UPDATE: Delaware Confirms Third Case of Chronic Wasting Disease; Community Meeting on CWD Wed, Sept 16 – Must Register to Comment
Delaware has confirmed a third case of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in a white-tailed deer in central Sussex County. The deer was found just east of the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s Jones Crossroads Landfill near Georgetown. The detection expands the state’s CWD Management Zone to include Wildlife Management Zone 11, along with Zones 14 and 16. CWD is a fatal disease that affects deer and other members of the deer family. DNREC has been testing deer for the disease since 2003. More information, including the latest regulations, the state’s response plan and public guidance on CWD, is available at de.gov/cwd.
DNREC will hold a community meeting on the evolving in-state presence of CWD in the auditorium at Delaware Technical Community College Owens Campus in Georgetown this evening at 6:30 p.m. For anyone unable to attend the in-person meeting, DNREC has made participation by a virtual option available via Microsoft Teams. More information and registration is available on the de.gov/dnrecmeetings webpage.
Original Post:
DNREC is holding a Community meeting on Wednesday, September 16th on temporary regulations pertaining to Chronic Wasting Disease. If you can’t make the meeting in person – a virtual option is also available. The meeting will take place in the auditorium at Delaware Tech – Owens Campus in Georgetown beginning at 6:30pm. The new emergency regulations went into effect in mid-August – and members from the Division of Fish and Wildlife will be on hand to explain the temporary regulation provisions and why they are needed. Community comment and questions will be taken during the meeting – you must sign up in advance.
Comments will be limited to two minutes, and interested parties must sign up beforehand. To sign up, individuals may email DNREC_DeerMgmt@delaware.gov by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, or arrive early for the meeting on September 16. DNREC staff will be present at the Del Tech College auditorium starting at 6:10 p.m. for sign-up.
Please note that this meeting is informational and not part of a formal public comment related to the regulations. Possible permanent changes to regulations in response to CWD will be open for formal public comment during the standard regulatory process later this year.