May 18, 2016

Contact: Chad Stewart, 517-282-4810

CWD management zone and core area expanded; public meetings set to discuss changes, answer questions

Since the May 2015 discovery of chronic wasting disease in a free-ranging, Michigan white-tailed deer, more than 5,000 deer have been tested for CWD in order to gauge the extent of the disease across the landscape. Of those tested, seven deer were confirmed positive for the disease in Clinton and Ingham counties.

Recently, the Natural Resources Commission expanded the Core CWD Area to include 17 townships and the CWD Management Zone, which now includes all of Ionia and Eaton counties.

The Department of Natural Resources has scheduled several meetings in order to talk to concerned citizens and local hunters about these critical changes.

“We have had outstanding support in many local areas, and we will continue to reach out to communities where these positive deer have been found,” said Chad Stewart, DNR deer management specialist. “Michigan still has an opportunity to beat this disease, but we need the help of landowners and hunters.”

Town hall meetings

Two town hall meetings are scheduled:

• Wednesday, June 1 in Lansing 
  6 to 8 p.m. at the Foster Community Center, 200 Foster Ave.
  
  
• Tuesday, June 7 in Ionia
  6 to 8 p.m. at the Armory Community Center, 439 Main St. 

At each meeting, local DNR wildlife biologist Chad Fedewa and Stewart will present information on CWD, its effects on deer and deer populations, and how the DNR has continued to respond to the discovery of the disease. There will be plenty of time for questions.

Informal Q&A sessions

In addition to the two larger town hall meetings, the DNR also will hold informal question-and-answer sessions at local restaurants in early June. Stewart and Fedewa both will be present.

These morning meetings will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. at the following locations:

• Wednesday, June 1 in DeWitt
  Family Tree Café, 129½ S. Bridge St.
  
  
• Thursday, June 2 in Haslett
  Blondie’s Barn, 5640 Marsh Road
  
  
• Friday, June 3 in Grand Ledge
  Sophia’s House of Pancakes, 1010 Charlevoix Drive

CWD affects members of the deer family, including elk and moose. It is caused by the transmission of infectious, self-multiplying proteins (prions) contained in saliva and other body fluids of infected animals.

Susceptible animals can acquire CWD by direct exposure to these fluids and from environments contaminated with the fluids, including soils, or the carcass of a diseased animal.

To date, there is no evidence the disease presents any risk to non-cervids, including humans, either through contact with an infected animal or from handling venison. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.

To learn more about CWD, visit www.michigan.gov/cwd.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.