This fatal deer disease was found in Idaho. Now, Congress wants to help fight it

BOISE – An omnibus spending bill passed by Congress Dec. 23 will supply funding to research and manage a fatal deer disease that was detected in Idaho for the first time last year.

The $1.7 trillion federal bill, which the U.S. House passed on Friday, included a provision to pass the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act. The legislation had faltered after it was introduced last December as a way to unify state and tribal responses to chronic wasting disease, which is a contagious disease caused by malformed proteins called prions.

Now states like Idaho, which is trying to pinpoint and corral the deadly disease before it continues to spread, have a chance at federal funding to manage chronic wasting disease. The legislation will put $70 million annually for five years toward research on detecting the disease in live animals, suppressing it in infected animals and managing it in wild populations.

Chronic wasting disease is in the same family as mad cow disease. It’s transmissible, affects the brain and spinal cord, and has no treatment. The disease affects deer species, including white-tail and mule deer, elk and moose. Infected animals often experience neurological symptoms and may stumble or lose coordination in addition to drooling, losing significant amounts of weight and exhibiting no fear of humans.

The illness was first documented in a captive deer in Colorado in the 1960s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was found in wild deer in the 1980s and has spread to 30 states, including Idaho. It has not been detected in Washington, despite increased surveillance efforts.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has been monitoring for chronic wasting disease since 1997, paying close attention to state borders as cases spread in Montana and Wyoming in recent years.

In November 2021, two mule deer bucks killed near Riggins were the first confirmed cases of chronic wasting disease in Idaho. By the end of 2021, Fish and Game had confirmed the disease in five deer and one elk, all from the same area. Roger Phillips, spokesperson for Fish and Game, told the Idaho Statesman in an email that the agency confirmed chronic wasting disease in 14 deer this year.

Those animals were also from the same Slate Creek area near Riggins. Fish and Game set up a surveillance area and required chronic wasting disease testing for deer, elk and moose killed in Hunt Unit 14, where the infected animals have been found, and neighboring Hunt Unit 15.

How will funds help Idaho, Washington?

It’s not clear where officials plan to allot funds from the recently passed bill.

The legislation dictates that funding will be prioritized to state wildlife agencies or other organizations that have higher incidence or risk of chronic wasting disease and have dedicated the most funds or comprehensive plans toward stemming its spread.

According to a recent study from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Idaho spent $224,638 on testing, management and other expenses related to chronic wasting disease in fiscal year 2021-2022, which ended in June. Washington spent $98,737. Out of 32 states included in the study, state wildlife agencies spent an average of $500,000. Some states – Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin – spent more than $1 million to test for and manage chronic wasting disease during the same time period. Texas spent the most: $2.1 million.

Phillips said Fish and Game doesn’t yet know how the bill’s passage will affect its budget.

“We don’t know any details about the new federal omnibus bill that includes CWD funding,” Phillips said. “We’re in wait-and-see mode.”

Idaho conservationists have applauded the step to address a little-researched disease.

“Unfortunately, CWD is here to stay for the foreseeable future and it’s going to hurt Idaho’s elk and deer herds,” Idaho Wildlife Federation Director Brian Brooks told the Statesman in a statement. “We can’t get rid of it, but this act gives us the resources to mitigate its impacts and reduce its spread at local and regional levels.”

Idaho’s entire congressional delegation voted against the omnibus bill, with Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Rep. Mike Simpson publishing statements criticizing its passage. Still, the delegation was in favor of the chronic wasting disease bill when it stood alone. Simpson cosponsored the initial bill, with Rep. Russ Fulcher voting in favor of it. Both senators voted to advance a separate Senate version of the bill.

“It’s great news for all states, even those that haven’t detected CWD. We will be pursuing funds for surveillance and research as soon as they announce when to submit proposals,” said Melia DeVivo, an ungulate research scientist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife in an email. “Even if Washington doesn’t get awarded federal funding because they tend to focus on states that already detected CWD, this helps in our collective battle to curtail the spread of CWD.”

Eli Francovich contributed to this report.