PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon Department of Agriculture is warning about an unconfirmed sighting of a spotted lanternfly in a Portland residential park – posing ecological and economic threats to the state.
In a Thursday press release, the department said it was made aware of an online report from iNaturalist — a platform where community members can share observations from the outdoors — with an image of a spotted lanternfly at Colonel Summers Park on May 12.
That week, ODA and the United States Department of Agriculture conducted visual surveys of the park and surrounding neighborhood to find signs of the insect, set monitoring traps and conduct outreach with neighbors.
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But after two surveys, ODA said there were no signs of the spotted lanternfly, leaving the iNaturalist report unconfirmed…