MARQUETTE, MI-- The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will soon capture and collar deer in the Western UP to study migration patterns.
UP Regional Wildlife Supervisor Terry Minzey says the study will provide information the DNR needs if Chronic Wasting Disease is detected in the area. He says the fatal disease has not been detected in the Upper Peninsula, but CWD-infected deer were found in Wisconsin within 30 miles of the Michigan border.
It’s spread through animal-to-animal contact or infected carcasses or soil. Minzey says limiting the spread of CWD is difficult. It’s even more so in areas where severe winters result in increased deer movement and yarding behavior.
Initial work on the study will span four fiscal years beginning this year. The total budget is $613,000. After the project is completed in the Western UP, DNR biologists would propose parallel projects in the Central and Eastern UP to develop a comprehensive strategy across the region.
