Iron CWD committee organizes

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Hurley — The group charged with recommending how Iron County should proceed with its effort to prevent chronic wasting disease from entering the county met for the first time Tuesday, choosing a chairman and selecting the basis for a mission statement.

CWD is a fatal brain disease that affects deer, elk, moose and other cervids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no known cure once animals are infected, and symptoms include weight loss, stumbling, drooling and aggression. There are no reported cases of humans being infected with CWD.

The Iron County CWD in Cervids Study Committee chose retired veterinarian Stephen Sash as its chair, with Peg Sutherland as vice chair. Along with Sash and Sutherland; according to the meeting agenda, the committee consists of Tom Podleany, Diane Simonich and Clyde Sukanen. County board member Brad Matson and representatives from the various county departments who can contribute to the effort to prevent the spread of CWD are involved in the committee as advisors.

Although no formal decision was made, the consensus among the committee members seemed to favor using the Douglas County CWD group’s mission statement as a basis for its own.

“Their mission statement is that their study committee will do what they can at the county level to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease,” said deputy zoning administrator Gerry Nasi, one of the department representatives involved with the committee.

Wisconsin’s first CWD-positive deer was tested in 2002, according to the state’s Department of Natural Resources, after being killed in the November 2001 hunting season.

There are at least 55 CWD-affected counties in the state, according to the WDNR, meaning they either have had a deer test positive within their borders or are within 10 miles of a positive deer.

The county board approved a temporary moratorium on deer farms — where captive deer are raised — in the county in January, with the CWD committee then forming to examine how to proceed.

Iron County is one of the few counties in the state without an active deer farm, and while the county is unaware of any plans to open one, the moratorium was an effort to be proactive.

The Iron County committee’s next meeting is scheduled for June 18 at 4 p.m.