On October 11, the Game Commission announced a series of 7 events to inform the public about Chronic Wasting Disease, which poses a serious threat to the state’s deer and elk.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans has called chronic wasting disease in deer “an ecological disaster unfolding before our eyes” that threatens the state’s $1.6 billion industry tied to hunting and our hunting heritage.

CWD, which always is fatal to the deer and elk it infects, first was detected in Pennsylvania in 2012 and more than 250 wild deer have tested positive for CWD since that time.

In areas where CWD-positive deer have been detected, special regulations are enacted to limit the spread of the disease. These areas are known as Disease Management Areas.

Those who want to learn more about CWD, how it is spread, the regulations within DMAs, what they must do if they harvest a deer, elk or moose out-of-state and what they can do to help fight CWD are encouraged to attend a public event near them.

Event Schedule

Each event will feature a 30-minute presentation on this deadly brain disease of deer and elk and what you can do to help prevent its spread of CWD in this short, followed by a question and answer session.

Here are the events presently scheduled--

-- October 15 - 7:00 p.m. – Union County: Buffalo Valley Sportsmen’s Club, 950 Sportsmen’s Club Road, Mifflinburg, 17844. Contact the Northcentral Region Office at 570-398-4744 or email pgc-ncregion@pa.gov with questions.

-- October 17 -  6:30-8:00 p.m. – Montgomery County: Upper Perkiomen Sportsmen’s Association; 398 E 6th St, Red Hill, 18076. For more information, please contact the Game Commission's Southeast Region Office at 610-926-3136.

-- October 17 - 7:00-8:30 p.m. – Somerset County: Berlin Community Center, 700 North Street, Berlin, 15530. For more information, please contact the Game Commission's Southwest Region Office at 724-238-9523.

-- October 23 - 7:00-8:30 p.m. – Allegheny County: Pitcairn-Monroeville Sportsmen’s Club, 505 Mosside Blvd., North Versailles, 15137. For more information, please contact the Game Commission's Southwest Region Office at 724-238-9523.

-- October 28 - 7:00 p.m. – Clearfield County: Clearfield Fairgrounds, Agriculture Building, 5615 Park St. Clearfield, 16830. Contact the Northcentral Region Office at 570-398-4744 or email pgc-ncregion@pa.gov with questions.

-- October 28 - 7:00-8:30 p.m. – Indiana County: Hilltop Baptist Church, 4859 Rt. 286 Hwy. W., Indiana, 15701. For more information, please contact the Game Commission's Southwest Region Office at 724-238-9523.

-- October 29 - 6:00 p.m. –Blair County: Hollidaysburg High School, 1510 Montgomery Street, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648. For more information, please contact the Southcentral Region Office at 814-643-1831.

For more information on this disease, visit the Game Commission’s Chronic Wasting Disease webpage.

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[Posted: October 11, 2019]

10/14/2019