Members of Wyoming CWD Working Group Announced

Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brian Nesvik makes appointments to the Chronic Wasting Disease working group.

CHEYENNE - Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Brian Nesvik made appointments to the Chronic Wasting Disease working group, composed of 32 people from a diverse range of backgrounds, professions, and interests from across Wyoming. This group will develop recommendations to revise Game and Fish’s CWD management plan.

“We had strong interest from around the state. The individuals selected represent diverse perspectives and we appreciate their willingness to contribute their time, thoughts and recommendations to help revise our CWD plan,” said Scott Edberg, acting chief of the Game and Fish wildlife division.

The working group is scheduled to meet for the first time on July 23-25 in Lander. Its members include two from Laramie: Brant Shumaker, Scientist; and Libby Lankford, Landowner/Agricultural Community.

Other members are Andrew Pils of Cody - Federal Agency; Bruce Lawson of Casper – Sportsperson; Dave Gustine of Moose - Federal Agency; Dax McCarty of Douglass – Outfitter; Garret Falkenburg of Douglas – Landowner/Agricultural Community; James Wright of Casper - Federal Agency; Jeff Daugherty of Jackson - Conservation NGO; Jim Logan of Shoshoni - State Agency; Jim Freeburn of Cody - General Public; Joe Tilden of Cody - Local Government; Joshua Coursey of Green River - Conservation NGO; Justin Caudill of Boulder - State Agency; Karinthia Harrison of Cody - General Public; Kent Connelly of Kemmerer - Local Government; Kristen Gunther of Lander - Conservation NGO; Laura Meadows of Wilson - Conservation NGO; Luke Esch of Cheyenne - State Agency; Lyle Lamb of Basin - State Agency;i] Mike Schmid of LaBarge - Wyoming Game and Fish Commission; Millie Copper of Clark – Sportsperson; Nick Dobric of Dubois - Conservation NGO; Richard Pallister of Buffalo – Sportsperson; Shane Moore of Jackson - General Public; Steve Martin of Rock Springs – Sportsperson; Sy Gilliland of Casper – Outfitter; Tony Lehner of Glenrock - Local Government; Martin Hicks of Wheatland - Wyoming Game and Fish Department; Dan Smith of Cody - Wyoming Game and Fish Department; Senator Larry Hicks of Baggs - Wyoming State Legislature; and Janet Marschner of Cheyenne – Sportsperson.

Working group members will explore scientific, social, economic, and policy information related to CWD and deer and elk management and ways to minimize CWD in these populations.

The CWD working group will meet several times throughout the year and into 2020. A detailed listing of meeting dates and locations, which the public may attend, can be found on the CWD working group website.

CWD is widely distributed across Wyoming and is fatal to deer, elk, and moose. The working group is a part of a larger Game and Fish public process to revise the current CWD management plan— a process that will also include a series of public meetings across Wyoming in addition to the working group meetings. The effort is being facilitated by the Ruckelshaus Institute, Haub School of Environmental and Natural Resources with the University of Wyoming.