LOCAL

DNR increases efforts to curb CWD spread

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced increased measures to curb the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in wild deer in southeastern Minnesota. This response follows the confirmation of 11 new cases of CWD in wild deer this fall. Until this year, only 17 CWD cases were found in wild herds, raising concerns of disease persistence and spread.  This year’s positive cases were all adult bucks in or around the CWD management zone in Fillmore County, along river corridors where males typically travel during breeding season.

CWD is a contagious, fatal neurological disease affecting wild and farmed cervids such as deer, moose, and elk. The disease is believed to be caused by prions, infectious protein material that can persist for long periods of time in the environment and spread through an infected animal’s saliva, blood, feces, urine, and antler velvet. There is no vaccine or treatment.

The DNR will implement three measures intended to contain the disease to one concentrated area. DNR will open two three-day, post-season hunts this month, the details and boundaries of which are available today: mndnr.gov/cwd. They will provide shooting permits to landowners within the CWD management zone who elect to remove deer from their properties. Finally, DNR will work with landowners and USDA in mid-January to remove deer from positive areas through targeted culling. 

For more information about the disease and DNR’s current disease management strategies, there will be a public meeting December 18, 2018, in Preston, MN.

NATIONAL

Climate change already affecting U.S. communities, according to National Climate Assessment

Last week, the Trump Administration released the fourth National Climate Assessment, a Congress-mandated report published every four years by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Hundreds of U.S climate scientists compiled years of research to assess the current public health, environmental, and economic effects of global climate change in American communities, and establish predictions for continued consequences if strategic action plans are not aggressively implemented.

The report details existing changes across the U.S., including rising temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events, and ecosystem effects such as alterations to animal and insect migratory patterns. According to the report, heat-related events are worsening, heavy rainstorms have become more common, high tide coastal flooding has increased with rising sea levels, and wildfires have burned billions more acres within the last several decades.

The report also confirmed that humans are driving climate change, but are simultaneously adapting to its effects through water conservation and improvements in infrastructure. Scientists warn that adaptation alone is insufficient when the country’s most economically and physically vulnerable communities suffer climate change consequences most severely. Additionally, they warn that inaction could lead to more severe national implications, such as a decline in water resources and agricultural production, an increase in vector-borne or infectious diseases, and billions of dollars in economic loss.

INTERNATIONAL

Sites in Italy and Iran recognized as agricultural heritage sites 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) formally recognized grape production sites in Italy and Iran as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) for their use of systems that preserve both biodiversity and traditional knowledge. 

A GIAHS designation enables institutional support for their preservation, development for conservation policies, and improved capacity building to manage risks of land degradation. Additionally, these sites support economic stability and food security.

Grape production systems in Iran’s Jowzan Valley cultivate 130 varieties of grapes despite often cold conditions. These systems have secured farmer livelihood and boosted tourism in rural economies. In Italy, the Soave vineyards have historical agricultural importance, as wine production in this region dates back to the Roman Empire. The traditional systems in the Soave Vineyards have preserved local grape varieties and provided financial sustainability for the families that have produced internationally-recognized wine for centuries.

MN DNR
Star Tribune
MPR

​NPR: Climate change is hurting us
NPR: What you need to know about climate assessment
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 

​FAO