Can lichens cure sick deer?

Lichens are hardy and unusual organisms.

And they might be the key to solving one of Wisconsin’s burgeoning wildlife issues — chronic wasting disease.

Michigan nears deer management decision

LANSING, Mich. — Hunting may soon have new guidance if the state Department of Natural Reseources and Environment approves its draft deer management plan.

The plan to manage 1.8 million deer goes to the agency director, Rebecca Humphries, on April 8.

Final approval would come on May 6; the agency would begin implementing parts of the plan immediately.

Great Lakes wildlife managers fight deer disease with firearms

By Sarah Coefield
Nov. 19, 2009

The best medicine for diseased deer is the business end of a rifle, according to wildlife experts managing the species. And it’s inoculation time. With hunting season in full swing, conservation officials across the Great Lakes region are relying on hunters to thin the massive herd and slow the spread of disease. At more than 7 million strong, the region’s white tail deer herd is largely healthy, but there are small pockets of disease.

Farmers defend Great Lakes crops from deer

By Sarah Coefield
Coefield@msu.edu
Great Lakes Echo
Sept. 23, 2009

Countless deer descend on crops in the Great Lakes region, leaving in their wake torn corn silks, leafless soybeans, devastated orchards and millions of dollars in damage.  It’s a drop in the bucket for the agriculturally rich region but nonetheless painful for individual farmers. “In the grand scheme of things, it’s a minor amount, but it can be your entire crop,” said Paul Zimmerman, the public affairs executive director for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. While damage may be little noticed on large farms, it can be devastating for small operations where deer can quickly wipe out a field of young soybeans. “Welcome to raising crops in Mother Nature,” Zimmerman said.