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Dear neighbors,
I hope you and your family are finding ways to stay cool during this unseasonably hot start to summer. On June 8th, the LCCMR held a meeting to talk about strategies to contain the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). You can click here to watch a video replay of the meeting. Here is a brief recap of what we discussed.
LCCMR requests funding for new environmental assessment
The LCCMR sent a letter to Gov. Walz requesting his approval to spend $108,232 from the LCCMR’s Emerging Issues Account on a project at the University of Minnesota to help conduct an Environmental Assessment of CWD Prions at the Beltrami County Deer Carcass Dump Site. ENRTF funds appropriated to the Emerging Issues Account may be spent upon initiation and recommendation by the LCCMR and approval by the Governor.
Gov. Walz sends letter to legislative leaders about oversight of white tailed deer
House and Senate chairs of environment and ag committees received a new letter from Gov Walz yesterday. The Gov reiterated that over the past several years, the administration and legislature have worked together to improve the management of white-tailed deer farms and reduce the risk of spread of CWD but that current circumstances require a change in course, as demonstrated by the recent discovery of a CWD-positive deer farm in Beltrami County, which includes a carcass disposal site on adjacent county-managed land. I agree with the Governor’s assessment that we need a new strategy to address the problem of CWD in farmed white-tailed deer. Click here to read a copy of the letter.
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