Thank you.

On behalf of the Governor and myself, we would like to first thank you, the members of the Chronic Wasting Disease Task Force, for stepping forward to serve. Engaging the public in state government is one of the top priorities of our administration, and we feel that your service is the ultimate engagement.

It is my duty here today to review with you the charge of this task force. As a public policymaker and an avid outdoorsman, I am honored to be here today to reinforce this administration’s commitment to protecting our wildlife, our hunting resources and our deer and elk livestock operations—all of which we recognize as an important part of our heritage and the economic vitality of our state.

Michigan citizens have come to cherish the tradition of the fall hunt. Thousands of visitors each year come to Michigan to hunt and enjoy our great outdoors. Billions of dollars are generated for the economy every year as a result of Michigan’s hunting opportunities and deer and elk related businesses. It is our collective duty to protect our amazing natural resources so that generations to come can enjoy them as well.

This task force was created by the Governor to do just that – protect our wildlife, natural resources and livestock operations. Chronic wasting disease has been noted in a bordering state, and we must develop a strategy to keep it from crossing our borders.

Your charge is to develop a comprehensive state strategy to prevent the spread of CWD into Michigan. We look to you for recommendations on enforcement standards, coordinated efforts between departments, creation and implementation of preventative tools and the collection of information to form an important database of available and current information on CWD.

Some may question why we worry about something that has not presented itself in Michigan yet. Our administration feels that CWD poses such a salient threat to our wildlife that it must be stopped at the border. This task force and the work you will do is our first line of defense.

To put this problem in perspective, let’s take a look at what’s been happening in Wisconsin. In January, the state announced it had spent $11.5 million to date combating CWD. That equates to about $209,000 for each of the 55 deer that had tested positive there to date. Wisconsin also saw a decline in hunting, resulting in an economic loss of tens of millions of dollars in 2002. Hotels, restaurants, sporting goods stores, gas stations and a wide array of small businesses there all felt the sting of CWD-related losses.

As you know, the state can ill afford to manage another catastrophic outbreak of disease in our wildlife or livestock population. Nor can the state’s small businesses afford to lose any more business from sportsmen who will think twice about coming to Michigan to hunt if CWD spreads across our border.

This is why your work on this task force is so vitally important. Again, thank you for your service to the people of Michigan and for your dedication to protecting our Great Outdoors.

Thank you.