The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission will meet in Cody next week, gathering at the Holiday Inn on Thursday, March 19, and Friday, March 20. The public is invited to attend and provide input.

The commission will hear informational presentations and updates on several items — including mule deer and pronghorn research, 2019 chronic wasting disease and Big Horn Basin and Bighorn Mountains brucellosis updates, 2020 winter conditions, the new Wildlife Crossing initiative, large carnivore monitoring, a petition to amend Chapter 4-Furbearing Animal Trapping Regulation, Game and Fish employee housing in Jackson and an update on the status of the construction planning for the department’s new regional office in Cody.

The commission will be asked to vote to approve the department’s Chronic Wasting Disease Management Plan and the Wyoming Wolverine Management Plan. A new president and vice president will also be elected.

The draft of Wyoming’s Chronic Wasting Disease plan will be presented at 9:15 a.m. Friday. It’s posted online at wgfd.wyo.gov/get-involved/cwd-working-group.

Beyond receiving input from a formal CWD Working Group, Game and Fish received 148 comments from the public, with that feedback incorporated into the draft by the department. Many of the comments were directed toward feedground management, which will be addressed later this year in a separate public process, the Game and Fish said.

If approved, the plan will be the starting point for Game and Fish to move forward with deer and elk management in the face of CWD, said Scott Edberg, deputy chief of wildlife for Game and Fish.

“The working group and the public invested significant thought and time into our CWD management plan,” Edberg said. “That input, combined with the science and expertise of the department and other experts, produced a plan that gives wildlife managers a suite of options to manage CWD. We are thankful for a public process that was collaborative and invested in the best choices for the sustainability of current and future deer and elk populations.”

The full agenda with all presentations is available on the Game and Fish website: wgfd.wyo.gov/About-Us/Game-and-Fish-Commission.

The public will have a chance to comment on each specific agenda item and can speak to the commission about any matter. The meeting will be live-streamed online for those who cannot attend in-person.

The Holiday Inn is located at 1701 Sheridan Ave. in Cody.