Iowa DNR Hosting Public Meetings To Address CWD

September 27, 2022 By: Amber Kornak
The author with an Iowa doe she harvested last season. She voluntarily removed and submitted the lymph nodes for CWD testing.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting three meetings in October to provide an update on chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance and management efforts. The meeting schedule is:

  • Jefferson, October 4, 7 p.m., Clover Hall, Greene County Fairgrounds, 601 E. Lincoln Way
  • Decorah, October 6, 7 p.m., Valders Hall of Science, Room 206, Luther College, 700 College Drive
  • Glenwood, October 11, 7 p.m., American Legion Hall, 104 N. Vine Street

The tissue samples collected during 2021-2022 surveillance season resulted in deer testing positive for CWD in both Fremont and Greene counties. While CWD was newly detected in those two counties, deer have also tested positive in 10 other counties in Iowa since 2013. To learn more about CWD and deer management in Iowa, click here.

“Hunters and landowners play vital roles in the successful management of this disease in Iowa,” said Tyler Harms, deer program leader for the Iowa DNR. “These meetings are an opportunity for local hunters, landowners, and citizens to learn more about chronic wasting disease, what the DNR is doing to monitor and manage the disease in Iowa, and, most importantly, to ask questions.”

The National Deer Association (NDA) strongly encourages our Iowa members and supporters, and especially those who live or hunt in a CWD surveillance or management zone, to attend one of these public meetings. The NDA outlines deer diseases as a critical focus area and slowing the spread of CWD is of primary concern. To learn more about CWD, click here.

About Amber Kornak:

Amber Kornak is a Policy Intern with the National Deer Association. She received her bachelor's degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. She has 8 years of wildlife experience working with big game animals such as bears, deer and elk. Amber is an outdoor enthusiast currently residing in Northwest Montana.