CAPS (Cooperative Agricultural Pest Surveys) Infrastructure

A primary objective of the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) program is to safeguard our nation’s food and environmental resources against exotic pests that threaten our production and ecological systems. Funds for this project will support a State Survey Coordinator (SSC) to accomplish the following objectives: • Coordinate Kentucky’s CAPS invasive pest surveys and infrastructure programs and act as a liaison with the Kentucky PPQ Office and other agencies. • Coordinate Kentucky’s PPA 7721 proposals, budgets, projects, and reports. • Coordinate pest surveys which do not fall under CAPS or PPA 7721 such as imported fire ant, pine shoot beetle, and gypsy moth surveys. • For all of the above surveys and projects, the SSC is responsible for writing project proposals, creating and managing project budgets, managing and, in some cases, conducting surveys, managing samples, submitting data to the appropriate databases, and preparing accomplishment reports. • The SSC ensures the quality and timeliness of entry of CAPS, Farm Bill, and other line item pest survey-generated data into approved databases. In addition, she will enter data from other qualified entities such as USDA APHIS PPQ, Forest Service, university extension and state agencies such as the Kentucky Division of Forestry. • Distribute educational materials and share communications with state and federal entities, university Cooperative Extension Services, the agricultural community, and the public as appropriate. • Educate the public and relevant industries through speaking engagements, trade show booths, and Kentucky CAPS web page (www.UnluckyForKentucky.com) and Facebook page (Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist) maintenance. Funds from the CAPS program will allow these objectives to be accomplished by: • Partially supporting the State Survey Coordinator position. The SSC, Dr. Janet Lensing, will coordinate and train surveyors and University of Kentucky personnel, write work plans, create and manage budgets, and accomplishment reports, perform surveys, screen samples, perform public outreach, prepare data and upload it into all relevant databases, etc. • Allowing for the hiring of independent contractors to conduct survey work. • Providing traps and lures for surveys and providing funding for the purchase of other survey supplies. • Partially supporting permanent full-time University of Kentucky personnel who will devote work time to CAPS surveys. • Providing funds for travel to survey sites. II) RESULTS OR BENEFITS EXPECTED The Cooperator seeks to conduct a program which is expected to result in: • The entry of all survey data from cooperative agreements involving pest surveys into NAPIS or another APHIS-approved database such as IPHIS. • The entry of exotic pest survey data if provided from other sources (such as U.S. Forest Service, State Departments of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky, USDA APHIS PPQ, and other qualified survey programs) into NAPIS or another APHIS-approved database. • Education of the general public and relevant industry professionals in Kentucky through outreach events which will inform citizens about the threat from invasive pests, signs and symptoms of various pests, and what they can do to slow the spread of pests and assist with pest detection. • The distribution of educational materials provided by the USDA on exotic pests of importance. • An updated Kentucky CAPS website (www.UnluckyForKentucky.com) and Kentucky Office of the State Entomologist Facebook page. • Attendance at regional and national CAPS meetings, Southern Plant Board, Horticulture Inspection Society meetings, Annual Gypsy Moth Review, and/or other relevant trainings and meetings. III) APPROACH What is the plan of action or approach to the work? Dr. Janet Lensing, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky will serve as State Survey Coordinator (SSC). She will accomplish the objectives of the CAPS work plans and will receive salary and benefits. She will be responsible for data entry into NAPIS and/or IPHIS as well as coordination and supervision of survey efforts in cooperation with the Kentucky SPHD, SPRO, PSS and personnel in Kentucky’s Office of the State Entomologist (OSE) and USDA APHIS PPQ in Kentucky. She will maintain a website she designed in 2007 to disseminate information derived from CAPS activities in Kentucky and will update a Facebook page that she created in 2011.