ONLINE: CWD Response Plan

media release: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced it will host a virtual public comment meeting on the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Response Plan Review on Friday, Dec. 3 from 9-11 a.m.

The meeting provides an opportunity for public input to the CWD Response Plan Review Committee to help inform the review.

Those interested in commenting during the meeting must register in advance. Each registered speaker has a maximum time limit of five minutes, and the facilitator may set a time limit of three minutes. Please be prepared for either time limit. The public can also email their comments to the committee at any time at DNRCWDResponsePlan@Wisconsin.Gov.

The DNR’s 15-year CWD Response Plan, in effect through 2025, helps guide the department’s approach to addressing CWD in Wisconsin. The plan was developed to fulfill its public trust responsibility to manage wildlife and ensure the health of Wisconsin’s wildlife populations. As part of the plan’s implementation, the department will review 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. During its meetings, the committee will develop input on the plan’s implementation and actions to consider as it completes this second five-year review.

CWD is an always fatal disease that affects the nervous system of deer, elk, moose and caribou. The disease spreads through contact with an infected animal's saliva, urine, feces and natural decomposition after death. The Wisconsin DNR began monitoring the state's wild white-tailed deer population for CWD in 1999. The first positives were found in 2002.

Additional information on the DNR’s CWD response plan is available on the DNR’s website.