As National Elk Refuge leaders laid out long-term options for managing elk and bison wintering on the edge of Jackson, a discussion Tuesday turned to the northwestern Wyoming town’s water supply.
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discussion → lay → supply
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is weighing the pros and cons of feeding elk and bison, in part to keep the animals away from town and from damaging private property.
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Service → weigh → property
But wildlife disease experts predict that continuing to concentrate animals around alfalfa pellets in the winter could lead to more elk infected with always-lethal chronic wasting disease, smaller populations and reduced hunting opportunities.
uncertain
continuing → predict → disease
Although there’s been long-standing discussions about what that could mean for the long-term health of the elk herd, scientific research is also probing what accumulating prions in the environment could mean for the soil, plants, water and even human health.
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prions → stand → soil
(Chronic wasting disease has never been documented in humans, but the interspecies barrier is not considered absolute and public health officials advise against eating meat from infected animals.)
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officials → document → animals
Meanwhile, a new peer-reviewed study, published this summer in the journal “ Environmental Science & Technology,” suggests prions that cause chronic wasting disease may pass through soil into surface waters or groundwater aquifers.
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that → review → waters
What that could mean in the future for the refuge and town of Jackson came up during questions from the public as Elk Refuge staff laid out four possible options for managing elk and bison — a decision expected to ultimately shape feeding operations, hunting opportunities and disease response.
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staff → mean → operations
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is taking public comment on a draft environmental impact statement released Aug. 28 that studies the potential impacts of updating the elk and bison plan.
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that → take → plan
“Why does the new management plan not evaluate the risk CWD poses to the town of Jackson water supply?” asked Shane Moore, a wildlife filmmaker, who grew up on his family’s ranch south of Jackson.
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who → evaluate → Jackson
Moore has been following state and federal management responses to the disease for decades.
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Moore → follow → decades
The always fatal disease had been detected in wildlife in 36 states in the U.S. and four provinces in Canada as of April 2025, an increase from 26 states and three provinces in 2019, according to researchers.
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disease → detect → researchers
“Do you intend to keep feeding elk directly over the town well that is located under the south end of the refuge with CWD known to be present?” Moore asked.
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Moore → intend → refuge
Three of Jackson’s drinking water wells are located on the 24,700-acre refuge.
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Three → locate → refuge
They draw water from 200 feet underground in the Snake River Aquifer, according to a town report.
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They → draw → report
Above ground, an ailing elk was identified and euthanized April 15.
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elk → ail → ground
Lab results later confirmed that case marked the first ever detection of the degenerative brain disease in an elk on the refuge.
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case → confirm → refuge
Refuge officials announced a second case in July.
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officials → announce → July
“You would expect to find CWD prions in the soil first,” said Eric Cole, the refuge’s senior wildlife biologist, who told the audience that new research would be out soon on testing soil and water for prions.
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research → expect → prions
“We expect that prions will bind to soil and be less of a threat to groundwater supply.
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prions → expect → supply
So it’s kind of a second-tier concern at this point until a firm human health risk is established.
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risk → ’ → point
In parts of Wyoming where CWD infects a large percentage of mule deer, devastating populations like the Project Herd, consumption of meat from potentially infected animals is commonplace.
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consumption → infect → animals
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department encourages hunters to test their animals, but in most areas doesn’t require it.
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Department → encourage → it
The refuge is working with the town of Jackson to start doing some water testing, Refuge Project Leader Frank Durbian said Tuesday at the Fish and Wildlife Service’s only in-person public meeting on the draft plan.
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Durbian → work → plan
Just a handful of people attended the meeting at the Teton County Library in Jackson where stakeholders from federal, state and local agencies answered questions.
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stakeholders → attend → questions
The service held a Sept. 15 virtual meeting.
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service → hold → meeting
Researchers are investigating how chronic wasting disease moves through the environment but available testing is so far still experimental, Cole said Tuesday.
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Cole → investigate → environment
“There’s no off-the-shelf assay for testing CWD, prions, in soil or water,” Cole said, adding that the refuge is working with the U.S. Geological Survey on testing.
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refuge → ’ → testing
“Based on those preliminary results, we are not detecting CWD in soil on the refuge yet,” Cole said.
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Cole → base → refuge
Scientists wouldn’t expect to find it yet because prevalence is low since the disease has just been detected there, he said.
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he → expect → it
Researchers also have been testing soil samples throughout Wyoming, including in areas with a very high prevalence of the disease, he said, adding “even in those situations, many of the samples, in a relatively small area, were negative.”
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many → test → area
Jackson’s Ecosystem Stewardship Administrator Tanya Anderson also spoke at the meeting.
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Anderson → speak → meeting
“We communicate regularly with the Elk Refuge, our neighbor to the north,” Anderson said.
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Anderson → communicate → north
“We definitely want to ensure safe drinking water for everyone.”
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We → want → everyone
Anderson said she has been talking with the health department and reading scientific papers.
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she → say → papers
“It is our understanding that those prions love absorbing to soil so much that they generally don’t go deeper than about a half a centimeter in the soil,” Anderson said.
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Anderson → love → soil
“That we have a groundwater supply, and not a surface water supply, should be a great relief to everyone who depends on that water supply.”
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who → depend → supply
In June, Teton County Public Health Director Travis Riddell said he was exploring options to test the town’s water supply to get ahead of any potential concerns in an interview with KHOL 89.1.
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he → say → KHOL
“The chance that this could become an actual health threat to humans is quite low,” Riddell told KHOL.
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Riddell → become → KHOL
“But it’s a new and emerging problem.”
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it → ’ → ?
The new preferred alternative for managing elk and bison marks a shift from focusing on feeding to curtail the elk herd’s size to leaning more heavily on hunting.
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alternative → prefer → hunting
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
