The new Wyoming CWD plan will be seeking approval during the upcoming July meeting in Rawlins. During the last public comment period, The Game and Fish received one hundred and forty-eight comments. The majority of the public comments were concerned about feed ground management. The public feedback was taken into consideration and added to the draft. The new CWD management plan will provide a strong starting point to combat CWD. Chronic Wasting Disease has become more prevalent throughout the country. Consequently, many states have had to create new management plans to combat it. The newly drafted plan is set to be presented on July 16-17. The meeting will be live-streamed online for those who cannot attend in-person.
“The working group and the public invested significant thought and time into our CWD management plan. Combined with the science and expertise of the department and other experts, we produced a plan that gives wildlife managers a suite of options to manage CWD. We are thankful for a public process that was collaborative and invested in the best choices for the sustainability of current and future deer and elk populations.” – Scott Edberg, deputy chief of wildlife for Game and Fish
New Wyoming CWD Plan Details
With most diseases, proper testing is a crucial part of effective management. Chronic Wasting Disease is no exception, further details regarding the plan will be listed below.
- Game and Fish officials will further expand sample gathering.
- Within a 1-3 year period, officials will gather at least 200 samples in every game management unit.
- Gathering samples from road-kill animals will be implemented if the collection is difficult in the field.
- Mature mule deer bucks are more likely to contract the disease.
- Testing labs for CWD are limited at this time. Submitting too many tests would overwhelm many labs. However, 200 samples per unit is sufficient to provide successful data.
- The current CWD testing capacity is around 15,000 samples a year. Substantial infrastructure and personnel will be required to exceed that level of testing. Lack of funding is also a major hurdle for sample gathering.
- 8% of the Platte Valley mule deer herd has CWD. Likewise, 40% of the South Converse mule deer herd has CWD.
- In contrast, only 2% of elk in the Platte Valley have CWD. Similarly, 7% of the South Converse elk herd have the disease.
