USDA, APHIS is accepting comments until Jan. 28th on an environmental assessment proposing a large scale field release of an EXOTIC pathogen to control 100s of NATIVE grasshopper species in the western U.S. (including rare and beneficial species) as a means of controlling grasshopper populations. The exotic pathogen would also affect any of the ??1000 native Orthoptera species (including katydids and crickets). The EA document states that the pathogen will not persist in the environment, but no North American data is provided to justify this claim and some persistence seems inevitable. The EA document also states that due to the assumption that the pathogen will not persist in nature, that a full analysis of the potential impacts of this release across the continental U.S. is not needed. No clear risk assessment of introducing an exotic pathogen to control native grasshoppers, crickets and katydids is evident.
The environmental assessment titled "Field Study Using Metarhizium acridum, a Mycoinsecticide for Control of Grasshoppers, Environmental Assessment, December 2010" is available in pdf form on the following website. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/grasshopper/index.shtml http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/ea/downloads/grasshopper-metarhizium-ea.pdf Comments on the Environmental Assessment proposing field releases must be postmarked or emailed by January 28, 2011. * Comments may be sent by email to: [email protected] * Comments may also be mailed to: Charles Brown National Grasshopper Program Manager USDA/APHIS/PPQ 4700 River Road, Unit 26 Riverdale, MD 20737
