AUSTIN –The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), in partnership with Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, has set two informational meetings to help educate landowners, hunters and the public in the Texas Panhandle about chronic wasting disease (CWD) management.

Meetings are open to the public and will be held in:

• Dalhart – Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m., Dallam County Courthouse, District Courtroom, 501 Denver Ave.
• Amarillo – Thursday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m., Amarillo Public Library (Downtown Branch), 413 E 4th Ave.

During the meetings, aspects of new CWD regulations will be thoroughly explained including the establishment of CWD zones, mandatory sampling of hunter-harvested deer in the CWD zones and restriction of permitted deer movements to and from the CWD zones.

New rules banning importation of certain deer and elk carcass parts from states where the disease has been detected, as well as the movement of the same carcass parts from CWD zones within Texas, will also be covered.

The new rules developed by TPWD and TAHC are part of the state’s comprehensive CWD management plan to determine the prevalence and geographic extent of the disease and to contain the disease to the areas where it is known to exist.

More information about CWD, CWD management and new CWD regulations is available online atwww.tpwd.texas.gov/cwd.