Seventh white-tailed deer
suspected positive for CWD in Libby
A white-tailed deer that was road-killed near the Lincoln County landfill is suspected to be positive of chronic wasting disease.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks collected the carcass of the adult doe on Aug. 26 along Pipe Creek Road and submitted it to the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado for testing. The lab identified the sample to be suspected of CWD infection and will run a second test for confirmation.
If confirmed, the new result marks the seventh detection of CWD in the Libby area. The first detection, which occurred in late May, marked the first time CWD was detected west of the Continental Divide in the wild. The positive detections have all involved white-tailed deer.
Through Sept. 6, FWP has submitted 117 samples for CWD testing from the Libby area.
In response to the CWD detections, FWP has established the Libby CWD Management Zone, which encompasses roughly ten miles around the detection sites. Within this Management Zone, the goal is to identify the prevalence and distribution of CWD.
All deer, elk and moose harvested within the Libby CWD Management Zone, including any harvested with a Libby Special CWD Hunt B license and any harvested with any other type of license, must be checked and sampled within three days of harvest. Hunters who quarter or bone out their animal in the field must bring the head for sampling.
Before Oct. 26, hunters who successfully harvest an animal are required to bring the head to the FWP Libby Office, located at 385 Fish Hatchery Rd.
During general big game season (Oct. 26 to Dec. 1), the Libby Special CWD Hunt Sampling Station (Montana Department of Transportation shop on US Hwy 2, mile marker 35) will be open every day from 11 a.m. until after sunset. Hunters are only required to stop at the Sampling Station if they harvested an animal. The Canoe Gulch Check Station will be open weekends from 11 a.m. – 1½ hours after sunset during the general season and all hunters, with or without game, passing the check station must stop.
Hunters will be required to document the exact location of the kill. Animals will be tagged with a unique identification number. Hunters can use that identification number to look up test results on the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov/CWD. Test results are usually available within three weeks. Hunters who harvest an animal that tests positive for CWD may receive a replacement 2019 license.
To reduce the spread of CWD, whole carcasses, whole heads or spinal columns cannot be taken out of the Libby CWD Management Zone unless the animal has tested negative for CWD. Hunters are strongly encouraged to dispose of hides, bones and trimmings at approved landfills such as the such as the Lincoln County Landfill. The spinal column may be left at the kill site but require landowner permission if on private land. If the carcass is processed within the CWD Management Zone, any brain and spinal parts must be discarded in the Lincoln County Landfill.
Following the guidelines of Montana’s CWD Management Plan, FWP is scheduling a Special CWD Hunt in the Libby area this fall. FWP sold 600 white-tailed deer antlerless B licenses that can only be used in the Libby CWD Management Zone, which includes portions of Hunting Districts 100, 103, and 104. The hunt will occur at the same time as the archery and general hunting season and follow the same regulations for dates, weapon restrictions, and access.
CWD is a progressive, fatal disease affecting the nervous system of mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose. There is no known transmission of CWD to humans or other animals, including pets or livestock. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters harvesting a deer, elk, or moose from an area where CWD is known to be present have their animal tested for CWD prior to consuming the meat, and to not consume the meat if the animal tests positive.
Submitted by Dillon Tabish
5th annul
Kootenai
Harvest
Festival is Sept. 14 in Libby.
There’s a lot going on in Libby this weekend! Chainsaws. Nordicfest. Fiber Fest. and the Kootenai Harvest Festival. In its fifth year, the Harvest Festival has ingrained itself in Libby as a beloved community event. the Festival, Saturday, Sept. 14, noon to 6 pm, is presented this year by Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.
The mission of the Festival is to give back to the community by providing a fun, family-friendly event and raise some funds for local causes. Attendees will enjoy locally produced food and homegrown live music as the community gathers to celebrate the autumn season by the Kootenai River.
This family-focused event has free kids’ activities in the Kid Zone, provided this year by the Libby Kiwanis Club. Admission to the festival and all activities are free.
The 2019 Harvest Festival will be held the field and in the Fred Brown Pavilion at Riverfront Park. It features over 35 local vendors and non-profit community groups for live demonstrations and shopping on the lawn. Peruse locally grown vegetables, and locally made and crafts or get more information about growing your own garden at home from the variety of vendors.
The Harvest Festival’s now-famed community garden-to-table meal is back again this year for just $10 per plate. Dinner begins at 2:30. Catered by the Gracious Table, the community meal embodies the Harvest Festival’s “local” theme with its homegrown ingredients. Vegetables and fruits used in this delicious meal are grown at the Libby Community Garden and by other generous local gardeners, and donated to the meal. This year’s menu is a German-style dinner featuring bratwurst, beet salad, borscht, kale salad, apple strudel and German chocolate cake. Cabinet Mountain Brewing beer will also be on sale.
Entertainment from local musicians and young dancers will begin at 12:30 and continue until 5:30. This year, the Festival will feature a raffle for a gardener’s bonanza to benefit a community cause to be announced. There will be a separate raffle to benefit the Bull Lake Rod and Gun Club. The prize is a full day’s use of the Club on Bull Lake.
Attendees can also bring their own apples and visit the community Apple Cider Press, provided by the Yaak Valley Forest Council. Press your apples to make some delicious fall apple cider, and take home your batch for free!
The Harvest Festival and Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness want to thank the Harvest sponsors for all their support: Kootenai Country Montana, The Montanian, The Western News, Libby Community Garden, Cabinet Mountain Brewing and Gracious Table. Thanks, also, to Homesteader’s Feed and Supply for their help with the Kids Zone,
Learn more about the Kootenai Harvest Festival at www.facebook.com/KootenaiHarvestFestival
Submitted by Sandy Compton.