Improve the management of chronic wasting disease-affected wild cervid populations

Recipient will monitor apparent prevalence in chronic wasting disease-affected areas; maximize early detection of new outbreaks; and provide a free chronic wasting disease testing service to all interested hunters throughout the state. This project will calculate county-level apparent chronic wasting disease prevalence; maintain dropoff locations to create a location in every county and also maintain taxidermist partnerships, and support staff efforts to collect and test target and found dead cervids, which will be assessed at the end of the project; and populate database that gives the submitter access to their individual test results through a searchable sample number. The main benefactors of this project will be the hunting public in the state of arkansas who will continue to receive free chronic wasting disease testing of any harvested animal. Recipient will contract with arkansas participating taxidermist and arkansas participating deer processors for the collection of chronic wasting disease samples.