Duration: 10/01/2026 to 09/30/2031

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

The western region of the United States and Pacific Basin territories encompasses extraordinary geographic and environmental diversity—from deserts and high mountains to tropical islands and dense urban areas. Each faces unique pest challenges that threaten agriculture, natural resources, human health, and environmental quality. The WERA1017 committee brings together Integrated Pest Management (IPM) coordinators and experts from thirteen western states and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands to strengthen collaboration, share expertise, and coordinate research and Extension efforts across this vast region. Through annual meetings and year-round communication, members identify emerging pest issues, align research priorities, and exchange information to improve pest management strategies and educational outreach. Collaborative projects have addressed invasive pests, pesticide resistance, pollinator health, water quality, and sustainable pest management in both agricultural and urban settings. By improving coordination, WERA1017 enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of IPM programs, increases stakeholder engagement, and contributes to national efforts to measure and demonstrate the economic, environmental, and human health benefits of IPM.

Statement of Issues and Justification

The region represented by WERA1017 includes thirteen western states and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. Geographically, this spans from the desert southwest to the northern Rocky Mountains, up to Alaska, and west from Pacific Coast states more than 6,000 miles to Hawai’i, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This vast region covers elevations from sea level to 20,000 ft., climates from desert to tropical, systems from densely urban to rural, and environments from uninhabited to the most popular tourist spots in the world. Accordingly, pest threats, priorities, emphasis areas, educational approaches, and dedicated Extension IPM program resources are incredibly diverse and require a coordinated approach.

The WERA1017 committee was formed more than two decades ago, and functions as a coordination and vision-setting body for research and Extension IPM programs in the West. Over the years, participants have collaborated on hundreds of multistate IPM activities. Recent examples include School and Community IPM (Gouge et al.. 2013), Urban and Small Farms, Pesticide Risk Reduction (Bordini et al. 2020, Jepson et al. 2020), Crop Pest Losses and Impact Assessment (Ellsworth et al. 2020, Murray et al. 2020a), High Plains IPM website, Pacific Northwest Pest Handbooks and other multistate guides (e.g., Intermountain Tree Fruit Production Guide [Murray et al. 2020]), invasive pest research, weather-driven pest models (Coop 2020), regional pest advisories, noxious weed research/management, regional webinars, and water quality projects. In addition, the committee has developed productive relationships with the Regional IPM Centers, National IPM Coordinating Committee, and program leaders and staff of USDA NIFA IPM, CDC, Indian Health Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Tribal Pesticide Program Council, HUD, and EPA, allowing for cohesive insights and information exchange.

A collaborative approach is increasingly important. as fFewer Extension and research scientists are available in individual states due to budget cuts and shrinking pest management resources; yet, the ing the need for IPM programming is still dire. eExtreme weather events (record-breaking heat, droughts, a rare western derecho, Hawaiian tornadoes) and health-related events such as  locally acquired mosquito-borne Dengue fever in Guam, California, Hawaii, and Arizona are expected to become more frequent and worse in the coming years.  The expansion of established populations of invasive species disease vectors such asAedes aegypti in CA, AZ, NM, TX, and NVwill continues to pose potential human health risk. The Grand Junction, Colorado’s mosquito abatement district has collected adults and eggs of Ae. aepypti in 2023 and 2024, almost meeting the criteria of “establishment” of this primary vector of Dengue fever. Additionally, new invasive pest species in the West are of national concern such as Carpophilus truncatus impacting edible nut production in California. The inevitable expansion of emerald ash borer in the western USA, beyond Colorado and Oregon, will have major economic impacts on urban forestry. Several new and urgent initiatives have arisen (e.g., education and training on safe and effective use of disinfectants), resulting in new or expanding audiences and stakeholders for western IPM programs, including forestry, schools, homeowners, municipalities, and community groups such as Tribal communities, remote, border, and/or underserved communities.

Despite the diversity in the western region, IPM programs address common themes. Emerging issues for agro- and urban-ecosystems include developing a better understanding of pesticide fate; understanding impacts of pest management practices on water quality, pollinator effects, and human health; and reducing impacts of ever-increasing introductions of invasive species and pest-vectored diseases on ecosystem stability and economic productivity. Western IPM programs are challenged to meet these increasing demands with a decreasing work force and narrow base of funding.

WERA1017 has dedicated its efforts to enhancing multistate research and Extension programming. Annually, the committee meets to identify expanded stakeholder groups and to share assessments that measure impacts and needs of IPM implementation, including positive impacts and shortfalls (APMC 2018, Elliot 2017, Elliot et al. 2015, Farrar et al. 2015, Farrar et al. 2018, Farrar 2024, Murray and Alston 2019, Naranjo et al. 2019, Palumbo 2019). This committee has a history of serving as a platform to identify common issues, initiate response efforts, and measure impacts through the lens of regional coordination. These initiatives are proposed to continue as part of the WERA1017 commitment into the next project cycle.

Recognizing the complexities of the challenge, IPM nationally is guided by a strategic plan developed by USDA NIFA IPM Program with input from many sources, including WERA1017. The National IPM Road Map (2018) has identified the analysis of health, environmental, and economic impacts of IPM as a key priority. Impacts require aggregation of data at state and regional levels in order to contribute to a national policy, but no resources have been allocated for this important task. WERA1017 members collaborated with IPM colleagues in other regions to develop the Strategic Plan for the Public IPM Enterprise which identifies six strategic goals for IPM programs at land-grant universities to promote American’s farms, families and financial strength (NIPMCC 2025).

Related, Current, and Previous Work

The overarching goal of the WERA1017 committee is to enhance IPM adoption and impact within the western states and Pacific Basin Territories. The group’s efforts over the past four years highlight the value of a joint, comprehensive approach to address this goal and to serve as a forum for discussion and communication with broader regional and national entities.

 

In the last four years, the WERA1017 committee held meetings each year, in Colorado (2022), Alaska (2023), Nevada (2024), and  Montana (2025), each with an attendance of at least 13 state IPM coordinators and additional colleagues. At each meeting, members discussed and learned about current IPM issues and reported on state and regional IPM activities. In addition, representatives from USDA-NIFA and the Western IPM Center provided updates on IPM grant announcements, the current Federal budget, and other programs such as the AFRI Education and Workforce Development and Sustainable Agriculture Systems programs, and the Tactical Science Initiative. Meetings also included project director workshops where researchers funded by the Applied Research and Development Program and Extension Implementation Program (EIP) areas within the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program shared results with their peers.

The WERA1017 meetings and discussions have resulted in productive dialogues with government agencies through group-signed letters and conversations. Several members participate in the National IPM Coordinating Committee meeting each fall and provide input on state and regional needs. As a whole, WERA1017 communicated with USDA-NIFA IPM Program Leaders to highlight the importance of continued IPM efforts, recommended revisions to the IPM Roadmap, and to stress the value of the Regional IPM Centers. The committee has suggested that NIFA improve the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program-EIP call for proposals by emphasizing the importance of area-wide and systems-level programs, adding “diagnostics” and “invasive pests” as program areas, promoting collaborative research, supporting the development of common measures of impact reporting for EIP projects, and including the Federated States of Micronesia and American Samoa to the list of eligible states/territories for EIP funding. And finally, WERA1017 has been communicating with NRCS regarding the IPM Conservation Practice Standard (Code 595) in determining expectations and funds allocated to minor crops not covered by an existing document.

Outside of the annual meetings, WERA1017 participants actively discuss needs, priorities, and funding opportunities. In the last project cycle, the committee and its members have been instrumental in jump-starting several collaborative and ongoing outreach projects and initiatives to meet these needs, including  four pest management strategic plans, 19 IPM Elements, and one crop profile  that are all published in the national IPM database , Crop Pest Losses and Impact Assessment (Ellsworth et al. 2025, , and providing information to Regional IPM Network Coordinators, who respond to calls for public comments related to IPM on behalf of regional stakeholders. Some of these activities have become what are called Signature Programs within the Western IPM Center, receiving ongoing funding.

One project that has engaged many WERA1017 members is the development of training materials and outreach in pesticide label changes. The EPA’s strategic initiatives for pesticides outlines significant changes in label language for applicators, especially in states where listed endangered species and/or their habitat occurs. This initiative has produced a workshop, websites, and publications. Collaborative research projects addressing identified IPM needs have often arisen directly from the work of WERA1017 meetings and discussions. Over the last four years, members of the WERA1017 committee have participated in several topics tied directly to regional and national IPM priorities:

• Invasive pests: Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, and Utah collaborated on brown marmorated stink bugs; Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Idaho collaborate on spotted wing drosophila; California and Arizona are addressing brown stink bug issues; Guam and Pacific Islands are investigating invasive pests of Solanaceous crops; Guam and Hawaii have projects on coconut rhinoceros beetle; California, Arizona, and Hawaii research IPM for bagrada bug. Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming collaborated on a coordinated regional educational and outreach campaign to address the emerald ash borer invasion of urban forests.
• Specialty crops: Hawaii is investigating management of coffee berry borer and root-knot nematode in coffee; Washington, Oregon, and Utah are investigating the Western X phytoplasma of cherry; Alaska develops IPM protocols for fresh-cut peonies; Colorado is leading an integrated approach to manage new viral disease in chili peppers in context of the crop’s association with alfalfa in arid production regions.
• Pesticide resistance: Many states are conducting research to prevent resistance, including Hawaii (diamondback moth and melon fly), Arizona (whiteflies in cotton and vegetable crops, and mosquito arbovirus vectors), California (diamondback moth, spotted wing drosphila, weeds in agronomic crops, and powdery mildew of winegrapes), Oregon and Washington (powdery mildew of wine grapes), and in Montana, Utah, and Colorado (weeds in agronomic crops)
• Biocontrol: New Mexico has confirmed the use of the leaf beetle, Diorhabda spp., for salt-cedar management; Idaho studies biological control organisms of invasive weeds in rangeland systems; Arizona researchers are evaluating a biological control agent of American cockroaches in sewer systems
• Agronomic crops: Washington, Idaho, and Montana have a strong research focus on IPM of pulse crops; most western states collaborate on issues with wheat (such as wheat stripe rust), and alfalfa (including pollinator protection)
• Urban and public health pests: Arizona, Wyoming, and other western states work in collaboration on several urban pests including bed bugs, scorpions, ticks, cockroaches, and mosquitoes

In summary, the Western IPM community continues to demonstrate the value of regional coordination through WERA1017, producing outcomes that strengthen pest management capacity across diverse agricultural, urban, and natural systems. Work completed in 2022–2023 established a strong foundation of shared pest monitoring networks, collaborative Extension programs, and expanded diagnostic and outreach capabilities across the region. Recent accomplishments from 2024 and early 2025 further illustrate the group’s effectiveness in developing coordinated, transdisciplinary solutions.

In 2022–2025 period, WERA1017 members contributed more than 400 publications, nearly 4,000 diagnostic reports, over 550 Extension presentations, and more than 300 workshops and webinars, reaching more than 51,000 stakeholders directly and over 60 million indirectly through newsletters, websites, and digital media. These outputs demonstrate both the scale and efficiency of regional collaboration.

A major regional achievement during this period was the launch and expansion of the multi-state Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) outreach and preparedness initiative involving Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Arizona. This collaborative effort harmonized messaging, shared training resources, and coordinated community and municipal engagement across the West as EAB continued to spread. The team’s shared workshops, community events, and cross-state communication channels now serve as a model for future invasive pest response networks.

Another high-impact regional effort was the “Cultivating Healthy Plants” IPM webinar series, a collaboration among Utah State University, University of Nevada–Reno, University of Idaho, Montana State University, and Oregon State University. More than 2,000 people participated live, with an additional 1,000 recorded views, representing agricultural producers, green industry professionals, researchers, government agencies, and homeowners. The creation of a centralized web and YouTube repository has expanded the reach of these trainings across the region.

Several states also advanced regionally relevant diagnostic, education, and monitoring innovations. Idaho strengthened regional pest alert systems, improving timeliness and accuracy of responses among subscribers. Montana, Washington, and Nevada expanded impactful IPM education programs in crop production, pollinator health, and urban IPM, each documenting substantial knowledge gains and increases in adoption of IPM practices. Hawaii and Alaska advanced invasive species early detection, surveillance, and citizen science platforms, which are now shared widely within the WERA network.

Collectively, these efforts demonstrate that WERA1017 participants continue to leverage shared expertise, create coordinated regional resources, and collaborate on emerging pest threats. This new proposal builds directly on that strong record of achievement.

 

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

Efforts to meet objectives 1 – 4 will occur through an annual meeting as well as discussions throughout the year using the group’s mailing list and virtual discussions with sub-groups. Specifically, WERA1017 meetings and discussions will serve as a forum to coordinate and facilitate IPM research and extension in the western region, and to report on EIP and ARDP projects.

The annual WERA1017 meeting will rotate among participating states and territories. The meeting agenda will be designed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and discussion of common issues related to coordination of IPM research, extension, and outreach activities in the region, with the goal to plan and carry out activities to address the objectives of this proposal in a way that is responsive to urgent and emerging needs. As appropriate, the meeting agenda will address agency alliance-building, regional IPM grant-writing strategies and efforts, Pest Management Strategic Plan (PMSP) priorities, coordination of IPM education and impact measures, and development of needs and priorities to communicate with USDA-NIFA IPM Program Leaders.

The annual meeting time will be scheduled to allow time for discussion of ideas for grant proposals to address regional IPM priorities and develop additional grant-related activities, such as outreach events. The Western IPM Center will provide input at the meeting on grant offerings, Signature Programs, programming needs, and more. In order to facilitate regional coordination of input to new PMSPs, members will be asked to contact relevant industry stakeholders to develop robust PMSP writing committees.

Meetings will also include a professional development component of tours and presentations that highlight the local and regional IPM issues, successes, and challenges of the meeting location. Local representatives will be invited to participate in IPM discussions.

Throughout the year, the committee will maintain discussions through the existing mailing list and will liaise with the Western IPM Center for feedback on activities and to provide input to the Center’s priorities, grants, and programs. These communication efforts will reduce redundancy and create efficient streams of information exchange and proactive future activities such as impact reports.

 

Key accomplishments from recent years (2022–2025):

2022 Accomplishments

• Coordinated invasive insect response planning for Spotted lanternfly (SLF), Japanese beetle in Western states, and Lycorma delicatula–related stakeholder communications.
• Multi-state collaboration on Pest Management Strategic Plans (PMSPs) and IPM Elements for crops including hops, onion, rangeland systems, and small fruits.
• Strengthened partnerships with USDA-APHIS and state departments of agriculture on survey, regulatory, and outreach activities.

2023 Accomplishments

• Delivered multi-state webinar series reaching agricultural, urban, and natural resource audiences across the region.
• Developed shared educational materials for pesticide safety, urban IPM, school IPM, and new invasive species detections.
• Initiated improved coordination on climate-driven pest issues and cross-state monitoring efforts.
• Member institutions contributed to national impact reporting via Land-Grant Impacts and relevant USDA-NIFA structures.

2024 Accomplishments

• Coordinated multi-state response planning and stakeholder education for Emerald ash borer detections in Oregon and Arizona.
• Expanded regional diagnostic collaboration through shared imagery, best practices, and early-warning alerts.
• Advanced IPM adoption through updated fact sheets, online courses, and region-wide Extension campaigns.
• Strengthened engagement with Indigenous communities and Tribal natural resource programs on forest, rangeland, and culturally important species.

2025 Accomplishments

• Supported regional research on pesticide resistance management, rodent control in natural and urban systems, rangeland grasshopper outbreak mitigation, and pollinator health.
• Facilitated cross-state data sharing for invasive weeds and plant pathogens.
• Enhanced partnerships with EPA regional offices and USDA-APHIS CAPS programs to align messaging and resource distribution.
• Improved communication channels for rapid dissemination of emerging pest alerts.

Collectively, these accomplishments illustrate the value of a coordinated regional network capable of responding to dynamic pest challenges across the diverse environments of the Western region.

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

At each annual meeting, the committee will discuss, share and coordinate pest management issues, research needs, educational approaches and products, and novel applications within regional natural, agricultural and urban systems. Program Leaders for USDA NIFA, Western IPM Center, regional grant programs, etc., will provide updates on national and regional IPM initiatives, directions, and trends. The annual meeting will provide a forum for state research and Extension liaisons to discuss issues, dilemmas, and successes. The annual report compiled from across the participating states will provide documentation of regional IPM deliverables and accomplishments during the past year.

WERA1017 will also conduct one IPM symposium, field tour or workshop in the region or in conjunction with the International IPM Symposium during the 5-year project cycle. This activity will expand participation beyond the group’s membership. It may address specific learning needs (e.g. use of weather-based decision support tools, use of new diagnostic techniques, or certified IPM school programs), or provide a professional development workshop for county extension personnel, and other IPM professionals. This activity will help foster interagency and regional linkages, dialogue, learning and information dissemination, with an emphasis on designing and implementing sustainable pest management systems. Stakeholder involvement will be strongly encouraged.

Organization/Governance

WERA1017 is primarily comprised of each state’s IPM Coordinator, and additional members are welcome. Officers include a Chair, Vice-Chair who records meeting minutes and maintains a current email list, and a Past-Chair. Election of a new vice-chair occurs at each annual meeting, and this new officer is installed immediately. It is the responsibility of the current chair to organize and host the year’s meeting. Because a primary objective of this committee is to foster interdisciplinary research and extension involving pest-related sciences, officers and members encourage the IPM Coordinators from each state to invite at least two professionals to attend the annual meetings as members (a mix of pest disciplines and AES and Extension appointment emphases are desirable).

Literature Cited

Arizona Pest Management Center (APMC). 2020. Crop Protection & Pest Management Program Saves Lives, Dollars and the Environment in Arizona. https://acis.cals.arizona.edu/docs/default-source/ipm-assessment-documents/azpm_impacts_vf.pdf?sfvrsn=4f88c02f_2

Coop, L. 2020. Pest and Weather Models for IPM Decision Support. Oregon IPM Center, Oregon State University. https://agsci.oregonstate.edu/oipmc/pest-weather-models-ipm-decision-support

Elliot, S. 2017. Spray Reductions in Cotton. Western IPM Center Newsletter http://westernipm.org/index.cfm/ipm-in-the-west/agriculture/spray-reductions-in-cotton/

Elliott, S., R. Hallberg, C. A. Koplinka-Loehr, and L. B. Vial. 2015. Retrospective of the Regional IPM Grants Program. A joint report by the Regional Integrated Pest Management Centers, 7 pp. http://westernipm.org/index.cfm/about-the-center/publications/special-reports/national-ripm-retrospective-pdf/

Farrar, J.J. 2023. Using National Agricultural Statistics Service Pest Management Practices Surveys to Assess IPM Adoption in California. Journal of Integrated Pest Management. 14(1): 24; 1–10.

Farrar, J.J., P.C. Ellsworth, R. Sisco, M.E. Baur, A. Crump, A.J. Fournier, M.K. Murray, P.C. Jepson, C.M. Tarutani, K.W. Dorschner. 2018. Assessing Compatibility of a Pesticide in an IPM Program. Journal of Integrated Pest Management, 9(1): 3. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmx032

Farrar, J.J., M.E. Baur, S. Elliott. 2015. Adoption and Impacts of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture in the Western United States. Western IPM Center, 66 pp. http://westernipm.org/index.cfm/about-the-center/publications/special-reports/adoption-and-impact-of-ipm-in-western-agriculture/

Gouge, H, C. Foss, D. Young, A. Code, J. Connett, C. Rose, L. Brajkovich, R. Davis, T. Matsuda, A. Bamber, C. Hawley, T. Grasswitz, and A. O’Callaghan. 2013. Community IPM Western Region. Report for Western Region IPM Center. 6 pp. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/17223751/report-of-community-ipm-programs-in-western-region-states

Jepson, P., K. Murray, O. Bach, M. Bonilla, and L. Neumeister. 2019. Pesticide Risk Reduction: An International Guideline.

Lancet Planet Health 3: e56-63.

Murray, M. and D. Alston. 2019. IPM Use in Utah’s Tree Fruit Industry Since 1996. USU Extension Research Report. 10 pp. https://utahpests.usu.edu/ipm/ou-files/veg-fruit-resources/res17-fruit-industry-IPM.pdf

Murray, M., H. Larsen, T. McCammon, and L. Kerzicnik. 2020. Intermountain Tree Fruit Production Guide. Utah State University Extension, Colorado State University Extension, University of Idaho Extension, and Montana State University Extension. 190 pp. https://intermountainfruit.org/IntermountainTFG-2020.pdf

Naranjo, S.E., G.B. Frisvold, Peter C. Ellsworth. 2019, Economic Value of Arthropod Biological Control. Chapter 4, In, The Economics of Integrated Pest Management of Insects. Onstad, D. W. and P. R. Crain, eds. CABI, pp. 49–85. http://anbp.org/mm_uploads/Naranjo_et_al._IPMEconomicsBookChapter.pdf

NIPMCC 2025. Protecting America’s Farms, Familes, and Financial Strength: A Strategic Plan for the Public Integrated Pest Management Enterprise 2025-2029. http://escop.info/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/National-IPM-Strategic-Plan-2025-29.pdf

Palumbo, J. 2019. Insect Losses and Management on Desert Lettuce: A 15-Year Summary. University of Arizona Veg IPM Update, Vol. 10, No.13, June 26, 2019. https://acis.cals.arizona.edu/docs/default-source/agricultural-ipm-documents/vegetable-ipm-updates/2019/190626-fifteen-year-lettuce-insect-losses-summary-2005-2019.pdf? sfvrsn=9cca5ae6_2

USDA NIFA. 2018. National Road Map for Integrated Pest Management. USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. https://www.ars.usda.gov/arsuserfiles/opmp/ipm%20road%20map%20final.pdf.

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions