Chronic Wasting Disease: Public Invited To Join Working Group

Chronic Wasting Disease is becoming of national and international importance and as the disease is widely distributed across Wyoming and is fatal to deer, elk and moose, the Wyoming Game And Fish Department is looking for people to help with a plan to address the concerns.

"We've really changed the way we're kind of messaging the disease in terms of trying to get awareness out to the public that this disease is having some very significant impacts, especially with our mule deer herds across the state. So with that we're convening a statewide collaborative process where we want to get a diverse set of stakeholders at the table," said Wildlife Management Coordinator Justin Binfet, "and have a round table discussion and then ultimately, through a series of public meetings, get this group to provide input to us on revising our CWD Management Plan."

To that end, Game and Fish is looking for membership applications to the CWD working group, which, through facilitation supported by the Ruckelshaus Institute, Haub School of Environmental and Natural Resources with the University of Wyoming, will develop recommendations to revise Game and Fish’s CWD management plan.

“We value the knowledge and voice of  our partners in CWD management,” said Scott Edberg, acting chief of the Game and Fish wildlife division. “This working group is intended to represent people from a diverse range of backgrounds, industries and professions as Game and Fish expands it efforts to address CWD.”

Game and Fish is seeking individuals to apply to the working group from:

• Local government
• Governor’s office
• Legislator
• Agriculture/landowner community
• Wyoming Game and Fish Department
• Outdoor media
• Outfitting businesses
• Federal agencies
• State agencies
• Sportspeople
• Conservation NGOs
• Scientists
• General public
• Wyoming Game and Fish Commission

The deadline to submit a working group membership application is April 5. Members of the working group will be appointed by the Game and Fish director with a term through Dec. 31, 2020.