Sierra Club Statement: Wyoming Must Prioritize Healthy Wildlife, Phase Out Feedgrounds

Pinedale, WY-- Today, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) will host its first public meeting to announce recommendations of the state’s Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Working Group. The Working Group was formed earlier this year to revise Wyoming’s CWD management plan. CWD is the always-fatal wildlife disease that is spreading rapidly across the state and severely threatening Wyoming’s renowned deer, elk and moose populations. The Working Group’s recommendations include some measures to attempt to mitigate CWD, but fail to address phasing out the artificial feeding of elk on state and national feedgrounds, and conservation of native carnivores. The revised CWD plan is online and can be commented on through Jan. 15. 

In response to the recommendations, Lloyd Dorsey, Conservation Program Manager for the Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter issued the following statement:

“We are encouraged the state is prioritizing the mitigation of Chronic Wasting Disease that continues to rapidly spread and harm deer and elk herds across the region. The draft recommendations represent a tentative first step in tackling this threat, but must be strengthened, based on expert input and made comprehensive. 

“The state must work to restore healthy wildlife populations by promptly phasing out elk feedgrounds and not allowing artificial feeding of deer or elk under any circumstances. The working group must value and conserve carnivore populations to help keep deer and elk herds healthier and naturally distributed across their habitats. These two steps are critical to reducing this disease, and allowing our wildlife, landscapes and outdoor economy to thrive.”