Supervisor Jim Dougherty told the committee last Thursday that testing of initial deer samples showed no traces of permethrin “either on the hide or internally.”
Committee member Bill Zitek added that he did not know how long permethrin would stay on a deer's hide after an application of a 10 percent solution from a 4-poster feeding station. But in his opinion, permethrin degrades “pretty quickly.” The town has agreed to pay for another round of sampling to be tested at an independent lab, and not by Cornell University, as requested by 4-poster opponents Bill Smith, Richard Kelly and Frank Vecchio during the October 7 budget work session.
The critics also questioned the infection rates of the Island's ticks, and the committee members followed up. According to a 2006 study that committee member Scott Campbell coauthored, 19 of 50 male lone star ticks and 8 of 50 females were shown to carry Ehrlichia chaffeensis, which causes ehrlichiosis. The numbers were three and two for Ehrlichia ewingii, another form of the disease-carrying agent. These results placed Shelter Island third of six Long Island sites in terms of females and the highest rate by far for males for the Ehrlichia chaffeensis strain and tops for both sexes for the Ehrlichia ewingii strain.
Adult black legged ticks carrying Lyme disease, Dr. Cambell said, have pathogen rates between 35 and 40 percent. He added that rates on Shelter Island “can vary year to year depending on ecological circumstances.”
Testing on the most recent tick samples, taken by Cornell entomologist Dan Gilrein this past summer, has yet to start, according to Dr. Campbell. The process involves grinding the ticks to extract DNA to see what pathogens, if any, the ticks were carrying.
The test results will be incorporated in reports on the initial effects of 4-posters. But committee members emphasized the need to follow proper protocols in order to generate meaningful test results. According to Chairwoman Rae Lapides, protocol is not being followed in Barnstable, Massachusetts, where a similar 4-poster study is being conducted. That study includes 75 4-poster feeding stations but committee member Bill Zitek said there are lots of restrictions and that the scientist overseeing the study, Dave Simser, “couldn't get to them all” for maintenance.
During last Thursday's meeting, Ms. Lapides referred to Mr. Simser as “a one-man band.”
Mr. Simser told the Reporter two years ago that he could only have the 4-posters in place between April 1 and September 30 although the prime feeding times for adult ticks occurs between March and May and again between mid-September and December. “That's the time to be treating the deer,” 4-poster developer Mat Pound told the Reporter then. “They are not doing so, so to me it's not being run to its optimum.”
To do so here will cost the town $154,950 according to a presentation made by committee member Janalyn Travis-Messer at last week's Town Board work session. That total represents a decrease relative to 2008 costs of $8,000 (not $6,000 as reported last week) and more cuts are being sought. In her role on the Deer and Tick Foundation, Ms. Lapides spoke to a Long Island representative of Purina Mills about possible corn donations. The representative sounded enthusiastic and would research whether donations might be a possibility, Ms. Lapides reported.
Police Chief James Read said he would like to see the foundation get the donation. However, he said the town would continue to pursue outside bids for corn.