Friday, September 9 @ 12pm

Location: The Sheldon Barn, in the back of the Sheldon Garden

Free and Open to the public, seating is limited, first come-first served; bring a bag lunch if you’d like!

This event is sponsored by Table 21.

The Henry Sheldon Museum presents, “The Ecology of Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases,” a talk by David Allen, Associate Professor of biology at Middlebury College. Allen studies the ecological, climate, and landscape factors which determine tick-borne disease risk. He uses a mix of fieldwork, lab-based and modeling methods. Over the last two decades tick populations and cases of tick-borne diseases (like Lyme disease) have increased dramatically in Vermont. Tick populations are influenced by a complex set of biotic (e.g., deer and mouse populations) and abiotic (e.g., climate) drivers. As a result, it is hard to say what is responsible for the dramatic change to tick populations. This talk will present a brief introduction to tick biology. Allen will also discuss his research trying to understand what drives tick-borne disease risk in Vermont.