Eleven public meetings will be held throughout the state May 24 and May 26 to discuss chronic wasting disease and the regulations being proposed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in an effort to manage it.
To date, 82 cases of the disease have been found in Arkansas deer and four more in elk. The disease has been detected in four counties: Newton, Madison, Pope and Boone. Game and Fish continues to collect roadkill samples statewide to send for testing.
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal condition that affects cervids, including whitetailed deer, elk, mule deer and moose.
Meetings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., May 24 in Jonesboro, Monticello, Hot Springs, Russellville, Fayetteville and at Game and Fish headquarters in Little Rock. Meetings on May 26 will be held at Brinkley, Camden, Hope, Fort Smith and Mountain Home.
The meeting in Fayetteville is at the Pauline Whitaker Animal Science Center, 1335 W. Knapp. The meeting in Fort Smith is at the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Nature Center, 8300 Wells Road.
An additional public meeting will be held on Thursday in Jasper, near where the first reports of the disease surfaced. One public meeting on May 24 and one on May 26 will be streamed live on the Game and Fish website, www.agfc.com.
Game and Fish also has scheduled a one-hour broadcast on AETN at 8 p.m., Monday with a panel discussion about the disease. The agency also will be sending information and deer season regulation proposals by email to the state's licensed hunters.
Sports on 05/17/2016