Sierra Club Statement: Wyoming Needs a Stronger Plan to Tackle CWD

Pinedale, WY-- Today, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved an updated plan to address the state’s rapidly-accelerating chronic wasting disease wildlife epidemic. The plan includes additional and more targeted monitoring for the disease statewide, and some plans to minimize artificial animal concentration areas. The plan does not address artificial winter feeding of elk. The draft plan is online here, and the final plan will be available on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department by the end of July.

In response to the updated plan, Connie Wilbert, Director of the Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter, released the following statement: 

“While we appreciate that the state improved its plan to tackle chronic wasting disease, it is deeply discouraging that Wyoming continues to avoid addressing the most significant threat we face from chronic wasting disease, the state-run winter elk feeding program. 

“When the state intentionally attracts large herds of elk onto small winter feedlots for months at a time, it sets up perfect conditions for explosive spread of this always-fatal disease through entire herds. Every year that passes increases the risk that this disease will mushroom into a catastrophic epidemic that decimates elk, mule deer, and moose throughout northwestern Wyoming.

“To maintain healthy wildlife populations, the state must commit to phase out elk feedgrounds and immediately start that process. Phasing out feedgrounds is absolutely necessary to reduce the impact of this disease, and allow wildlife and our outdoor economy to thrive.”