Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

The U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) is offering a funding opportunity to develop ante-mortem chronic wasting disease (CWD) diagnostics on mule deer as well as to assess and identify areas of high transmission in and around the Wind River Reservation in western Wyoming. CWD is enzootic in southeastern Wyoming and has now been detected in most mule deer hunt units statewide. Estimated prevalence varies greatly across the state but is generally highest in regions where CWD is long established. Recent surveillance efforts, however, have identified hunt units where CWD has only recently been detected but is markedly higher in prevalence. Statewide surveillance revealed 60% prevalence in adult mule deer in the greater Wind River region in 2019, which was confirmed during surveillance in 2020 and 2021. This region is under management purview of both the Wind River Reservation (Wind River Intertribal Council) and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). The high prevalence has prompted both groups to improve the epidemiological understanding of CWD in the area, especially in regard to the ecology and behavior of the impacted populations. This opportunity will allow for 1) development of ante-mortem CWD testing methods using a banked set of known CWD positive and negative samples, 2) develop spatial movement information for deer in the Wind River reservation relative, and 3) enhance the CWD sampling through hunting with GPS monitored deer of known CWD status.  The proposed sampling, diagnostics, and analyses will provide managers with information on the factors that may be enhancing deer aggregations and CWD transmission in the region and point towards potential management actions.