Registration is now open for the 3rd International Chronic Wasting Disease Symposium, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. Titled "CWD ? Advancing the Science and Developing the Tools," the symposium will be held on July 22-24, 2009, at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Park City, Utah.

Symposium attendees can register via a website developed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) in cooperation with the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance.

Hosted by the UDWR and sponsored by numerous conservation organizations, this international symposium will address and discuss the unique challenges that chronic wasting disease (CWD) presents to wildlife managers and provide a fresh look at how the disease should be managed in the future. The Symposium Steering Committee has released full descriptions of the nine non-concurrent special sessions that will follow the opening plenary session presentations. Session topics include Regulating CWD, Human Dimensions of CWD, Management and Control of CWD in Free-Ranging Cervids, Environmental Contamination Issues and Research, and CWD and Cervid Industry Issues. Complete descriptions of plenary and special sessions as well as a detailed symposium schedule can be accessed through http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=650932.

For those wishing to present in one or more of the special sessions or poster session, the deadline for submission of abstracts is February 20. Contacts for individual session chairs are listed in the online session descriptions. Guidelines for contributed presentations and posters can also be found on the symposium website.

For more information about CWD, visit www.cwd-info.org