ENDURING
ENDURING THE LONG, COLD WINTER MONTHS. BUT SUMMER NOW ALSO CARRIES A
WARNING LABEL: -- BEWARE OF
TICKS.4@
DEER TICKS THAT CARRY LYME
4@
4@ DISEASE ARE VERY ACTIVE THIS SUMMER DUE TO WET AND CO4@OLER
TEMPS THIS SPRING.
EXPERTS SAY THE TICK INVASION WE
ARE EXPERIENCING IS EXPECTED TO
TEMPS THIS SPRING. EXPERTS SAY THE TICK INVASION WE ARE EXPERIENCING IS EXPECTED TO@
CRAWL EVEN FARTHER NORTH THIS
SUMMER MEANING CASES OF
THE DISEASE COULD SURGE.
ALL THIS WEEK NEWS CENTE4@R IS
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW 4@
RESEARCHERS ARE USING MODERN
TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNIQUES TO4@
TRY TO PROTECT US AND OUR DOGS
AND CATS. 4@
NEWS CENTER'S VIVIEN LEIGH IS
HERE TO TELL US MORE.
REPORTED
REPORTED CASES OF LYME HAVE RISEN NEARLY EVERY YEAR SINCE 4@ 2011. THE CDC SAYS THERE WERE
4@
4@ NEARLY4@ 14@4-HUNDRED CASES OF E DISEASE IN 2018.
THERE IS NOW A SMALL ARMY OF
RESEARCHERS IN MAINE TRYING TO
PINPOINT HOW FAR AND WIDE THIS
TICK INVASION HAS REACHED.4@
SO FAR THEIR RESEARCH DISCOVERED
THAT TICKS CAN LIVE
UNDER SNOW BANKS ALL WINTER AS
FAR NORTH AS MILLINOCKET -- 4@
NOW RESEARCHERS ARE COMBING 4@
PARTS OF MAINE NO ONE
EVER IMAGINED WOULD SEE THE TICK
INVASION.
INVASION. JUST 12 MILES OUTSID4@E 4@OF
MILLINOCKET ON A GORGEOUS 4@ SUMMER DAY -- RICK LESSER AND
HIS FRIENDS ARE HEADING OUT ONTO
THE WATER -- AND THEY AREN'T
WEARING A LICK OF REPELLANT.4@
RICK LEVASSEUR, OWNER 5 LAKES
4@
4@ LODGE:
4@ LODGE: I HAVE NEVER SEEN A DEER TICK AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD
ANYONE IN
THIS AREA HAVING LYME DISEASE.4@
LEVASSEUR OWNS A LODGE WHICH
DRAWS TOURISTS FROM ALL OVER
THE COUNTRY, COMPARED TO
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MAINE
WHICH IS ALREADY UNDER SIEGE
FROM THE TICK INVASION -- HE
4@SAYS THE
MAJORITY OF HIS VISITORS HAVE
FEW CONCERNS ABOUT BEING AT
RISK FOR LYME.
RICK LEVASSEUR, OWNER 5 LAKES
LODGE.
IT'S WONDERFUL TO BE ON THE
APPALACHIAN TRIAL, BAXTER 4@
STATE PARK AND THE NEW MONUMENT
HOPEFULLY 4@
HOPEFULLY 4@
WITHOUT
WITHOUT BEING COVERED BY TICKS. NATS BREAK ABOUT A MILE AWAY -- DEEP IN THE
WOODS AT THE SEBOEIS PUBLIC
LANDS -- A TEAM OF STUDENTS
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
MAINE ARE ON A MISSION. 4@
WE ARE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE
TICKS END IN MAINE -- THE LINE
AS
AS YOU
AS YOU WILL. WEARING WHITE JUMPSUITS AND PROTECTIVE HEAD GEAR MICHELLE
VOLK AND BRIANNA GUY ARE HUNTING
FOR TICKS. THEY DRAG WHAT LOOKS
PROTECTIVE HEAD GEAR MICHELLE VOLK AND BRIANNA GUY ARE HUNTING FOR TICKS. THEY DRAG WHAT LOOKS@
LIKE WHITE FLAGS ACROSS THE
FOREST FLOOR. 4@
TICKS LOOKING TO ATTACH TO AN
ANIMAL -- WILL OFTEN LATCH ON.
VOLK IS COLLECTING DATA FROM
SEVERAL DIFFERENT SITES
ACROSS THE STATE, PRESQUE ISLE
IN AROOSTOOK COUNTY, ORONO
JUST NORTH OF BANGOR AND CUTLER
ON THE COAST IN
WASHINGTON COUNTY.
THE DATA WILL HELP CREATE A TICK
TRACKING MAP TO LET THE
PUBLIC KNOW WHERE DEER TICKS ARE
LOCATED, ESPECIALLY IN
AREAS THAT ARE STILL REPORTING
VERY FEW CASES OF LYME DISEASE.
MICHELLE VOLK, UMAINE GRAD
STUDENT.
IT WOULD DEFINITELY BE GOOD TO
BE ABLE TO WARN PEOPLE
THAT THERE IS RISK OF TICK BORNE
DISEASES ESPECIALLY IN
PLACES WHERE WE HAVE BEEN AND WE
KNOW WE HAVE TICKS SO FAR.
RESEARCHERS ARE DRAGGING NEAR
TICK TRAPS THEY PLACED HERE LAST
FALL -- THE MAJORITY OF TICKS
WERE PLACED IN LEAF LITTER
INSIDE
THE TRAPS SURVIVED, DESPITE
BEING BURIED UNDER NEARLY 4@
THREE FEET OF SNOW.
SEVERAL HOURS OF DRAGGING
DIFFERENT SECTIONS IN THE 4@
WOODS RESULTS IN THE DISCOVERY
4@
4@ OF
4@ OF ONE
4@ OF ONE NYMPH, THE LAST STAGE BEFORE A TICK BECOMES AN ADULT.
RESEARCHERS 4@
AREN'T NEC4@ESSARILY SURPRISED.
SOT:23:26:49 WE KNOW THEY CAN SURVIVE THE WINTER THAT DOESN'T MEAN
4@THERE AREN'T OTHER ENVIRONMENL
FACTORS THAT ARE4@
PREVENTING THEM FROM BEING HERE.
WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE
WHAT HAPPENS. 4@
WE CATCH UP WITH THE STUDENTS
TWO WEEKS LATER IN4@
CAPE ELIZABETH --
4@I GOT A COUPLE OF WOOD
TICKS..DEFINITELY MORE BLACK
LEGGED TICKS.
RESEARCHER ARE FINDING TICKS IN
A PATCH OF CONSERVATION
LAND NEAR THE WOODS. TICKS FROM
THIS SITE WILL SERVE AS A 4@
CONTROL GROUP GIVING RESEARCHERS
ADDITIONAL DATA
TO COMPARE WITH OTHER LOCATIONS@
AS FAR AS POSSIBLE LINE IN4@
THE STATE WHERE TICKS HAVEN'T
CROSSED YET -- ?
IT MAY BE VERY WELL SOUTH OF
SEBOISE, I4@T MAY BE AROUND
SEBOISE.
WE ARE GETTING A PRETTY GOOD
ABUNDANCE IN THE BANGOR -ORONO
AREA. 4@
AS FOR LEVASSEUR AND HIS FRIENDS
NEAR MILLINOCKET -- THAT'S TOO4@
CLOSE FOR COMFORT.4@
RICK LEVASSEUR, OWNER 5 LAKES
LODGE.
HOPEFULLY THEY WILL STAY SOUTH
OF BANGOR, THAT'S WHAT I AM 4@
HOPING. 4@
HOPING. 4@ THIS MONTH RESEARCHERS CONTINUE
COLLECTING TICKS4@ FROM FIELD MICE TO SEE WHAT
DISEASES THEY CARRY. BESIDES
THE BACTERIA THAT CAUSES LYME,
THEY ARE TESTING FOR4@
ANAPLASMOSIS AND BABESIA TWO
OTHER TICK BORNE ILLNESSES. 4@
VOLK ALSO HOPES TO USE THE DATA
AND POST INFORMATION4@
ABOUT TICK ACTIVITY AND DISEASES
THEY CARRY ON SIGNS AT
ALL STATE PARKS THROUGHOUT MAINE
BY LATE 2020.
4@
VIV WHAT DO RESEARCHERS BELIEVE
IS CAUSING TICKS TO 4@
MOVE FARTHER NORTH?
THEY THINK DEER AND ANIMAL
MIGRATION AND THE STEADY
WARMING OF OUR4@ CLIMATE ARE
PLAYING A ROLE. 4@
4@
4@ COMING
4@ COMING UP TOMORROW NIGHT WE WILL 4@SEE FIRST HAND HOW4@4@
4@
4@ DANGEROUS TICK BORNE DISEASE CAN BE FOR MAN'S BEST FRIEND.