Increase the ability to identify isolated infestations of spongy moth that occur as a result of human assisted spread and to assist in determining the major routes of artificial spread

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) awarded a Cooperative Agreement of $100,100 to the Gypsy Moth Slow The Spread Foundation Inc. effective August 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025). The foundation will distribute these funds to four participating states—Illinois, Minnesota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin—to support regulatory and containment activities focused on spongy moth (formerly gypsy moth) management.

Under this agreement, participating states will execute five primary regulatory objectives: (1) identify, classify, and catalogue high-risk sites within the program area, including campgrounds, parks, commercial construction sites, and timber processing facilities, to map potential pathways of artificial moth spread; (2) conduct educational campaigns featuring public awareness displays, press releases, and informational materials to reduce artificial spread by humans; (3) establish and maintain compliance agreements to facilitate interstate commerce; (4) monitor interstate and intrastate movement of gypsy moth-regulated articles and process violations through appropriate authorities; and (5) maintain standardized program data based on protocols established jointly by the foundation and USDA APHIS. Historical performance indicates deliverables include seasonal inspections (77 Christmas tree dealer inspections in Illinois during the previous period) and targeted outreach to industries and commercial operations that present high risk for unintended moth transport.

Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to increase the ability to identify isolated infestations of spongy moth that occur as a result of human assisted spread and to assist in determining the major routes of artificial spread.

Activities

The agreement with the slow the spread (STS) foundation, INC. Allows for funds to be transfer illinois following states: illinois, minnesota, west virginia, and WISCONSIN. The STS foundation, INC. Will decide the funding allotments for each of the following participating states. Moreover, the participating states agree to complete the five regulatory objectives: identify, classify, and catalogue high-risk sites within the STS program area for future reference. Typical high-risk locations include campgrounds, parks, tourist attractions, large commercial construction sites, shipping and receiving companies, log timber, and lumber processing facilities. These assessments will help to identify the pathways gypsy moths may move and to outline ways to eliminate or minimize that movement. Utilize educational campaigns to assist in reducing the artificial spread for the gypsy moth. Public awareness displays and presentations, press releases, and distribution of informational brochures and handouts will be components of the program. Establish and utilize compliance agreements to facilitate commerce. Monitor the interstate and intrastate movement of gypsy moth regulated articles in participating states. Violations will be processed through a state and/or federal authorities. Record program data based on protocols mutually established by the GM STS foundation and the USDA, aphis, PPQ deliverables and expected outcomes: illinois: during the previous (2024) granting period, the awarded regulatory grant amount of $15,820 supported 77 seasonal christmas tree dealer inspections. These inspections usually occur between november 15 - december 31 each year. With most of the regulatory efforts being conducted in and around the regulated area, as a result of more normal "day to day" operational functions, these particular inspections occurred between october 1 - december 31. These inspection activities accounted for the vast majority (80%+) of our annual lymantria dispar regulatory expenditure. The remaining expenditure accounted for inspections conducted throughout the rest of the state with emphasis on heavily populated areas like ST. Louis, champaign-urbana, and springfield. These inspection efforts also served as education and outreach opportunities. With the flat $15,820 for 2025, we expect the available funds to again cover approximately 75-85 inspections. Unfortunately, our numbers were low in the 2024 reporting period due to inspector vacancies in some of our largest market areas. We're hopeful that with increased staffing our inspection numbers will increase in 2025. Minnesota: the long stan ding federal quarantined counties are located in the north-eastern portion of minnesota. This region has a unique economic climate with diverse industries ranging from tourism to forestry, which capitalize on extensive natural resources. Lake and cook counties are heavily forested, and numerous sawmills, firewood dealers, campgrounds/resorts, state/national parks, and seasonal homes contribute to the local economies. Through the continued enhancement and implementation of a lymantria dispar regulatory program these natural resources can be protected from the damaging effects of lymantria dispar, while simultaneously promoting commerce through the use of compliance agreements. The state emergency (TEMPORARY) quarantines in northern, central and southern minnesota will be surveyed and monitored intensely to reduce the artificial human assisted movement of this pest. MDA will continue to work with community leadership, industry, yard waste haulers, tree trimming companies to establish compliance agreements to safely move and process regulated articles. Alternate life stage survey's will be implemented in the fall to help identify infestation. With past regulatory grants, the minnesota department of agriculture (MDA) has developed a regulatory GIS database identifying high-risk sites (i.e. sawmills, nurseries, firewood dealers, campgrounds, etc.) throughout the state of minnesota. This database needs to be continually reviewed and is updated annually. In addition, the MDA collaborates with federal, state, and local officials, and organizations to share information of regulatory importance. By maintaining and expanding this regulatory database, the MDA has a robust resource to identify stakeholders, direct regulatory outreach communication, and ensure compliance with the lymantria dispar quarantine in minnesota. The lymantria dispar quarantine greatly effects stakeholders in the wood products industry. The MDA has implemented various policies and procedures within the lymantria dispar regulatory program to ensure a fair and consistent implementation of quarantine restrictions and compliance. The regulated community is approached with sensitivity and care to maximize willing compliance. The success of lymantria dispar regulatory programs in minnesota will be facilitated by developing a trusting and inclusive relationship with the regulated community. Compliance agreement templates and policies established prior to the implementation of the quarantine are in need of review to meet actual versus expected practical implementation and further consideration of the impacts to both small and large facilities as a whole. All information developed will be shared with program managers and/or regulatory staff within the STS area. Collaboration with STS partners will promote program development and enhancement. West virginia: the predicted start up time for this program is august 1, 2025. Money allocated for this program by the slow the spread foundation will be used to pay a portion of the salaries and benefits for wvda regulatory personnel as well as travel costs for visits to nurseries, log yards, sawmills, mobile home dealers, moving companies and weigh station inspections. Lymantria dispar outreach materials, educational information, handouts, displays and other applicable items may be purchased relative to the STS regulatory program. Geographic location (west virginia) - when IT is in the interest of slowing or preventing the movement of lymantria dispar infested articles, the plant industries staff assigned to regulatory work will travel to any part of the state to conduct lymantria dispar regulatory activities. However, the 11 unregulated counties will be the main focus. WISCONSIN: our emphasis will be on the education, inspection and compliance of regulated plant industry businesses that transport regulated materials from quarantined counties to non-quarantined counties in WISCONSIN and in other states. Program staff will inspect businesses, educate affected industry staff on lymantria dispar identification, and issue compliance agreements as appropriate. Follow-up visits will determine if businesses are in compliance with applicable state and federal laws. Geographic location (WISCONSIN) - the activities of this program may occur in any of WISCONSIN's 72 counties, with an emphasis on the leading edge of the infestation across the western third of the state. We will also conduct targeted outreach to nurseries, christmas tree growers, loggers, firewood dealers, and landscapers in LA crosse county to ensure industry understands the implications of the recent quarantine that was put in place in april 2025. Intended beneficiary: the US forest service estimates that at least 898 million acres of forested land are susceptible to spongy moth feeding and damage. The spongy moth program protects this vital national resource from the pest's destruction, preserving timber and property values. However, left unchecked, the SPR EAD of spongy moths would lead to severe damage to forest trees, irreversibly altering and degrading the forests' ecology, biodiversity, and productivity in impacted areas. In urban and suburban areas, home and property owners would incur significant economic costs through loss of canopy cover, increased heating and cooling bills, and lowered property values. Spongy moth outbreaks also result in a nuisance factor for people in affected communities due to larvae and frass littering sidewalks and lawns. Businesses and local governments would also face additional burdens. Nurseries and christmas tree farms would incur elevated costs to protect their inventories from damage caused by the pest. Protecting trees in public settings such as parks and green areas would require significant expenditures from local governments. The loss of canopy cover would lead to a depreciated quality of life for residents and increased water runoff that would place additional stress on storm and sewage water systems. Increased erosion due to tree losses on watersheds feeding drinking water reservoirs would require expensive additional filtration and purification systems and capacities. Human health impacts are also possible, with some people exhibiting allergies to the fine hairs covering spongy moth larvae. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: see numbers 2 and 3 above