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Eco-Skiing - White Resorts Go Even Greener

As skiers flock to snow-covered trails this winter, more ski resorts are going greener to save energy and support the environment. Arapahoe Basin, in Colorado, recently received a National Ski Areas Association Sustainable Slopes grant for retrofitting its base area lighting that will annually slice off an estimated 53,000-plus kilowatt hours of usage. A-Basin, Vail Resorts and others in the area provide their restaurants’ used vegetable oil to outside companies for recycling into biofuels. Aspen, Vail, Copper Mountain and other Colorado resorts installed more photovoltaic solar arrays on buildings prior to the current season.

Stratton Mountain Ski Resort, in Vermont, installed a 1,500-horsepower electric snowmaking air compressor last summer, replacing a diesel model. Purchased in consultation with the statewide energy utility Efficiency Vermont, it delivers more cubic feet of air per minute using less, and cleaner, energy. Since 2009, the state’s Bolton Valley ski area, plus Jiminy Peak and Berkshire East, both in Massachusetts, have all installed wind turbines to generate energy. Sarah Wojcik, director of public affairs at the Vermont Ski Areas Association, attests that resorts are doing their part to keep mountains green.

Sources: nsaa.org, SkiVermont.com

Global Briefs
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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