Advisory team meeting regarding chronic wasting disease in Eau Claire County to be held July 16 in Rock Falls

Contact(s): Bill Hogseth, DNR wildlife biologist, 715-839-3771 or Dave Zielke, Chair, Chippewa Valley CWD Advisory Team, 715-379-4060

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff and the Wisconsin Conservation Congress will host a public meeting regarding the status of chronic wasting disease in wild deer of western Eau Claire County. The meeting will take place Tuesday, July 16 at 7 p.m. at the Rock Creek Town Hall on County Highway H in Rock Falls.

Members of the Chippewa Valley CWD Advisory Team will discuss recommendations for surveillance and management options in response to the detection of chronic wasting disease in western Eau Claire County. In 2018, three wild deer tested positive for CWD in Brunswick and Drammen townships.

The Chippewa Valley CWD Advisory Tea is recommending a number of actions to help keep healthy deer healthy in response to the CWD positive wild deer that was discovered in Eau Claire County in March of 2018.Photo credit: Scott Bauer, provided by U.S. Department of Agriculture

At a public meeting last month in Rock Falls, the Chippewa Valley CWD Advisory Team recommended that the DNR implement the following actions:

• Required CWD testing of adult deer during gun season in a six-township area covering parts of Dunn, Eau Claire and Pepin counties.
• In-person registration of harvested deer during opening weekend of gun season in the same six township area.
• Issuance of CWD surveillance permits to private landowners in a targeted focus area in parts of Dunn and Eau Claire counties.

The Chippewa Valley CWD Advisory Team (CVCAT) is an ad-hoc advisory team made up of representatives of County Deer Advisory Councils for Eau Claire, Buffalo, Chippewa, Dunn, Pepin and Trempealeau Counties. The team was formed in response to the CWD positive wild deer that was discovered in Eau Claire County in March of 2018. The purpose of the team is to serve as an advisory body to the Department regarding local CWD surveillance and management.

DNR staff will be in attendance to provide information about the results of local CWD testing efforts and discuss future recommendations to be considered by the advisory team. A public comment period will allow time during the meeting for citizens who wish to provide comments to the advisory team.

More information on the Chippewa Valley CWD Advisory Team can be found on the DNR website.