CWD management bill introduced in Congress
A bill was introduced Tuesday in Congress to address the mounting challenge of chronic wasting disease in wild and captive deer herds across the U.S.
The Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act, authored by Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.), would invest resources in a host of state and federal needs in the fight to contain the spread of the fatal deer disease.
The bill would authorize $70 million annually for CWD programs from 202228, with $35 million slated for research and $35 million for management.
Focus areas for the funding would include improved testing methods on live and dead deer, genetic resistance to CWD and sustainable harvest management practices to reduce disease occurrence.
Chronic wasting disease is a contagious neurological disease that causes degeneration in the brain of an infected animal. It belongs to a group of diseases known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and is believed to be caused by prions, abnormal proteins that self-replicate in an animal.
The disease was first recognized in captive mule deer at a wildlife research facility in Colorado in the late 1960s and is now detected in wild and or captive animals in 26 states, three Canadian provinces, South Korea, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
The first CWD detections in Wisconsin were made in three white-tailed deer killed during the 2001 gun deer hunting season. In 2002 the disease was found at deer farms, too. The DNR now lists 60 of the state's 72 counties as CWD-affected.
The disease has been linked to population-level declines in western deer and elk herds. A Department of Natural Resources study is evaluating the impact of CWD on local deer numbers in south-central Wisconsin where disease prevalence is greater than 30%; a report is expected in 2022 or 2023.
While the disease has not been shown to cause illness in humans, health experts recommend meat from CWD-positive animals not be eaten.
Rules, regulations and enforcement efforts have proven inadequate to stop the spread of CWD over the decades.
Introduction of the CWD bill was applauded last week by many groups, including the Boone & Crockett Club, Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, National Deer Association, National Wildlife Federation, North American Deer Farmers Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
The TRCP called CWD the top threat to the future of deer hunting in the U.S.
"For too long, funding woes, research questions, and ineffectual enforcement have resulted in a worsening status quo,” said Whit Fosburgh, TRCP president and CEO. “Curbing the accelerated spread of this disease each year requires an all-encompassing effort that can only be achieved by the pragmatic, bipartisan approach in this bill."
The legislation would authorize $35 million annually for the U.S. Department
of Agriculture to partner with state wildlife and agriculture agencies for CWD management activities.
It would direct the USDA and state and tribal agencies to develop educational materials to inform the public on CWD and require the USDA to review its herd certification program within 18 months of passage.
The other $35 million annually would go to CWD research grants to focus on areas such as improved testing techniques, long-term suppression strategies and environmental transmission factors.
CWD plan review: The Department of Natural Resources will host the third meeting of the Chronic Wasting Disease Response Plan Committee from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesday via Zoom.
The DNR's 15-year CWD Response Plan, in effect through 2025, helps guide the department's approach to addressing CWD in Wisconsin. As part of the plan's implementation, the department reviews progress toward meeting its goals and objectives every five years.
The committee is comprised of a group of stakeholders representing conservation, business and hunting organizations and tribal governments. The public can view the meeting via Zoom.
Minnesota temporarily bans captive deer shipments: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources implemented an emergency rule Oct. 11 that temporarily prohibits the importation and movement of farmed whitetailed deer into and within Minnesota.
This action aims to reduce further spread of CWD and protect Minnesota's wild deer, according to the agency. The temporary ban will allow the DNR to determine the previous movements of known CWD-exposed deer and potential additional exposures.
The DNR took the action after it learned in a Sept. 25 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story that a CWD-positive deer farm in northern Wisconsin shipped 387 deer to facilities in seven states, including Minnesota. Three farms in Minnesota ultimately received a total of five deer from the infected farm.
CALENDAR
Nov. 8
Woodcock season closes. Nov. 20-28
Gun deer season.