I direct people to the tick bulletin in this months town mailing. Last year at this time, there were 46 cases of Lyme. This year only 18. LESS THAN HALF. This means the special hunt is working and we are reducing the herd to a more manageable size. Long time gardeners here have already noticed that shrubs are not being eaten to the roots like they were before we extended the archery hunt which we did before we instituted the shotgun hunt. The report notes there is secondary Lyme. Those two people were infected more than a year ago, before the second year of the hunt. Of course Lyme went up on the second year of the special hunt. When Monhegan eradicated its deer herd, Lyme cases ROSE the next year. Once again, Islesboro is not Monhegan. Monhegans deer were imported. Our deer swim over or walk on ice from other islands and the mainland. Monhegan is one square mile. Islesboro is 14 square miles and many, many land owners will refuse to allow a sharp shooter on their land. You will not eradicate the deer here using a sharp shooter. After many meetings and painful discussions, islanders came up with a deer reduction plan THAT IS WORKING. People should let it continue. After the third year of the hunt, we will do a count and then reevaluate our options. If you are afraid of Lyme, eliminate the barberry on your land, use Deet products, check yourself for ticks and if you ever get a fever without respiratory symptoms seek medical attention. And do yourself a favor and get a flu shot, because thats more likely to kill you than Lyme disease is. I urge all islanders to attend the special town meeting on August 21 and vote against allowing a sharp shooter on the island. The current plan is working and is ecologically sound.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 23:38:13 +0000
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