Cooperative Agreement Summary: Gypsy Moth Slow The Spread Foundation Inc.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) awarded a Cooperative Agreement totaling $100,100 (effective July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027) to the Gypsy Moth Slow The Spread Foundation Inc. under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care Federal Grant Program (CFDA 10.025). Through this agreement, the foundation distributes funds to participating states—Illinois, Minnesota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin—to execute a coordinated spongy moth (gypsy moth) containment program. The foundation allocates resources across states to identify isolated infestations resulting from human-assisted spread and determine major pathways of artificial dispersal.

The products and services delivered include: identification and cataloging of high-risk sites (campgrounds, parks, tourist attractions, construction sites, and lumber facilities) within the program area; educational campaigns featuring public awareness displays, press releases, and informational materials to reduce artificial spread; establishment and implementation of compliance agreements to facilitate commerce; monitoring of interstate and intrastate movement of regulated articles; and systematic data collection aligned with USDA APHIS protocols. For Illinois specifically, emphasis is placed on inspecting and ensuring compliance of regulated plant industry businesses that transport regulated materials from quarantined to non-quarantined counties. These coordinated regulatory and educational efforts protect approximately 898 million acres of susceptible forested land from ecological and economic damage.