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County health officer urges mosquito surveillance program after West Nile spike; Weed and Pest, Powell support pilot plan
Summary
Dr. Aaron Billen outlined data showing Wyoming recorded 14 West Nile cases in 2025, including two deaths statewide and one local neuroinvasive case in Cody; he proposed a five-site county surveillance program using CDC light traps, volunteer trap managers, microscope sorting and free PCR testing by the state lab; Park County Weed & Pest and city of Powell staff described costs, staffing constraints and possible grant funding.
Dr. Aaron Billen, Park County chief health officer, presented data and a proposed pilot mosquito surveillance program to the Board of County Commissioners.
Billen told the board that, in 2025, Wyoming had 14 reported West Nile virus cases and two deaths statewide; Park County had one neuroinvasive case treated at Cody Regional Health Center. He said late-summer and early-fall months typically show most human cases and described how light traps baited with carbon-dioxide (dry ice) can capture Culex mosquitoes for pooling and PCR testing at the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory in Cheyenne. Billen volunteered to help manage traps next summer but said sustainable monitoring would require more staff time and some funding.
Representatives from Park County Weed & Pest (Speaker 13) and the city of Powell (Alan Griffin, Speaker 10) described local capacity. Powell's program has separated and sent Culex pools to the state lab in prior years; Griffin said Powell’s program has cost from roughly $20,000 to $35,000 per season in recent years depending on spraying frequency and pesticide costs and that grant funding (Department of Agriculture emergency insect management grants) has historically helped cover expenses. Weed & Pest staff said traps and basic equipment are relatively inexpensive and that a practical pilot could monitor about five locations across the county (Powell, Cody/Clark area, a western population center, South Fork area and a Matitzi-area site); they emphasized volunteer labor and weekly or biweekly service of traps during the season.
Commissioners asked whether the county must formally declare mosquitoes a county pest before monitoring; Weed & Pest representatives said monitoring and grant-supported surveillance can begin without an official declaration, but declaring a pest has implications because a declared pest usually obligates ongoing surveillance and possible control activities under state statute. Commissioners discussed grant timelines and the likely multi-year nature of funding; Weed & Pest suggested a three-year planning horizon for grant-funded work and emphasized that grant continuation depends on performance metrics.
Board members indicated general support for pursuing a pilot surveillance program, requested staff keep commissioners updated on grant progress and data next fall, and offered to provide letters of support if needed.
