News from the Media

Gypsy moths are defoliating trees on Cape Cod and across southern New England, increasing fire risk. Tawny Simisky, UMass Amherst entomology specialist, comments. (fox25boston 6/27/16)

Gov. Charlie Baker declared June 20–26 as “Massachusetts Pollinator Week.” In support of this declaration, a celebration was held at UMass Amherst’s Agricultural Learning Center to open the first state apiary.

John Lebeaux, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources; Daniel Sieger, Massachusetts assistant secretary for the environment; and Kim Skyrm, state apiary inspector, examined full Langstroth bee frames. (Lancaster Farming News 6/24/16, Republican 6/24/16)

AMHERST, Mass. (WWLP) – UMass Amherst is home to a laboratory that tests ticks from around the country, but a local program called Tick Report partners with cities and towns to subsidize the costs of tick testing. The town pays $1,500 and up to 100 residents can pay just $15 to get a tick tested. Normally it’s a $50 fee.

Stephen Rich, Director of the Laboratory of Medical Zoology, told 22News, “More deer means more ticks and more ticks mean more disease. You have basically up to 24 hours in the case of Lyme disease to pull the tick off and prevent exposure. (WWLP.com 06/16/16)

A new interactive mapping tool developed by Kevin McGarigal and his graduate students at the UMass Landscape Ecology Lab is available to land trusts as they make strategic decisions about a major conservation vision for the Connecticut River watershed. “Connect the Connecticut” will help conservation groups in four New England states prioritize and coordinate land acquisition efforts within the 11,250 square-mile watershed, with an eye toward habitat resiliency in the face of climate change. (Republican 6/7/16)

"Make it Springfield started as an idea of how to revitalize vacant space," said Michael DiPasquale, an assistant professor in the University of Massachusetts  Extension and Program Director of the UMass Design Center in Springfield. "We wanted to have a presence on the street. This is the first time we've had a chance to take over a storefront on the street. We are piloting some ideas here." (MassLive 6/1/16)

Stephen Rich, director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Laboratory of Medical Zoology, says this is peak season for ticks and offers advice for protecting against the pests. (Recorder, 5/30/16)

BOSTON — A University of Massachusetts laboratory that tests ticks that people find on themselves or their pets for diseases that could possibly be passed on is stepping up its efforts as tick season kicks into high gear.

The Laboratory of Medical Zoology in Amherst is partnering with about two dozen towns in the state to offer discounted tick testing that lab director Steve Rich said can help treatment of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.  (Globe 5/22/16, Herald 5/22/16,  Republican, Recorder 5/22/16, Berkshire Eagle 5/22/16, CBS Boston, WFXT-TV (Fox 25) Boston 5/22/16)

 "We haven't seen any blossoms yet, but I think a lot of our peach blossoms are dead... It doesn't look like we'll have much of a crop this year," said Peter Morton, manager of Autumn Hill Orchards in Groton. Because there are many farms that grow peaches in Massachusetts, the extent of the loss is hard to track, but for Jon Clements, a tree fruit specialist working for UMass Amherst's Extension Fruit Program, the damage could affect the entire state, as well as Connecticut and Rhode Island. (Nashoba Valley Voice 5/16/16)

The Keystone Project holds an annual training for volunteer champions for conservation in their communities, held in April at the Harvard Forest in Petersham. It is sponsored by UMass Extension and the UMass Department of Environmental Conservation. Plymouth Wicked Local, 5/2/16