The Natural Science Collections Alliance has submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on its reorganization plan, outlined in the 24 July 2025 Secretary Memorandum (SM 1078-015). The plan calls for closing the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center—home to the U. S. National Fungus Collection and the USDA Nematode Collection.
The U.S. National Fungus Collection holds nearly a million specimens and is one of the two largest such repositories in the world. The USDA Nematode Collection houses more than 49,200 permanent slides and vials and is one of the world’s most significant scientific resources for understanding nematodes. Together, these collections and the experts who care for them are vital to American and global agriculture. Their relocation could put their integrity and accessibility at risk.
NSC Alliance’s comments stress the need for any new facility to have the proper climate controls, space, and staffing to protect these irreplaceable specimens and continue supporting the critical research they enable.