Greene County residents are asked to join a special program with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

DNR Deer Biologist Tyler Harms says they are hosting a series of Chronic Wasting Disease Ambassador courses that will be held in Jefferson later this month. He says this is a fairly new program the DNR and Extension have put together to help educate the public, as well as develop management programs and increase the surveillance of the disease that mostly impacts whitetailed deer, of which a case was found in Greene County this past fall. 

Harms points out they found cases in northwestern, as well as western and southern Iowa since 2013.

“Now Greene County is a bit of a unique situation, in that it’s obviously right smack in the center of the state. And we have not detected any positive deer in counties surrounding Greene County. It’s a head scratcher for us. History tells us in Iowa that chances are once it’s there, it’s really hard to get rid of.”  

Harms notes the classes will provide hands-on instruction and homework for participants to do on their own time in between the three sessions. He says while there is no data that suggests deer with Chronic Wasting Disease is harmful to humans, he provides guidance from the federal government.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that individuals hunting in an area where Chronic Wasting Disease has been detected, that they get their deer tested for the disease. And if the deer does test positive they recommend not consuming the meat. So there are some potential public health implications.”  

The classes will be June 9th, 16th and 23rd from 6-8pm at the Greene County Extension Office in Jefferson. The free workshops also include a light meal and pre-registration is required. You can signup by clicking the link below.

Online registration: https://iastate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_82ZzT2MS5T0FSxU