A brucellosis informational town meeting will be held on Friday, Nov. 2, 2007 at the Thayne Senior Center. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. and is being co-sponsored by the Idaho Department of Agriculture and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The Wyoming Department of Game and Fish will also participate.
The meeting topic will be Idaho’s brucellosis status and what is ahead for livestock and wildlife in eastern Idaho.
Greg Ledbetter, Idaho State Veterinarian, will discuss the history of brucellosis and the loss of Idaho’s brucellosis status in 2005. Idaho had its brucellosis-free status reinstated in 2007.
A summary of the actions taken including herd testing and other disease surveillance activities will be discussed.  Dr. Ledbetter will also discuss the on going activities that are being done to increase the spatial relationship between elk and livestock.
The big game winter feeding rules, which prohibit the feeding of wildlife in eastern Idaho by individuals, will be discussed.
Carl Anderson, IDFG wildlife biologist, will discuss the population levels and elk management activities in the hunting units of eastern Idaho.
Phillip Mamer, IDFG veterinarian, will discuss the brucellosis surveillance activities in elk. This will include test results from the hunter survey program and how those results are used to determine the infection level of elk in eastern Idaho.
Jason Beck, IDFG landowner relations, will discuss how individual livestock herd plans are utilized to minimize interaction between elk and cattle.
A representative of WGF will discuss Wyoming’s management activities and how that management may affect the herds in Idaho.