The Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Task Force officially named its members Thursday, Sept. 4.
The task force was created during the 2025 Louisiana Legislative Regular Session to study and recommend best practices for managing and mitigating CWD in the state.
The 21-member panel includes a state senator, a state representative, a Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries commissioner, officials from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), a veterinarian from the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and representatives from the Louisiana Landowner Association, Natural Resource Management Association, Louisiana Forest Association, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, Louisiana Farm Bureau, private industry, and landowners.
Private industry is represented by a deer processor, a feed store owner, and a representative from Whitetails Unlimited, an organization that promotes deer education and supports deer farmers and enthusiasts. Federal officials serving on the task force include a U.S. Forest Service biologist, representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Task force members are Sen. Glen Womack, Rep. Neil Riser, Commissioner Andy Brister, Dr. Jonathan Roberts, Johnathan Bordelon, Dr. Daniel Myrick, Vic Blanchard, Chad Courville, Buck Vanderstein, Rick Owens, Chris Freeman, Ken McDonald, Tom Cotton, Kimble Sagrera, Justin Currington, Andrew Sones, Brian Andres, Rob Smith, Bradley Bordelon, Dr. Curt Degeyter, and Matt Cleland.
The task force receives no compensation; however, task force members representing state agencies may receive the same reimbursement of travel expenses for attending task force meetings as is allowed for other state employees’ travel.
Chronic Wasting Disease
CWD was first identified in captive deer at a Colorado research facility in the late 1960s and in wild deer in 1981. By the 1990s, it had spread to surrounding areas in northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.
Today, CWD has been confirmed in more than 30 states and four Canadian provinces in both wild and captive deer populations. The core endemic area includes parts of Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska, though prevalence varies widely. In some areas of Wyoming, up to 40 percent of free-ranging deer have tested positive, while in others fewer than one percent are affected.
CWD is a neurodegenerative disease of white-tailed deer and other cervids. It is caused by a prion—an infectious, misfolded protein—and is always fatal after a lengthy incubation period. There is currently no treatment or preventative vaccine.
Infected deer may show signs such as weight loss, emaciation, excessive salivation, frequent drinking and urination, incoordination, circling, lack of fear of humans, and ultimately death. Because of these symptoms, the disease has been described as making deer resemble “the walking dead.”
There is no evidence that CWD can spread to humans.
