Outbreak of disease among deer in northern Arkansas worries Missouri biologists

An outbreak of chronic wasting disease among deer and elk in northern Arkansas has caught the Missouri Department of Conservation’s attention.

After tests revealed 86 cases of the contagious neurological disease — which wildlife officials say is always fatal — in parts of Arkansas not far from Missouri, Department of Conservation wildlife biologists are worried that the outbreak could have spread across state lines. Or that there might have been an undetected problem in Missouri that spread to Arkansas.

That’s why the Department of Conservation is stepping up testing and surveillance efforts in a focus area of about 50 miles from the place where infected deer were found in Arkansas.

Missouri counties Barry, Christian, Douglas, Ozarks, Stone and Taney will be under increased scrutiny. Since mid-spring, the Department of Conservation has increased testing on sick and road-killed deer in those counties.

This isn’t the first time southern Missouri has been monitored for the disease. Since 2002, the state has conducted testing for the disease across the state, either on a rotational basis or when positive results have been found in a region. Though 27 cases of the disease have been confirmed in the northeast, central and east-central parts of the state, none has been found in southern Missouri.

For the 2015-16 deer season, southern Missouri was one of the the focus areas,with samples collected from hunter-taken deer and taxidermists. But in light of the findings in Arkansas, where 82 deer and four elk were found to be carrying the disease, the Department of Conservation will increase testing and surveillance for sick deer.

For more information, call the agency’s southwest regional office at 417-895-6880 or its Ozarks regional office at 417-256-7161.

Lee’s Summit West archer excels

Shelby Winslow of Lee’s Summit West High School brought home national honors after competing in the National Archery in Schools and the International Bowhunting Organization’s national tournaments May 12-14.

Winslow, a junior, took second out of 6,027 female archers after a four-way shootoff. She scored 297 out of a possible 300 points, and earned a $5,000 scholarship. She also finished fourth in in the 3D Challenge.

Other Kansas City area students also did well. Longview Farms Elementary finished fifth out of the 66 elementary schools competing in the 3D Challenge.

Missouri state parks celebrate kids stuff

Missouri state parks will celebrate National Kids to Parks Day on Saturday.

The event, part of a national effort sponsored by the National Park Trust, will include wildflower walks, scavenger hunts, hands-on instruction of how to build bird houses, and more.

To learn which parks will hold special events, go to mostateparks.com.

Carp patrol

Two state agencies in Kansas are working to reduce carp numbers in Milford Lake.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, in conjunction with the state’s Department of Health and Environment, has started a program to target the reservoir’s large numbers of rough fish, which biologists say are possibly leading to the increase of harmful blue-green algae due to the sediment they stir up when feeding.

Through a bid process, a commercial fisherman has been hired to catch and remove rough fish from Milford. Netting is taking place this spring, especially on the upper end of the reservoir.

Commercial fishermen are able to sell the fish to markets for meat. But Wildlife, Parks and Tourism also subsidizes the removal of rough fish, paying for each pound of fish removed and ensuring that operations continue, even when market prices are down.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Outbreak of disease among deer in northern Arkansas worries Missouri biologists."