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Goat Groundskeepers

A Chew Crew Gobbles Up Invasive Species

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Historic Congressional Cemetery, permanent resting place of J. Edgar Hoover, John Philip Sousa and 68,000 others, is threatened by invasive species such as poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, kudzu and English ivy. “They are plants not native to Washington, D.C.,” says Paul Williams, president of the cemetery. “They climb and kill our trees, which then fall onto the cemetery, damaging our headstones.” Instead of using harmful herbicides that could become runoff into the nearby Anacostia River, managers have enlisted a herd of 30 goats to combat the problem. The arrangement lets the native plants grow to support pollinating insects.

The University of Georgia’s Chew Crew, comprising 40 goats, is likewise tasked with getting rid of invasive species growing around urban streams on its campus, another example of the elegant, low-tech solution. Maintaining steep inclines and other hard-to-reach areas can be expensive when using toxic herbicides and physical labor. After seeing the success of the Chew Crew, Clemson University is now also using goats to naturally recover some of the more overgrown areas of its campus. Source: CNN

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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