County discusses options for safe carcass disposal

Lately Sanders County residents have been reporting a concerning number of deer and other animal carcaases being dumped and abandoned all over the county. There are many calls concerning this issue flooding into the Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) office in Thompson Falls. Many private land owners are reporting abandoned deer carcaases found on or near land they own. It looks as though assorted Forest Service land has also become a popular place to dump animal remains, two of the most popular sites being reported by FWP being the Dry Creek and Finley Flats areas.

It is suspected that the reason for this influx of abandoned animal remains is due to the $10 fee charged by the Sanders County Refuse District. “At the last wildlife quarterly meeting update we talked about CWD, carcass disposal at the landfills and the $10 fee, it quickly spread across the county, people decided they are just going to dump on public grounds,” said FWP Wildlife Biologist Mike Ebinger. The district is considering lowering the fee to some degree, in hopes to encourage residents to properly dispose of animal remains. Deer, elk and any other animal remains are considered non-typical waste. Non-typical waste items are not covered by the money taxpayers contribute toward waste disposal. “Our taxes pay for one 33-gallon trash bag per week, per household of typical garbage,” said Jason Peterson, the Sanders County Refuse District Supervisor. As non-typical waste, animal remains require a separate fee to dispose of them.

The Sanders County Refuse District is a not-for-profit enterprise business that encompasses a Transfer Site in Thompson Falls and roll off sites in Plains, Trout Creek, Noxon and Heron. This District and the Dixon Refuse District are governed by the Sanders County Board of Commissioners. The commissioners, along with Peterson and Ebinger, met last Wednesday to discuss the matter further. Information was provided that shed light on an even bigger concern than just the animal remains being abandoned. The larger and more concerning issue at hand is the possible spreading of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD).

According to the FWP website, “CWD is a 100% fatal disease that infects members of the deer family, including elk, moose, mule and white-tailed deer. CWD is not a virus, bacteria, or fungus. It is caused by infectious, mis-folded proteins, called prions, that spread throughout the animal and result in organ damage and eventual death. CWD does not appear to naturally infect cattle or other domesticated animals. The disease is slow acting, degenerative, and always fatal. The name comes from the appearance of symptomatic animals, which get very skinny and sick-looking before they die. There is no vaccine or cure for CWD.”

“We're sitting pretty good in Sanders County, but If we do end up having a positive CWD case around here then we are going to have all eyes on us,” Ebinger said at last week’s meeting. There have been cases of CWD reported in Libby in neighboring Lincoln County. “If residents from all counties in Montana properly dispose of animal remains, we lessen the chance of CWD making its way into our local food chain,” said Ebinger.

No official changes have yet been made to entice hunters to properly dispose of remains. The commissioners asked Ebinger to research methods being used in other counties around Montana and report back to them with the most effective ideas and possible solutions to the problem. The commissioners will then continue the discussion in the future.