Ticks have a natural antifreeze system that helps them survive cold — even severe cold — weather. "Ticks lying underneath the snow pack could be larvae, nymphs or adults,” said Dr. Stephen Rich, a microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “Adults will be active as soon as the snow melts and temps warm,” he said. “Nymphs will follow in late May/June.” (Cape Cod Times 1/13/18)
News from the Media
Experts Dash Hopes That Frigid Temps Will Kill Local Ticks
January 13, 2018
MassWildlife Proposes Limits on Dogs in Preservation Areas, UMass Professor Weighs in
January 10, 2018
After repeated complaints regarding negative and unsafe encounters with unleashed dogs and issues with dog waste, MassWildlife is now taking action. They’ve proposed regulations that require dogs to be leashed and their waste to be removed from wildlife management areas. UMass professor Paige Warren offers comments. (Hampshire Gazette 1/9/18)
Release of 1 Million Gallons of Sewage into Nantucket Harbor a 'Serious Concern,' UMass Professor comments
January 8, 2018
The release of over 1 million gallons of raw sewage into Nantucket Harbor following a sewer main break on Thursday could cause significant harm to the harbor's ecosystem and shellfish populations, according to a University of Massachusetts Amherst professor of environmental conservation, Timothy Randhir. (Masslive 1/6/18)
Winter Moth May Become a Non-Pest Says Professor Elkinton
January 3, 2018
“We are in the process of turning the winter moth into a non-pest,” said Joe Elkinton, professor in the Agricultural Engineering Department at UMass Amherst, who heads an effort to control the winter moth with the Cyzenis albicans fly. (Wicked Local Ipswich 12/27/17)
CAFE’s Clean Energy Extension Works on Large Battery Project at UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst has been awarded a $1.1 million state grant from the Advancing Commonwealth Energy Storage project to work with Tesla Energy to construct a large battery at the Central Heating Plant. Working with Tesla and the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment’s Clean Energy Extension, the goal is to reduce peak energy demand on the Amherst campus and related costs. (Business West12/8/17, Energy Manager Today 12/8/17, Masslive/Springfield Republican 12/7/17, Commonwealth magazine 12/7/17, WBUR 12/7/17, State House News Service 12/7/17, Electrek 12/10/17, Framingham Source 12/8/17, Daily Hampshire Gazette 12/13/17, Greenfield Recorder 12/14/17)
Sylvia Discusses Wild Cranberry Bogs
November 22, 2017
Martha Sylvia, a research technician at the University of Massachusetts Cranberry Station in Wareham and scientists have studied the wild bogs in Provincetown and Truro for the last 25 years, in part to learn how a bog behaves without the cultivation practices used in cranberry farming. (Cape Cod Times11/22/17)
Sandler Discusses Cranberry Growing on Public Radio
November 23, 2017
Technology in cranberry farming has come a long way in just a handful of years. Hillary Sandler, director of the Cranberry Station at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, explains how drones, lasers and smartphones are used to grow and harvest cranberries. (WUMW 11/23/17)
UMass Amherst Food Scientists Find Transient Effects on Gut Microbiome
December 20, 2017
Antimicrobial compounds added to preserve food during storage are believed to be benign and non-toxic to the consumer, but there is “a critical scientific gap in understanding the potential interactions” they may have with the hundreds of species of microbes in our intestines, say David Sela, a nutritional microbiologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and colleagues. (Globe, 12/20/17; Technology Networks, 12/19/17; News Office release)
UMass Chemist Tracy Allen and Staff Analyze Soil Across the U.S.
December 18, 2017
Tracy Allen, chemist and supervisor, UMass Soil Laboratory, discusses soil samples the lab tests for and amendment recommendations made across the country. (Gazette 12/15/17)
Developing a New Mosquito Control District in the Pioneer Valley, Stephen Rich Comments
December 13, 2017
Rich says the biggest health threat from mosquitoes is the spread of West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, which is very rare but untreatable and often fatal. (Gazette 12/13/17)