Governor Walker Announces Several Initiatives to Combat Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin

Press Release

Governor Scott Walker attended the 82nd Annual Conservation Congress meeting in Manitowoc today where he discussed updates to Wisconsin's plan to respond to Chronic Wasting Disease of Wisconsin's deer population.

"Managing our natural resources and preserving our hunting heritage is a delicate balance," Governor Walker said. "By working together, we are taking actions and will continue to assess and update our Chronic Wasting Disease plan to make sure we are doing everything we can to contain and address this complicated disease."

Various steps are being taken to update the plan, including:

Seeking input from hunters, landowners, farmers, and foresters in every county using County Deer Advisory Councils (CDACs);
Directing the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to conduct a comprehensive study of deer population dynamics;
Creating Best Management Practices for the deer farm industry;
Conducting more frequent fence inspections; and
Developing quicker test results for hunters.

These steps are part of an ongoing process to combat CWD in Wisconsin. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) will have another opportunity to reassess the plan when they provide additional recommendations to the Natural Resources Board in December of this year.

"Hunting is a deep part of our history here in Wisconsin. It not only brings countless visitors to our state every year, but it is also a part of what makes us who we are," Governor Walker said. "In the face of the continuing threat to our deer population, we must take a multi-faceted approach to fighting this disease and work in a bipartisan fashion to modify regulations to keep hunters in the woods and, at the same time, manage our valuable natural resources."

193,000 deer have already been tested in Wisconsin, more than any other state. Additionally, Governor Walker is directing DNR to invest in research to understand the effects of CWD on the deer population by conducting a study -- the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in Wisconsin history.

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) is a statutory body with elected delegates who advise the Natural Resources Board and DNR on how to responsibly manage Wisconsin's natural resources for present and future generations. The Congress works to do this through open, impartial, broad-ranged actions.

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