A. For the purposes of this section:

"Juvenile" means any cervid less than one year of age on December 31 of the current calendar year.

"Adult" means any cervid greater than one year of age on December 31 of the current calendar year.

B. No person permitted by the department to rehabilitate cervids may rehabilitate or release adult cervids. Rehabilitators permitted by the department may transport and temporarily possess adult cervids solely for the purpose of immediate humane dispatch but must notify the department immediately after the deer has been dispatched.

C. Juvenile cervids requiring continued rehabilitation beyond December 31 of the current calendar year January 15 of the subsequent calendar year shall not be transported, possessed, released, or rehabilitated without written authorization from the department.

D. Cervids that originate within an area designated by the department for disease management shall not be transported or possessed for the purposes of rehabilitation. If such a cervid is brought to a rehabilitator permitted by the department, the permittee shall hold the cervid in isolation and immediately notify the department.

E. Cervids from any county (including the cities and towns therein) containing an area designated by the department for cervid disease management may be rehabilitated and released in the county of origin only if the cervid originated from a portion of the county outside the disease management area.

A. For the purposes of this section, the following words or terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Individual, cooperators, or wildlife conservation organizations" means those people or entities whose mission is to promote and ensure the conservation of Virginia's wildlife resources or to promote opportunities for hunting, fishing, trapping, boating, or other wildlife-related recreation within Virginia.

"Proceeds" means the amount of money received by the cooperator or organization from the transfer of a reserved special elk hunting license minus all expenses, including the fees associated with the license, and administrative costs directly attributable to the transfer of the permit or the implementation of the defined project.

B. Upon receipt of a valid Conservation License Program application from an officer or other designated official representative of any individual, cooperator, or wildlife conservation organization, the director or the director's designee shall verify the application materials and may select a program awardee annually. for a period not to exceed five years.

C. The director shall establish a Conservation License Program Committee composed of a minimum of three individuals to review program applications and submit a recommendation to the director to reserve no more than one special elk hunting license per license year for a period not to exceed five years for a cooperator or organization whose application is deemed to provide the greatest benefit to elk conservation and elk-related recreation in Virginia per license year. This committee shall be composed of a minimum of three individuals and make a recommendation to the director each year.

D. A cooperator or organization receiving The awardee will receive a reserved special elk hunting license each license year during the award period, subject to the provisions of subsection G of this section. The awardee must direct all proceeds from the transfer of such reservation, toward a project projects to improve and enhance elk habitat, elk populations, or elk-related recreation within the Elk Management Zone.

E. In coordination with the department, a cooperator or organization may transfer the reserved special elk hunting license to any person eligible to hunt in Virginia. The generation of funds from the transfer of the reserved special elk hunting license may only be conducted through a raffle.

F. A special elk hunting license transferee may be rejected if it is determined that the transferee has a hunting license revocation at the time the transferee is drawn, been convicted of one or more wildlife violations within five years prior to the last date of the application period, or convicted of one or more violations involving elk. In determining the transferee's eligibility, the department shall take into account the nature and severity of the violations.

G. The department reserves the right to terminate a multi-year award if the cooperator or organization violates the intent of the Conservation License Program, breaches any agreement made with the department pertaining to the Conservation License Program, or if the department alters special elk hunting license opportunities for elk management purposes.

H. Cooperators or organizations are eligible to apply for and be selected for the Conservation License Program, regardless of the number of times they have applied or been selected in the past.