Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Upper and Middle Mississippi Valley CESU

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Chronic wasting disease is an always fatal, contagious, neurodegenerative disease of North American deer, elk and moose that was recently detected in free-ranging white-tailed deer in the State of Illinois. If left unchecked, CWD has the long-term potential to spread over large geographic areas and negatively impact deer populations. Efforts to manage CWD in free-ranging populations, primarily through localized population reduction, have met with limited success to date. Successful management of this disease may require a thorough knowledge of disease transmission dynamics and deer movement patterns. With this knowledge, states may be better able to predict deer and disease movement patterns at the landscape scale, and intervene where possible. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for managing wildlife in Illinois and has identified a need for information regarding disease transmission and movement potential of deer in the geographic area where CWD was detected. The Biological Resources Division of the US Geological Survey is actively conducting research on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), both internally and through supporting research needs of states that have detected CWD in free-ranging populations. This grant is available to investigate aspects of CWD in the State of Illinois that will facilitate ongoing disease management by the state. Suggested research activities, to be conducted in collaboration with both USGS and the Illinois DNR, potentially include examination of genetic relatedness of deer as a surrogate for historic movement patterns, analysis of mobility potential for deer in the CWD-affected region, and modeling the potential for deer and disease movement both within and beyond the CWD-affected region of Illinois.

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