The 2nd meeting of the Subcommittee on Natural Resources of the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources was held on Wednesday, September 8, 2004, at 10:00 AM, in the VIP Lounge at the Kentucky Horse Park. Senator Ernie Harris, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Ernie Harris, Co-Chair; Representative Keith Hall, Co-Chair; Senators David Boswell and Elizabeth Tori; Representatives Hubert Collins, Tim Couch, James Gooch, Charles E. Meade, Brandon Smith, Jim Stewart, and Brent Yonts.
Guests: Commissioner Tom Bennett and Dr. Jon Gassett, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources; Ann Stewart, Department of Agriculture; and Chris Nolan, McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie, and Kirkland.
LRC Staff: Tanya Monsanto and Kelly Blevins.
Sen. Harris asked for a motion on the minutes of the July meeting. There was a motion and a second. The minutes were approved by voice vote. Then, Sen. Harris introduced Commissioner Tom Bennett and Dr. Jon Gassett from the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Commissioner Bennett introduced Mr. Charles Martin who was recently appointed 5th district commissioner to the Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Commissioner Bennett then stated that animal control has proved to be a growing responsibility for the Fish and Wildlife Commission. This year officers have spent time tracking leopards, bear, lions, and cougars. There are now bears in 40 Kentucky counties as identified by hair traps.
Sen. Boswell asked if bears populate more counties in Kentucky, how the department will cope with their interaction with humans. Commissioner Bennett replied that landowners continue to have the right to take action to control a bear if it causes problems to personal property or safety. He added they are doing more bear education because there are more encounters.
Sen. Boswell asked if bobcats have increased in prevalence. Commissioner Bennett said the populations for bobcat are stable and the commission may expand the hunting season for bobcat. Dr. Gassett stated that there is now a season for bobcat with a three cat limit for hunters and trappers.
Commissioner Bennett then described animal diseases impacting fish and wildlife such as raccoon rabies. In June, the Fish and Wildlife commission prohibited the importation of canids to prevent rabid animals from being purchased to stock shooting preserves. The commission believes that there are enough nuisance raccoons to stock existing preserves without having to import animals out-of-state.
Also of concern is hemmoragic disease. This disease mimics chronic wasting disease (CWD) symptoms but it is a natural phenomenon and does not threaten humans. In the year 2004, the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources tested 2004 deer and more than 100 elk. All were negative for CWD. However CWD continues to be a very important threat to cervid populations in Kentucky. CWD is one of several diseases categorized as transmissible spongiform encepalopathy (TSE). TSEs are caused by prions and there is no cure for it. Since the importation ban went into effect in Kentucky, there have been 77 shipments inside the state. The commission thinks there is enough brood stock in Kentucky and genetic diversity can be maintained.
Sen. Boswell asked if the agriculture community has worked with Fish and Wildlife to promote habitat. Commissioner Bennett discussed two partnerships for helping landowners to promote habitat and conservation with the Division of Conservation and the National Resource Council. If any landowners want to participate and receive a cost share to support their efforts then have that person contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Senator Boswell stated that he was aware of those programs and thanked Commissioner Bennett for providing assistance to farmland owners.
Rep. Collins stated that his area had problems with nuisance beavers. How do we protect areas from beavers? Is there a beaver season? Commissioner Bennett replied that the department has not been able to directly resolve the beaver problem. The department has been working with soil conservation districts to obtain funds to deal with beaver. Beavers are a problem in two-thirds of the state. Trapping has decreased. There were only 400 trapping permits this year and that is not enough to reduce the beaver problem.
Rep. Collins remarked that there are a lot of large snakes owned by people. He asked how the department handles these large snakes if they escape. Commissioner Bennett stated that there is a prohibited species list. He recalled a request for a shipment of 5,000 rattlesnakes one year. There is not a reason for private citizens to hold venomous snakes.
Rep. Brandon Smith stated that he is a grouse hunter and the grouse population has struggled. Will grouse populations improve this year? Commissioner Bennett stated that he is waiting on the results of grouse populations and then he will determine how to handle hunting seasons in February. He stated that birds surviving in late winter need to breed to keep populations stable. Dr. Gassett stated that grouse cycle on a 10-year rotation. They can do some things to improve the grouse population and the deadfall from the pine beetle infestation has improved grouse habitat.
Rep. Brandon Smith said that he thought logging operations would help expand grouse habitats, but that does not appear to have happened. Dr. Gassett agreed.
Then, Dr. Gassett commenced his presentation on TSE. He described the TSE Task Force membership and interested parties. He stated that TSEs impact a wide range of public including farmers, hunters, public health officials, insurance companies, and non-governmental organizations.
One of the major concerns in Kentucky is the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD). If CWD comes to Kentucky then the fear is that infected populations will spike because hunters will stop hunting. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), bovine spongiform disease (BWD), and Cretzfeldt-Jacob (CJD) affect the central nervous system. TSEs affect animals, wildlife, and in some cases humans. There is a long incubation period for TSEs. In deer and elk incubation is just under 5 years. Next year, Kentucky will enter into the 5th year and we will be able to determine conclusively whether Kentucky has had CWD. Currently, there are no treatments or vaccines for TSE. There is no evidence that CWD will affect humans producing CJD symptoms.
Dr. Gassett then described how TSEs are transmitted to animals through soil, water, and waste. He stated that CWD is a problem in the western United States, but CWD is coming closer to Kentucky. Illinois and Wisconsin have CWD. Commissioner Bennett described the cattle populations and the deer and elk populations. He stated that wildlife creates more than 3,000 jobs with a $409 million impact on Kentucky's economy. Commissioner Bennett described the overlapping authority for controlling animal diseases and outlined the goals and objectives of the TSE Task Force. He stated the overriding goal is to keep TSE diseases out of Kentucky while preserving cervid farming and ranching.
Sen. Harris remarked that according to information in today's presentation, prions do not break down. He asked where prions deposit. Dr. Gassett stated that as an animal degrades, the remains go into the soils and water. There is also a problem with deposition of feces and saliva. It also contaminates the soil. Commissioner Bennett stated that CWD can also spread from nose to nose contact with wild animals. If you have an enclosed herd and an infected wild deer makes contact through the fence, then your herd can be contaminated with CWD.
Sen. Harris asked about elk that were brought into Kentucky from western states. Did those elk come from Colorado and Wyoming? Dr. Gassett stated that the elk came from states like Utah and New Mexico but none from CWD positive states. Commissioner Bennett stated that the elk brought in to Kentucky were quarantined and each animal was administered a blood test.
Sen. Boswell asked about migratory carnivores. Animals will consume CWD infected animals and be a part of the disease transmission process. How does the department handle animal carcass disposal? Is there research ongoing to develop a treatment or a vaccine? Dr. Gassett stated that predators are a real concern because of the disease's durability. There are currently live tests for mule deer but those tests are not practical. As research evolves it is reasonable to think there will be a live animal test. Vaccines are in the distant future. This is because prions occur in everyone. The problem is that some prions mutate and become infected.
Rep. Keith Hall asked about private landowner initiatives to promote grouse populations. How do people get involved? Commissioner Bennett stated that anyone wanting to improve wild bird habitats should call the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Rep. Stewart remarked that there is no treatment for TSE. Then he discussed a situation in Knox county involving the taking of a bear. He asked what the department was doing to protect the public. Commissioner Bennett stated that the department is conducting bear education activities and that bear is currently a protected species.
Sen. Tori asked if there is an effort to control panic among hunters that encounter large deer mortality rates in her district. Dr. Gassett said that there had been an incidence of hemmoragic disease. Commissioner Bennett stated that the incidence of hemmoragic disease did not cause panic among hunters. The mortalities were determined not to be due to CWD.
Sen. Harris thanked the presenters and then asked the newest member of the Fish and Wildlife Commission, Mr. Charles Martin to introduce himself. Commissioner Bennett then described the Fish and Wildlife Commission. Sen. Harris asked for a motion to adjourn. There was a motion and a second. The meeting adjourned.