Site Discussions

The areas in the migratory flyways for ducks and geese are where Lyme disease has been well documented since the late 1970’s. There was a lengthy article in Scientific American in late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s. At Cornell University there was a Dr. Aaron Moen who did deer population studies at numerous locations in North America, and correlated the deer densities when transfer of disease normally in animals are transferred to humans (often through intermediate hosts as the mouse). He believed that having deer populations in the range of 10% to 20% of annual new growth available for deer consumption should be the goal in order to minimize disease transfer. Unfortunately, Fish and Wildlife want to manage populations at 100% of carrying capacity to optimize hunter success i.e. sell more licenses. The public that wants to “save Bamby”, does not realize that deer multiply faster than rabbits as long as food is available. A doe will have one offspring in her first year, and if food is available will have twins or triplets each year for the next 12-14 years. You do the math. The denser the people populations are at the wildlife interface, bad disease things will appear. I worked with Dr. Moen for twelve years on a deer study and population management on a privately owned 14,000 acre research forest in Kentucky. Results could be seen and documented within 24 months.
The bad thing about the Lyme Disease bacteria is, being very similar to that causing syphilis, and living in the nervous system; what will be the long term medical outcome, with or without proper diagnosis, and treatment, we still do not know…dementia and ultimately death. Not a pleasant thought, but a reality. Mac.

I’m a 49 year-old man who was diagnosed last August with what appears to be chronic Lyme Disease.  I say “appears to be chronic” because of the 10 or so co-infections; the extensive progression of the disease that SPECT and MRI studies of my brain have revealed; and because I have no clue just when I was infected - it could have been YEARS AGO!
Anyway, after 8 months of treatment, including a complete change in diet; dietary supplements; and about 100,000 milligrams of doxycycline, I’m beginning to feel relief from the (almost exclusively) mental effects of this devastating disease.  But the hard part for me is knowing when I can safely discontinue taking antibiotics (though I do intend to maintain the healthier lifestyle I’ve learned and internalized through all of this).  Does anyone have any experience with long-term treatment, and if/when it is ever safe to discontinue 400-mg/day antibiotic use.  I’m very concerned about some of the studies I’ve found that indicate that long-term antibiotic use can be harmful.  Thanks.

Requesting permission to include this article when I mail out information to people with questions about Lyme Disease and Deer Ticks.

Excellent article!
Thank you.

Lois Legendre
Lyme Alert, Inc.
307 Front Street
Richmond, Maine 04357
PH: 207-737-2205
http://www.lymealert.com

A very clear update on the updating of wood boilers. About time. I suppose I will be next in line to get one installed in my house. At present I have an oil burner, which is a cash cow for the oil suppliers, and as far as I am concerned, is draining away all my savings.

Hey all,

I like this article.  You definitely helped readers understand something about how researchers and foresters count trees without giving them the big load of trigonometry and calculus I had to work through in forestry school.

Unfortunately, you missed on one important (to a forester) “point”.  When using a penny or other type of angle gage, your eye remains over a central point, not the penny.  Foresters usually use a prism calibrated to bend light at the same angle you created with the penny and string.  Because the angle is projected from the prism, the prism stays over one point.  When you use a penny, the angle is projected from your eye and defined by the width of the penny and length of the string.

Thanks for the great work you do informing all of us about forests.

—Jon

I certainly understand your being frightened after being told such a large animal is in your neighborhood.

You (or your neighbor) might want to contact the NY Department of Environmental Conservation to let them know about this animal. Just a heads-up: people tend to misjudge the size of animals, particularly predators. From what I’ve heard from scientists in the field, chances are good this animal is actually smaller that it appears.

I think it’s important to keep your livestock safe no matter what type of animals are in your neighborhood. Not being a farmer myself, I checked out the NY DEC Web site for info on livestock protection and found this:

“It is much easier to prevent depredation from occurring than it is to stop it once it starts. Contact your Regional DEC Wildlife Office or the USDA APHIS - Wildlife Services, 1930 Route 9, Castleton NY 12033, Phone (518) 477-4837 or visit their web site for more information.”

There are some basic things that everyone who lives near wildlife can do: don’t feed pets outside, don’t let pets roam free, don’t approach wild animals, keep your garbage locked up tight, keep an eye on your children, and make sure they know never to approach any strange animal without the animal owner’s permission.

My neighbor said he saw a really large coyote the other night, however he said it looked like it weighed about 80lbs. or more. Is it possible that it may be a wolf. I have baby goats and other animals on my farm that would be easy prey if it is a wolf. Please reply soon I am concerned and want to know what I should do if it is a wolf. I stay at home alone with my 2 & 5 year olds and want to take the proper actions. Please email me if you can, I think people in the neighborhood are also concerned, including the hunters.