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Dear Supporter,
This elk, at a Wyoming research facility, is infected with CWD.
Photo courtesy Terry Kreeger, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, and CWD Alliance.
It's all over the news. The threat is real. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has arrived in Greater Yellowstone. Experts felt it would one day appear - and appear it has. Just last month, a moose near Star Valley, Wyo., tested positive for CWD. Although we are still learning about this deadly disease, we don't have to be experts to know we must act now to save our treasured big game from cruel, debilitating and slow deaths. Please make an emergency donation today so that GYC can pressure local, state and federal agencies to develop plans that will minimize the spread of CWD among Greater Yellowstone's moose, elk and deer.
Science indicates that CWD spreads in at least two ways: animal-to-animal contact and soil-to-animal contact. This means that one animal can infect hundreds, if not thousands, of other animals. And because the infection remains in the soils for years, our concern with Wyoming's artificial feed grounds is heightened even more. With the infected moose found less than 15 miles from a feed ground, where elk artificially congregate each winter, scientists say the discovery means there likely are infected deer and elk in the area, too.
Fortunately, we have already started to take action. Last June, GYC and other conservation organizations asked a court in Washington, D.C., to phase out artificial winter feeding on the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole, Wyo. With thousands of animals in one place, concerns about unnatural behavior, truncated migration, pollution and brucellosis seem minimal compared to the huge likelihood of a devastating CWD outbreak. Please help us combat this disease by sending in your charitable gift.
Now is the time to show you support. Please send in your donation today. We don't want CWD to threaten Yellowstone's magnificent populations of moose, deer and elk. Let's ensure that minimizing the effects of CWD is at the forefront of agency management plans, now and well into the future.
Sincerely,
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Mike Clark
Interim Executive Director |
Phil Washburn
GYC Board Chair |
P.S. We want our nation's treasured wildlife to remain safe from such unnecessary harmful diseases as CWD, but we can't do it without your help. Your critical support will help us reach our goal-please donate today!
To learn more about GYC's wildlife conservation efforts, visit www.greateryellowstone.org . |
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