CLC to host Rosenmeier Forum on Chronic Wasting Disease Management in Minnesota’s Deer 

Central Lakes College will host a Rosenmeier Forum titled “Chronic Wasting Disease Management in Minnesota’s Deer” on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at 7 p.m. in the Chalberg Theatre on the Brainerd campus. The event is free and open to the public. 

The forum will bring together experts in wildlife health, disease research, and conservation to discuss the history, current status, and future management of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Minnesota’s deer population. 

Featured speakers include: 

• Chance Adams, Chair, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
• Cory Anderson, Ph.D., MPH, Co-Director of the Chronic Wasting Disease Program at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
• Michelle Carstensen, Ph.D., Wildlife Health Program Supervisor, Wildlife Division, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Chronic Wasting Disease is a fatal neurological disease that affects members of the deer family, including whitetail deer, mule deer, elk and moose. Since its first detection in Minnesota in 2002, the disease has become an ongoing wildlife management challenge for state agencies, hunters, landowners, and communities. 

Minnesota’s first CWD case was confirmed at an Aitkin County elk farm in 2002. Subsequent surveillance efforts tested about 28,000 wild deer statewide by 2004 without detecting the disease in wild populations. The first wild deer case was identified near Pine Island in 2010, leading to management zones, feeding bans, carcass movement restrictions, and expanded surveillance efforts. Since then, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has tested more than 165,000 wild deer and expanded management strategies as the disease became established in parts of southeastern Minnesota. 

Forum participants will explore the science behind CWD, current research efforts, wildlife management approaches, and the challenges of balancing disease control with Minnesota’s strong hunting tradition and outdoor heritage.