Admission: Free and open to the public

Buffalo National River Partners and North Arkansas College Host Science Lecture on Chronic Wasting Disease

Buffalo National River Partners and University of Arkansas at Northark will present a public science lecture - "Evaluating Prescribed Fire for Mitigating Environmental Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease."

The featured speakers will be Dr. Ellery Lassiter, with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and A.J. Riggs, highly experienced Wildlife Health Biologist.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious, fatal neurological disease affecting deer, elk, and other cervids. Caused by misfolded proteins known as prions, the disease poses a serious threat to wildlife populations that are central to Arkansas’s hunting heritage and outdoor recreation economy. Recent outbreaks in the Ozark deer population represent the largest negative impact on these populations in decades, highlighting the urgent need for effective management strategies. Experimental and epidemiological modeling research indicates that CWD can spread indirectly through contaminated soil, water, plants, and animal waste, making environmental transmission a growing concern.

Dr. Lassiter’s presentation will explore whether prescribed fire, a common land management practice used to restore habitats and reduce wildfire risk, could also help reduce environmental prion contamination. While high-temperature incineration is known to destroy prions in infected carcasses, the potential for controlled burns to reduce prion levels in soils and vegetation has not yet been fully evaluated.

The research discussed in this lecture will focus on testing plant and fecal samples before and after prescribed fires to assess whether fire can lower prion loads in the environment, offering a possible new tool in the fight against CWD.

This lecture is part of the Buffalo National River Partners and North Arkansas College Science Lecture Series, which brings current scientific research and conservation topics to the public.

For more information, please contact Buffalo National River Partners or North Arkansas College, Faron Usrey (faron.usrey@northark.edu).