Wyoming wildlife managers adopt CWD plan

RAWLINS, Wyo. (KIFI/KIDK)-After a year-long process, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission has adopted the Wyoming Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan.   The plan, adopted during the board’s monthly meeting in Rawlins, develops a path forward to manage the fatal disease in the state’s deer, elk, and moose populations.

“The CWD plan is a step in the right direction to manage the disease in Wyoming,” said Commission President Peter Dube. “It is a living document that we can adjust, adapt and change. It’s a controversial subject that the Commission takes very seriously. The process was so large and so many people were involved, and we are grateful for that.”

The disease is widely distributed across the state and the plan provides a wide variety of options for on-the-ground action.

“We are meeting the challenge with the best available science, input from the public and the courage to take risks to improve the health of our wildlife,” said Brian Nesvik, Game and Fish director.

Nesvik appointed 31 people from across the state in April of 2019 to develop recommendations and revise the state’s CWD management plan.

“We are grateful for the working group who dedicated hundreds of hours to the development of the plan and to all those individuals who provided input,” Nesvik said. “Wyoming will tackle this challenge because we formed solutions together, and our efforts will begin immediately and continue for years to come.”

The finalized plan will be available on the Game and Fish website by the end of July.