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…

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the State of Washington Department of Agriculture $118,124 under Cooperative Agreement AP26PPQFO000C310 on June 1, 2026, to conduct post-treatment delimiting surveys for spongy moth eradication across Washington State.

WSDA will deploy traps at two project sites—Steamboat in Olympia (500 proposed trap sites) and Lake Shannon Boat Recreational Area in Concrete (150 proposed trap sites)—following USDA-APHIS protocol of 49 traps per square mile in a core zone and 25 traps per square mile in an extended four-mile radius. Traps will be monitored on a 7–10 day cycle during July and August 2026 and removed by end of September. All trapped moths will be sent to the WSDA Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory and USDA APHIS Forest Pest Methods Lab for genetic analysis to confirm species identification. WSDA will also conduct property owner outreach using informational door hangers when placing traps on private property.

The project evaluates effectiveness of a May 2024 BTK application targeting incipient spongy moth populations. Work proceeds through May 31, 2027, with field staff recruitment and hiring in May–June 2026, staff training and trap installation in June, trap monitoring and response grid installation in July–August, trap removal in September–October, and data compilation in October 2026.

Activities

Spongy moth post treatment surveys project sites: 1) steamboat, olympia, washington; proposed number of trap sites: 500; 2) lake shannon boat recreational area, concrete, washington; proposed number of trap sites: 150. 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 2026. 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 2026: recruit, interview and hire field staff; procure supplies; 2) june 2026: train and equip field staff with supplies and protocol; trap installation; 3) july - august 2026: begin trap monitoring and installation of additional response grids; 4) september - october 2026: trap removal; 5) october 2026: compile and summarize data; 6) november 2026: conduct visual survey for multiple life stages if necessary; 7) december 2026: report final survey data set; 8) january - april 2027: survey analysis and wrap up; 9) july 2027: 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. Financials: personnel = $57,726; fringe = $21,502; travel = $16,200; supplies = $3,791; other = 2,450; indirect = $16,455