DNREC to Hold Community Meeting on Chronic Wasting Disease on May 13 in Laurel

There will be a community meeting on the recent detection of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Delaware’s white-tailed deer in Laurel on Wednesday, May 13^th. DNREC invites the public to attend and get more information about CWD, ask questions and understand the state’s next steps. Also learn how the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s surveillance for the disease will affect the upcoming hunting seasons. The meeting will be at the Baldcypress Nature Center at Trap Pond State Park in Laurel beginning at 6pm – entrance fees for the park will be waived between 6 and 8pm for those attending the meeting. A virtual option is also available on the DNREC meeting calendar. 

Additional information from DNREC:

DNREC will hold additional meetings to provide more information for deer hunters and processors over the coming months. CWD will also be a topic on the agenda at the next Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish Meeting, to be held on June 2 at the Little Creek Hunter Education Building (3018 Bayside Drive, Dover, Del.). The council meeting and all CWD community meetings going forward also will offer a virtual option for attending.

DNREC recently announced the state’s first positive test for CWD after it was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory (USDA NVSL). The detection was from a hunter-harvested deer sampled in Delaware as part of routine surveillance. A second deer sampled during the 2025-2026 season in the state tested presumptive positive at the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System and is awaiting confirmation by the USDA NVSL.

With the state’s first case of CWD confirmed and a second case now a strong possibility, DNREC will continue its longstanding surveillance program of Delaware’s white-tailed deer herd to better understand the extent of the disease and monitor its spread. More information, including the state response plan, a map of the management area and public guidance about CWD is available at the de.gov/cwd webpage.