CWD meetings set: Illinois hunting

IDNR to Conduct Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Public Informational Meetings ROCKFORD, IL – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has scheduled a series of public meetings to provide information about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), its effect on future deer populations, and IDNR’s efforts to control the disease. IDNR staff will also be available to answer questions about this disease. Landowners, hunters, and concerned citizens are encouraged to attend. CWD is an important issue that will dominate deer management discussions in northern Illinois for many years. CWD is an always fatal neurological disease that is threatening the long-term health of white-tailed deer in Illinois. First documented in Illinois in 2002 near Roscoe, IL, CWD has spread across the northern edge and northeastern portions of Illinois as far south as the Illinois River Valley. CWD has become established in areas near the Fox and Illinois rivers, including portions of Kendall, LaSalle, Grundy, and Will counties. Last year, CWD-positive deer were detected for the first time in Kankakee and Livingston counties. CWD was also detected in new areas in Stephenson and western Ogle counties in northern Illinois. The meetings will start at 7 p.m. with a 40-minute presentation and discussion to follow. Meeting schedule: Sept. 30 – Pontiac High School, Auditorium, 1100 E. Indiana Ave, Pontiac, IL Oct. 5 – Starved Rock Lodge, LaSalle Room, Starved Rock State Park, 2668 East 875th Road, Oglesby, IL Oct. 6 – Meadowhawk Lodge, Hoover Forest Preserve, 11285 Fox Road, Yorkville, IL Oct. 7 – Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, 25055 W. Walnut Lane, Channahon, IL Oct. 8 – Illinois State Rifle Association Shooting Range, 1589 N. 7000W Rd., Bonfield, IL (approximately 7 miles west of Kankakee) Oct. 21 – Stephenson Co Farm Bureau Building, 210 W. Spring St., #3, Freeport, IL For more information about the meetings, or CWD, please contact Doug Dufford, Wildlife Disease Program Manager at 815-369-2414 or by email at doug.dufford@illinois.gov. Follow the IDNR on Facebook and Twitter