Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Virginia deer herd shows no signs of chronic wasting disease
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
Recent columns
There's no guarantee that Virginia's deer herd is free of chronic wasting disease, but results from the latest round of sampling are certainly encouraging.
More than 800 Virginia whitetails were tested for CWD this past fall, and not a single test came back positive.
This is particularly notable given that West Virginia wildlife officials have confirmed 10 cases of CWD in Hampshire County, just a few miles from the Virginia border.
"We were very pleased," said Bob Duncan, head of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' Wildlife Division. "Very encouraged."
CWD is an always-fatal neurological disease that affects deer and elk. Although it is similar to mad cow disease, there is no evidence that it can be transmitted to humans. However, it can have a devastating impact on deer herds and cause some economic distress in areas where hunting is popular.
Virginia ramped up its testing protocol in fall 2005 after the confirmation of the first CWD case in West Virginia.
That hot spot has produced nine additional CWD-positive deer within a tight radius of just a few miles.
More than 500 of the Virginia samples collected last fall came from what biologists have deemed the active surveillance area, which includes the western and northern sections of Clarke, Frederick, Loudoun and Shenandoah counties.
The sample was pretty evenly split between road- and hunter-killed animals, said Nelson Lafon, the assistant leader of Virginia's deer project.
Most of the samples from hunter-killed deer were provided by cooperating game processors.
"We owe a lot to VDOT and certain processors," Lafon said.
Most of the roughly 300 samples collected outside the focus area were from road-killed animals.
Lafon said officials are discussing potential changes to Virginia's CWD testing program for next year.
The area near the West Virginia outbreak will continue to be a focus.
"Given the fact that deer do disperse, we have to remain vigilant up there," Lafon said.
However, the intensity of testing in the northern Shenandoah Valley area may be scaled back while testing intensity increases elsewhere throughout the state.
Of course, if testing in West Virginia turns up CWD well outside the current hot spot, that could change Virginia's sampling plans.
Duncan said that while Virginia's generally conservative approach to deer management might not be directly responsible for keeping CWD outside the borders, it helps his confidence.
"We've tried to put the odds in our favor by avoiding some of those things we felt could be problematic," Duncan said, conceding that the approach has frustrated some hunters.
"Virginia kind of looks like an island sticking out in a sea of at-risk areas."
Virginia has in recent years hardened rules regarding captive deer herds and baiting, practices that can concentrate deer and contribute to the spread of disease.
Virginia wildlife officials also declined to pursue the possibility of reintroducing elk to Virginia, citing, among other reasons, the concern that imported elk might bring CWD into the state. Neighboring states eventually followed suit, even though no imported elk in those states have tested positive for CWD.
Tuesday night bike ride expanding
Roanoke's most popular group bike ride is back for another season.
More than 50 riders showed up last week for the 2007 debut of the Famous Tuesday Night Ride, also known as the Tuesday Night Beer Ride.
Starting this afternoon there will be a less intense option for riders who aren't up for the regular 20-mile loop that includes a couple of good climbs.
Jeanne Duddy will be leading what's been dubbed a "flatlanders" option covering roughly 15 miles of flatter terrain in and around Roanoke.
Both rides start at the Virginia Museum of Transportation with a rolling start between 5:30 and 6 p.m. Helmets are required and non-members of the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club must sign a liability waiver.
A third Tuesday night option is in the works. Brian Batteiger will be starting a mountain bike version that also will start at the Transportation Museum.
If you're interested in that ride, e-mail Brian at bbatteiger@cox.net.
For more information on this and other BRBC-affiliated rides, see brbcva.org.
New quail group
Quail enthusiasts from Franklin County and the surrounding area have formed the state's first Quail Forever chapter.
Unfortunately, in a calendar notice for the group's Monday meeting in Bassett, I wrote that the group was a Quail Unlimited chapter.
There are already several Quail Unlimited chapters in Virginia.
For more information on the Quail Forever chapter, call chapter president Steve Bebout at 493-8617.
