>> REPRESENTATIVE JAMIE
BECKER-FINN IS THE VICE CHAIR
OF THE HOUSE ENVIRONMENT AND
NATURAL RESOURCES POLICY
COMMITTEE.
I SPOKE WITH HER THIS WEEK
ABOUT HOW WELL THE STATE IS
MANAGING CHRONIC WASTING
DISEASE AS WE APPROACH DEER
HUNTING SEASON.
I WANTED TO PEAK WITH YOU FOR
A LONG TIME BECAUSE YOU ARE AN
AVID HUNTER.
AND, SO, REGARDING DEER
HUNTING AND CHRONIC WASTING
DISEASE, YOU BRING A UNIQUE
PERSPECTIVE, BOTH A PERSONAL
ONE AND A POLICY ONE.
SO FROM THAT JOINT
PERSPECTIVE, HOW IS MINNESOTA
DOING IN MANAGING CHRONIC
WASTING DISEASE?
>> SO THE SHORT ANSWER IS THAT
WE'RE DOING BETTER THAN WE
WERE PREVIOUSLY, BUT THERE'S
STILL A LOT MORE TO DO.
FOR ANYONE WHO IS FAMILIAR
WITH CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE,
THIS ISN'T GOING TO BE AN EASY
DISEASE TO TACKLE.
BUT I THINK PARTICULARLY IN
THE LAST TWO YEARS THE DNR HAS
REALLY MADE SOME IMPORTANT
STEPS AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO
MAKE SOME IMPORTANT CHANGES IN
THE LEGISLATURE, BOTH WITH
FUNDING AND CHANGING SOME
POLICIES ISSUES TO HOPEFULLY
KEEP THIS DISEASE IN CHECK.
>> SO, LAST YEAR THE
LEGISLATURE PROVIDED FUNDS FOR
FURTHER RESEARCH EFFORTS AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA TO
DEVELOP MORE ROBUST DIAGNOSTIC
TOOLS, INCLUDING, I THINK, THE
DEVELOPMENT OF FIELD TESTS.
HOW IS THE RESEARCH
PROGRESSING RIGHT NOW?
>> WE ACTUALLY GOT REALLY GOOD
NEWS AT OUR HEARING YESTERDAY.
SO Dr. PETER LARSON AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HAS
REALLY BEEN THE ONE LEADING
THE WAY ON THIS.
AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD
THINGS ABOUT HIM AND HIS TEAM
AND THE WORK THEY'VE BEEN
PUTTING IN TO THIS.
SO WHAT THEY SHARED WITH US
YESTERDAY IS THAT THEY ARE
MAKING IMPORTANT STRIDES IN A
LOT OF IT WAS REALLY
TECHNICAL, BUT ESSENTIALLY
THEY ARE DEVELOPING AND
GETTING CLOSER TO A TEST THAT
CAN -- ESSENTIALLY IT'S A MUCH
MORE SENSITIVE TEST.
SO PREVIOUSLY WE HAD TO HAVE,
IN ORDER TO FIND THE PRIXONS,
WE HAD TO HAVE BRAIN TISSUE OR
SPINAL TISSUE, YOU KNOW, AREAS
WHERE THE PRIONS WERE HIGHER
AND, SO, THIS NEW TEST THAT
THEY'RE WORKING ON WOULD BE
ABLE TO DETECT IT IN SALIVA,
BLOOD, URINE OR EVEN THE DIRT,
SO IT'S A MUCH MUCH MORE
SENSITIVE TEST AND THEY ARE
STARTING TO INVEST N THE
EQUIPMENT AND MOVING FORWARD
ON THAT.
OBVIOUSLY WE'D STILL BE USING
THEIR LABS AND SUCH, BUT
REALLY IMPORTANT STRIDES THAT
WE'RE MAKING, REALLY EXCITING
STUFF THAT'S HAPPENING BECAUSE
RIGHT NOW HUNTERS ARE HAVING
TO FIND, LIKE, SPECIFIC TISSUE
SAMPLES AND WAIT SEVERAL DAYS,
IF NOT WEEKS, TO GET THEIR
RESULTS.
AND THE TURNAROUND ON THIS
MORE SENSITIVE TEST IS ALSO
MUCH QUICKER.
STILL SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES TO
GET IT ROLLED OUT TO THE
PUBLIC, BUT THINGS ARE LOOKING
REALLY GOOD.
>> HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING
SPECIFIC FROM HUNTERS WHO
DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THE
RIGAMAROLE OF TESTING A DEER,
SO THEY JUST SIMPLY ARE NOT
FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDATIONS?
>> SO OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT
HEARING FROM THOSE PEOPLE
BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE -- YOU
KNOW, THEY WOULDN'T BE
FOLLOWING THE LAW IF THAT'S
WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
ONE IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE
THAT WE DID HEAR FROM THE DNR,
SOME OF US HAVE ONE GIVEN --
HAVE GIVEN SORT OF A HEADS-UP
WHEN THEY WERE SENDING A
BOOKLET, SO YOU GET A BOOKLET
EVERY YEAR FROM THE DNR WITH
ALL YOUR HUNTING RULES AND
REGULATIONS IN IT, AND
BECAUSE OF COVID-19, THEY WILL
NOT HAVE STAFF OUT IN THE
FIELD TESTING HUNTER-HARVESTED
DEER.
AND, SO, IT'S GOING TO BE
VOLUNTARY THIS YEAR AND THERE
WILL BE ESSENTIALLY DROP SITES
THROUGHOUT THE IMPACTED AREAS,
THE DIFFERENT ZONES THAT ARE
CONSIDERED CWD ZONES.
SO WE REALLY ARE GOING TO RELY
ON HUNTERS VOLUNTARILY
COMPLYING WITH THIS.
AND ANOTHER PIECE TO THAT IS
THAT PART OF THE WORK THAT
SOME OF THE FUNDS TO THE
U OF M AND THE CENTER FOR
PRION RESEARCH, AND THE WORK
THEY'RE DOING, IS -- THEY 3D
PRINTED A HEAD OF A DEER SO
YOU CAN SEE THE LYMPH NODES
AND THEY CAN REALLY -- SO THE
IDEA WAS HOPEFULLY THEY WOULD
BE ABLE TO GO OUT TO THE
COMMUNITIES AND SHOW PEOPLE
REALLY HANDS-ON WHAT THE
SAMPLES ARE THAT THEY NEED.
SO IT WILL BE A LITTLE BIT
MORE CHALLENGING THIS YEAR,
BUT WE CERTAINLY ARE HEARING
FROM DEER HUNTERS THAT THIS IS
AN IMPORTANT ISSUE AND, SO,
YOU KNOW, MOST FOLKS FEEL LIKE
IT'S WORTH IT TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE'RE FINDING THE DISEASE
AND THAT HOPEFULLY WE'RE NOT
CONSUMING IT AS WELL.
>> IS IT THE GOAL, THEN,
BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS
THESE PRIONS LIVE IN THE
ENVIRONMENT FOR QUITE SOME
TIME, IS THE GOAL, REALLY, TO
JUST KEEP THE SPREAD UNDER
CONTROL AS MUCH AS HUMANLY
POSSIBLE?
>> YES.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE ALL
MAYBE NOW IN COVID TIMES HAVE
A LITTLE BIT MORE NUANCED
UNDERSTANDING OF DISEASE,
DISEASE CONTROL AND HOW WE
MANAGE DISEASE.
SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE
LOOKING AT IS MANAGING IT.
YOU KNOW, AS I NOTED BEFORE,
YOU KNOW, SORT OF THE LEVEL OF
PRIONS FOUND IN DIFFERENT
TISSUES OR THE ENVIRONMENT IS
ALSO GOING TO BE REALLY
CRITICAL.
FOR INSTANCE, IN THE DUMPSTER
PROGRAM THAT WE STARTED LAST
YEAR, TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE
DISPOSING OF THEIR DEER
CARCASSES, YOU KNOW, THE PARTS
THAT THEY DON'T EAT, SAFELY,
YOU KNOW, IT'S PROBABLY --
IT'S FINE THAT THAT GOES TO A
LANDFILL.
YOU KNOW, IN THE GRAND SCHEME
OF HOW MUCH ELSE IS IN THAT
LANDFILL, YOU KNOW, THE
CHANCES THAT SOMEBODY'S GOING
TO OR ANOTHER ANIMAL S GOING
TO CONSUME ENOUGH OF A DEER
PART TO GET THE DISEASE IS
RELATIVELY RARE.
THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT THAN
YOU EATING A STEAK, A VENISON
STEAK, YOU KNOW, FRESH FROM
THE IELD.
SO IT'S MANAGING ALL OF THAT
AND KEEPING IT IN CHECK SO IT
DOESN'T SPREAD ANY FURTHER
THAN WE CAN KEEP IT FROM
SPREADING.
BUT, YEAH, THE CHANCES THAT
WE'RE GOING TO COMPLETELY
ERADICATE CWD AT THIS POINT
AREN'T LOOKING TOO GOOD, BUT I
THINK THAT WE REALLY CAN KEEP
IT MANAGED IN A WAY THAT IT'S
NOT NEGATIVELY IMPACTING YOUR
AVERAGE HUNTER OR AVERAGE
FAMILY OR AVERAGE MINNESOTAN
WHO CARES ABOUT THE DEER
POPULATION.
>> NOW, THIS COMING BUDGET
YEAR IS GOING TO BE A
CHALLENGE BECAUSE OF THE
PROJECTED DEFICIT, MEANING
THAT THOSE FINANCIAL RESOURCES
THAT ANY NUMBER OF STATE
AGENCIES RELY ON ARE SCARSER
AND SCARSER -- SCARCER AND
SCARCER.
SO AS A LAWMAKER PLANNING
FOR, YOU KNOW, REDUCED BUDGET
FIGURES, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT
THAT FUNDING REMAIN FOR THE
MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC WASTING
DISEASE?
>> I THINK IT'S STILL REALLY
IMPORTANT.
OBVIOUSLY EVERYTHING THAT
WE'RE GOING TO BE TRYING TO BE
FUNDING NEXT YEAR IS GOING TO
BE REALLY A CHALLENGE.
BUT I THINK FOR A COUPLE
REASONS, I THINK, YOU KNOW,
ONCE THIS DISEASE -- IF THIS
DISEASE WERE TRULY TO GET OUT
OF CONTROL, IT WOULD BE REALLY
DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE,
TO SORT OF, LIKE, FORCE IT
BACK INTO THE BOX.
AND, SO, I THINK THE TIMING IS
REALLY CRITICAL BECAUSE WE ARE
AT A STAGE RIGHT NOW WHERE,
YOU KNOW, IN THE LAST YEAR
WE'VE HAD THREE NEW POSITIVES
SHOW UP IN THREE
DIFFERENT -- YOU KNOW, MORE
THAN THREE, BUT THREE
DIFFERENT COUNTIES THAT ARE
NOW SORT OF ON THE RADAR OF
HAVING TO BE MANAGED FOR
CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE.
TWO OF THOSE FROM A DEER FARM
SITUATION AND, SO, WE'RE GOING
TO HAVE TO FIND A WAY.
AND I THINK U KNOW, WE'RE
PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO GET
CREATIVE AND, OVERALL, IN
DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM, YOU
KNOW, WE KNOW THAT SOME OF THE
POSITIVES ARE CONNECTED TO
KIND OF THE FOR-PROFIT FARMING
SECTOR AND THOSE ARE MANAGED
THROUGH THE BOARD OF ANIMAL
HEALTH, WHICH IS DIFFERENT
THAN THE DNR BECAUSE THE DNR
IS MANAGING IT AS THE WILD
DEER POPULATION AS  NATURAL
RESOURCE.
HOWEVER, THEY'RE THE SAME
SPECIES.
AND, SO, THEY STILL CAN
INTERACT THROUGH A FENCE OR
DEER ESCAPE FROM THEIR
ENCLOSURES.
SO WE MAY BE LOOKING AT, OU
KNOW, WE'RE ALL GOING TO HAVE
TO WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT
HOW TO PAY FOR THIS.
I DO THINK HISTORICALLY THAT
HUNTERS HAVE BORNE MOST OF THE
BURDEN TO MANAGE THIS DISEASE
THROUGH LICENSE SALES.
BUT THE RESEARCH THAT'S
CURRENTLY GOING ON AT THE
U OF M WAS ACTUALLY FUNDED
THROUGH THE ENTRF, SO THE
TRUST FUND DOLLARS OR LOTTERY
DOLLARS PAID FOR SOME OF THAT.
AND, SO, WE DO HAVE SOME
OPTIONS HERE IN MINNESOTA THAT
OTHER STATES MAY NOT HAVE.
>> REPRESENTATIVE JAMIE
BECKER-FINN, THAT IS ALL THE
TIME WE HAVE, BUT I WANT TO
THANK YOU.
>> YEAH, THANK YOU VERY 
