CWD Sample Collector Trainings in the Trans Pecos and Panhandle

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AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service have partnered to coordinate chronic wasting disease (CWD) postmortem sample collector trainings in the Trans Pecos and Panhandle. As part of the state’s increased CWD surveillance, officials are providing the opportunity for landowners/managers, taxidermists and veterinarians to be trained to collect tissues for CWD testing under TAHC’s Certified CWD Postmortem Sample Collector training program.

Information will be presented in a classroom format and includes hands on training for sample collection. Trained individuals will then be certified to sample harvested deer/elk on their properties or for other hunters and provide those samples to TPWD for CWD testing to meet mandatory testing requirements in the Trans-Pecos and Panhandle CWD Zones. Space is limited to the first 50 participants for each training. The training class is free and anyone interested is encouraged to sign up as soon as possible.

CWD postmortem sample collection training is scheduled for the following dates and locations:

Van Horn

Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Van Horn Convention Center, 1801 W Broadway St.

Please contact Lainie Koch at (432) 283-8440 or jekoch@ag.tamu.edu to sign up for the Trans-Pecos training.

Amarillo

Oct. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the AgriLife Extension Building, 6500 W Amarillo Blvd.

Lunch and snacks will be provided

Please contact Michael Wilkes at (806) 868-3191; mcwilkes@ag.tamu.edu to sign up for the Panhandle training.

Please visit www.tpwd.texas.gov/cwd for more information about CWD, CWD management and new CWD regulations.