U.S. National Fungus Collection (BPI) Needs Your Help!

By Oliver Filialuna and Dr. Andrew Wilson
Article from The Mycophily Quarterly, April, May, June 2026

The mycelial network is abuzz with news of a troubling possibility: the decommissioning of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), home of the U.S. National Fungus Collection, known under the collection code of BPI¹.

On April 23, 2026, the USDA announced that its Agricultural Research Service (ARS) would be “relocating research programs to facilities across the country better aligned with regional agricultural needs².” The announcement lacked any mention of the BPI collection—which comprises approximately 1,000,000 specimens—or its reference library (5,600 volumes and 75,000 pamphlets and reprints)³.

The National Fungus Collection was founded in 1869 with a transfer of fungal collections from the Smithsonian Institution to the USDA⁴. Since then, it has been a vital pathogenic resource and research center and is currently the largest collection of agriculturally relevant fungi. However, following the tragic precedent set by the Duke Herbarium closure^5,6, it is not hard to imagine a bleak—and potentially disastrous—future for the BPI collection.

Fortunately, efforts are being made to make our voices heard! A lawsuit has been brought by labor unions and nonprofits, with a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for August 21, 2026⁷. Mycological Society of America Past President Dr. David M. Geiser composed a letter in response to the USDA’s restructuring, attempting to provide guidance to government workers, educational administrators and other decision makers regarding the very real value of these fungal collections.⁸ Additionally, our very own Dr. Andrew Wilson, Chair of the NAMA Voucher Collection Project, started a digital petition that needs more signatures.⁹ Please spread the word and sign the petition!!

This call to action has been taken up by at least 17 other organizations and societies, including the American Institution for Biological Sciences (AIBS), the National Science Collection Alliance and the American Phytopathological Society. The joint call to action for the BPI as well as other collections located at BARC, can be found here, along with their joint letter.

Click or Scan

This QR code if you’d like to sign the petition to support these invaluable resources.

Sign the Petition

What Can You Do to Join the Fight?

The easiest thing for you to do is to follow the QR code or select the hyperlink to the Change.org petition to add your name to the petition of support for the BPI collections.

Second, please spread the word about the situation to your fungal friends and let them know how they can help.

Lastly, we hope you will consider contacting your legislative representative(s). Look up your House Representative’s email by using your zip code at the Find Your Representative website; write them directly or use this template message to share these organizational links and letters.

As a collective community of fungal enthusiasts, many of us share passion and enthusiasm for the hidden power of fungal collections. In the interest of continuing to understand fungi better and better, we must protect, promote and utilize these invaluable resources such as the U.S. National Fungus Collections (BPI) that are vital to the advancement of the field of mycology—and to the fungi themselves as vital cornerstones of the natural world.

References

1. USDA. “USDA Fungal Database.”
2. USDA Press Release. “USDA Advances Reorganization and Restructuring of the Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area to Improve Efficiency and Better Serve American Farmers.” April 23, 2026.
3. USDA Agricultural Research Service. “U.S. National Fungus Collections – Herbarium.” August 6, 2025.
4. USDA Agricultural Research Service. “U.S. National Fungus Collections – History.” September 7, 2022.
5. Cranford, Claire. “‘To kill a program’: Duke to close herbarium after over 100 years of operation.” The Duke Chronicle, February 15, 2024.
6. McKinzie, Kaylee. “We’ve grown the future of botany here. Why are we cutting its roots?” The Duke Chronicle, October 2, 2025.
7. Zajkowski, Jake. “USDA Relocations Challenged: Labor Unions and Nonprofits File Another Motion to Halt USDA’s ‘Unlawful Reorganization Plan’.” Progressive Farmer, July 13, 2026.
8. Geiser, David M. “Statement of Support for the U.S. National Fungus Collections and Agricultural Biosecurity.” Mycological Society of America, May 15, 2026.
9. Wilson, Andrew W. “Petition: Preserve and Support the U.S. National Fungus Collections.” May 20, 2026.

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