iSportsman’s HazRDS Helping Wildlife Managers Pinpoint Cases of Infected Deer

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL), located in Burlington County, New Jersey, is finding success using iSportsman HazRDS in an innovative way. The tool, originally designed for people hunting military bases to easily report hazards or other objects such as unexploded ordnance, concertina wire, bear baiting locations or dangerous wildlife encounters, is being used by JBMDL to report and record the discovery of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in the local deer herd. EHD is a common and potentially deadly disease found in deer, caused by Culicoides, or biting midges. Recent outbreaks in New Jersey have left numerous deer sick or deceased.

HazRDS is an innovative tool designed for marking UXO or other hazardous material discoveries in the field but is seeing increasing adoption as a tool to record all types of observations such as recording the discovery of artifacts, endangered species sightings, problem animal calls and more. The web-based app utilizes GIS to allow people in the field using their smartphone to simply mark their location, which is automatically pulled up in HazRDS, attach a photo and short description of the discovered hazard or concern and send it with a touch of a button to authorities to address.

JBMDL, aided by iSportsman developers, recently integrated the new form in the HazRDS tool in early October. With the assistance of the tool, they have successfully pinpointed the location of 12 infected or deceased deer over a two-week period for range control to properly handle. In addition to recording and mapping specifics of each EHD case located, HazRDS can also be used to record cases of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) or other maladies affecting wildlife populations that game managers and wildlife biologists need to track.

“Disease outbreaks that affect large game populations are of key concern to wildlife managers and sportsmen alike and the GIS tracking and reporting functions of HazRDS make it an ideal tool to better manage these concerns,” said Doug Howlett, COO of iSportsman. “HazRDS is adaptable to a wide range of in-the-field, end-user-generated reporting needs. Anything you want to record when discovered can be done through this online tool.”

Eight additional outdoor programs currently use iSportsman HazRDS including Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California, Fort A.P. Hill and Joint Base Eustis-Langley both in Virginia and Fort Wainwright in Alaska. Each of the bases continue to discover new ways to integrate the HazRDS tool into their wildlife management programs with success creating a better-informed staff and safer environment for those they serve. 

About iSportsman: iSportsman^TM is the leading recreational program management tool by ASciS Solutions in the nation. serving as the enterprise-level provider for the U.S. Army’s and U.S. Air Force’s hunting, fishing and firewood permit sales programs, as well as providing services to the U.S. Marine Corp, Army National Guard, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism. ASciS has been delivering SaaS and customized solutions to meet the needs of large-scale recreational programs for more than 12 years and currently manages permit sales, access control, reporting and more for more than 10.6 million acres of forest, fields, trails and waterways across the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. Visit isportsman.com for more information.

Media Contact: Victoria Tillinghast | Vtillinghast@ascissolutions.com