LONGVIEW — Washington State University researchers said they haven’t begun their state-funded hoof rot disease research yet because they’re still searching for a lead scientist to run the program.
Charlie Powell, a spokesman for WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, said the university is still reviewing applications for the position and will continue to review and accept applications until they find the right match. That wait might take “months,” he said.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill in May — which was passed unanimously by both houses of the state Legislature the month prior — that directed WSU to lead the hoof rot study. The university received $1.52 million to conduct the studies, Powell wrote in a July WSU news bulletin.
At an August Elk Hoof Disease Public Working Group meeting in Ridgefield, Powell said the “soft deadline” for lead scientist applications would be Nov. 15, but as of Tuesday, the school is having difficulty finding someone to design the program.
“As you can imagine, there aren’t a lot of hoof disease experts in the world, so our advertising for this is extensive,” Powell said Tuesday. “We’ve gone out to a number of places. But also we have to go to professional journals, some of which are (only) published once a quarter.”
Powell said the number of scientists who are experts on treponeme, the bacteria most strongly associated with hoof rot, are tricky to hunt down — he noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture only has one.
Furthermore, those few experts likely already have a position somewhere else, he said.
“(Experts) are certainly not waiting around for a job, so we have to persuade them to come to Pullman.”
And finding a treponeme expert who can be useful in fields other than hoof rot is crucial, according to Powell.
“Let’s say this problem comes to a conclusion in a couple of years, but you have a faculty member that doesn’t have a reason to stay,” he said. “You need to have someone with a breadth of experience so they can continue to benefit Washington.”
Powell noted that the university already has two labs in Pullman cleaned up and prepared for when the lead scientist is chosen. Until then, the scientists must wait to conduct any research.
Some people are already frustrated with WSU’s slow progress.
Mark Smith, owner of the local Eco Park Resort near Toutle, has criticized the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and WSU in the past for not taking action on the debilitating disease quickly enough.
On Tuesday, he said his frustration, as well as that of other local outdoors enthusiasts, has grown recently. “We’re pretty disheartened,” he said. “We’re not giving up, but we’re pretty disappointed with the state and WSU. (Elk) are just dying.”
Smith also said he believes Olympia’s lack of focus on hoof rot has to do with former state senator Kirk Pearson, who championed legislation on the issue, leaving his seat to work with the federal Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“He was the only guy who was keeping the pressure on,” Smith said. “Now, nobody has picked up the torch. The Legislature always gives you what you ask for, then walks away. It’s really a mess.”
However, Powell warned conservationists and hunters that the process would be slow as far back as May 2017.
“We certainly understand the public’s urgency, and their concern for these wild animals,” Powell said in May. “Anytime that you have difficulty finding the cause of a disease, it becomes frustrating for people professionally, and I would say that’s where we’re at right now, and we just have to wait and see what we’ve determined.”
Kyle Garrison, hoof rot coordinator for WDFW, said the state agency will continue to document, survey and look for new cases of the hoof disease. Garrison added that researchers at USDA and Colorado State University are working with the agency to conduct research on how animals react to the disease’s pathogens.
