 5. October 2025: compile and summarize data; 6. November 2025: conduct visual survey for multiple life stages if necessary; 7. December 2025: report final survey data set; 8. January - april 2026: survey analysis and wrap up; 9. July 2026: submit final project report. Intended beneficiary(IES): farmers, shippers, exporters, timber industry. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: N/a