Remarks by Director Steve Williams at the
Chronic Wasting Disease Symposium in Denver, Colorado

August 6, 2002

The spread of chronic wasting disease is a national issue and the federal government is committed to helping the states fight this devastating disease. To that end, we will work diligently to provide technical support and financial assistance to continue and advance the excellent work that the states have been doing for many years.

At the Department of the Interior, we redirected 1.7 million dollars in 2002 funding to address CWD – the National Park Service redirected 1.2 million dollars for efforts at Rocky Mountain and Wind Cave national parks, and the U.S. Geological Survey has redirected 500 thousand dollars to expand capabilities and initiate collaborations with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Additional monies are likely forthcoming in 2003. The House mark of the Interior appropriations bill includes 2.7 million dollars for the Geological Survey and an additional 3.9 million dollars were requested during floor debate.

It has also come to my attention that the Department of Defense has 42.5 million dollars in research grants available through their National Prion Research Program. CWD research projects are eligible for this funding.

From a land management and wildlife research perspective, the primary federal departments tackling this issue are the Departments of Interior and Agriculture. I assure you that Interior Secretary Gale Norton appreciates the wildlife and economic impacts of CWD, and sees a coordinated state-federal partnership as an important step to containing and someday hopefully eradicating this disease. She has named me as the Interior Department's point person on this issue and this is a responsibility I take very seriously.

As an avid hunter, former professional deer biologist, and administrator with several state wildlife management agencies, I understand the wildlife management issues involved and I realize the impacts CWD is having on the hunting community and the states. The agency I now lead – the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – puts out a report every five years titled "The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation." The 2001 report we released just months ago found that hunting contributes more than $20 billion dollars to the economy annually. A lot of the money goes back into wildlife management. So you can plainly see here the nexus that exists between hunting and wildlife conservation, and why this issue is important to both.

I want to emphasize that the federal government recognizes that states have the primary responsibility for managing resident species such as deer and elk within their borders. Given this understanding, allow me to define the Interior Department's role.

The land management agencies within Interior have stewardship responsibilities on many acres of land across the U.S., much of it in the western United States. To date, CWD has been found only on one unit managed by the Interior Department, and that unit is Rocky Mountain National Park.

Nonetheless, the Department is taking a proactive approach. The National Park Service, which manages the park, has been working with the Colorado Division of Wildlife for the past 20 years. And the Fish and Wildlife Service is getting in front of the problem by developing strategies to prevent CWD from spreading to National Wildlife Refuge lands. It, too, is working with the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

These partnerships with Colorado are resulting in joint state and federal research projects, surveys, surveillance, elimination of infected animals, and the development of management strategies.

In addition to work on the ground, the U.S. Geological Survey – the scientific agency at Interior – is in a position to play a vital role in the fight against CWD. The Survey's National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wisconsin, specializes in wildlife disease research. The center has coordinated state and federal activities on several high-profile wildlife diseases, including West Nile Virus, Newcastle disease, avian cholera, and botulism, to name just a few. The center can play the role of national coordinator while working cooperatively with the states.

It can be used as a clearinghouse for CWD information and as a source of invaluable research on the subject.

Since becoming the Interior Department's point person on chronic wasting disease, I have joined with APHIS administrator Bobby Acord to inaugurate and co-chair the Chronic Wasting Disease task force. The task force brought together the most knowledgeable and experienced professionals on chronic wasting disease from federal and state agencies and academia and asked them for their recommendations. We asked what the Departments of Interior and Agriculture can do to assist state and federal agencies, and tribes, in their efforts to manage CWD. The task force identified six areas: communications, scientific and technical information dissemination, diagnostics, disease management, research, and surveillance. With this plan in hand, we have assembled a nine-member implementation team with members from Interior, Agriculture, and the states. Bobby will tell you more about the team.
In closing, let me just say that to combat CWD, we need to address the problem in free-roaming and captive cervids in such a way that respects the varied roles of federal and state agencies, and also engages affected private landowners. We need to do this in a way that brings the strengths of each to bear on the issue. I believe we have a good start and I feel encouraged seeing the incredible turnout of professionals here today. Together, with continued cooperation, communication, and collaboration, we can combat the spread of this devastating disease.

Thank you.