KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- Missouri's Department of Conservation is hosting six open houses across the Heartland to inform the public about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).
The first open house is Saturday, Aug. 18 from 3 to 5 p.m. It will be held at the Macon Expo Center in the Macon County Fairgrounds.
CWD is a fatal illness that attacks deer, elk, and moose populations. So far, 11 cases have been found in captive deer, in Macon and Linn counties, and there have been five cases of CWD found in free-ranging deer living in the same area.
The Department of Conservation is hosting the open houses to inform the public about how they can prevent the disease from spreading amongst deer in the wild.
"These are to talk about the regulations that go into effect this fall that affect the six counties," said George Shurvington, a Private Land Services Regional Supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation.
"So, we want to get that information out. We also want to bring the public up to date with where we currently with the disease management."
Chronic Wasting Disease is not only a concern in Missouri. The first case found in Iowa was found July 20, in a captive deer in Davis County, Iowa.
CWD open houses will also be held:
Mon., Aug. 20, 7-9 p.m., Trinity Methodist Church, 224 S. Main St., Brookfield
Tues., Aug.21, 7-9 p.m., Moberly Area Community College Activity Center, 101 College Ave., Moberly
Thurs., Aug. 23, 7-9 p.m., MDC Northeast Regional Office, 3500 S. Baltimore, Kirksville
Tues., Aug. 28, 7-9 p.m., Knights of Columbus Hall, 311 E. Patterson, Salisbury
Wed., Aug. 29, 7-9 p.m., Milan High School, 373 S. Market St., Milan
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