NFA Annual Meeting Is Tuesday––

Expert To Speak On Ecology And Control Of Blacklegged Tick

By Dottie Evans

It is probable that back in 1924 when Dr Howard Peck first presented a gift of 7.2 acres of land to nine neighbors to form the Newtown Forester’s Association, deer ticks were not the problem they are today. What we call Lyme disease had not been identified 75 years ago. For a number of reasons, it may not even have been a factor.

A lot of change has taken place since those early days. Newtown is now a burgeoning town of 25,000 residents where the dual issues of growth and increasing taxes are hotly debated.

At the same time, Newtown Forest Association (NFA) has grown in size and scope. It is now a well-known, private, nonprofit landholding organization with a lot of visibility. Its many property signs mark the more than 1,000 acres of preserved habitat, trails, meadows, and wetlands that have over the years been gifted to the association, either as outright donations or as a permanent easements.

Since these properties have been deeded over to Newtown Forest Association, they can never be developed –– thereby adding significant acreage to the growing inventory of natural, unspoiled landscape set aside for future generations.

Along with their stewardship of these properties, NFA board members have become concerned with the proliferation of deer and deer ticks that cause Lyme disease in those places where there is public access. They have decided to use the forum of their annual spring meeting to further explore the ecology of the ticks and to hear about possible control options.

The NFA Annual Meeting and membership drive will begin at 7:30 pm Tuesday, May 11, at The Inn at Newtown. The evening will begin with a business meeting to be followed by a guest speaker, Dr Kirby C. Stafford III, chief scientist and head of the Department of Forestry and Horticulture at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

Having joined the Experiment Station in 1987, Dr Stafford’s research focuses on the ecology and control of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which transmits the agents of Lyme disease, human babesiosis, and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis.

He has correlated the increase in reported Lyme disease cases in Connecticut with an increase in the abundance of infected ticks and studied the role of mice in tick-borne disease.

Tick control research has included evaluation of least-toxic pesticides, impact of deer exclusion, and controlled burns on tick abundance, biological control, landscape modifications, and the application of small amounts of an insecticide to white-footed mice and white-tailed deer for the control of the ticks.

Dr Stafford is currently working with the Connecticut Department of Public Health and several local health departments on community-based Lyme disease prevention projects and on studies on host animal-targeted tick control. Dr Stafford will discuss the life cycle of the tick and how a homeowner might dissuade ticks from inhabiting the surrounding property.

New Members Invited

Although seating is limited Tuesday night to Newtown Forest Association membership, anyone wishing to join the land preservation group is welcome to attend. Membership dues are $15 for an individual and $20 for a family membership.

The public is encouraged to join and to support the ongoing efforts of open space preservation.

To reserve a seat, contact NFA at PO Box 213, Newtown CT 06470, or NewtownForest@netscape.net.