Nationally renown writer to speak on Chronic Wasting Disease
For the City Times
STEVENS POINT — Waupaca-born Patrick Durkin will speak about the effects of Chronic Wasting Disease on Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Chronic Wasting Disease is spreading alarmingly among deer herds in states across the country, creating uncertainty for hunters and driving up the costs for wildlife agencies who are faced with the prospect of controlling the disease. Patrick Durkin, who is the October presenter, will discuss how the state is dealing with the disease and its impact on how it’s being monitored.
The disease could have huge impacts on the future of deer hunting and funding for wildlife habitat conservation as 80 percent of hunters hunt deer and contribute the most money through purchases of licenses and gear. Testing for the disease is costly and time consuming and the presence of CWD-positive deer has some hunters questioning if their venison is safe to eat.
Durkin will discuss how Wisconsin has reduced funding for research on CWD and how this has affected the monitoring of it in recent years. He is an award winning outdoor writer, freelance newspaper columnist and general outdoors reporter. He was named contributing editor of the Archery Trade Association. and writes for national archery and hunting magazines.
In addition to 18 Wisconsin newspapers, he also is a contributing editor for the Archery Trade Association, Wildlife research editor for Meat Eater, American Hunter magazine, and Editor at large of Inside Archery trade magazine.
A resident of Waupaca, Wis., Patrick Durkin served in the US Navy from 1975-1980. He then pursued a journalism degree at the University of WI-Oshkosh where he graduated magna cum laude and spent the next eight years working as a sports and education reporter for the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern newspaper before beginning his career writing for hunting magazines. He edited Deer and Deer Hunting and Whitetail Hunting Strategies magazines as well as National Whitetail Hunter’s Journal. His articles appear in numerous outdoor environmental and hunting magazines.
Durkin married his wife, Penny in 1980 and they have three adult daughters who have hunted and fished with him since age three.
His presentation will be at 7PM at the Lincoln Center, 1519 Water St., Stevens Point.