Community Science Project: Ticks, Climate & Public Health

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are a highly relevant issue across the state of Maine as they are becoming increasingly common due to warmer winters and wetter summers. As we heard increasing interest among youth and communities we choose to dive deeper into this local phenomenon at our state wide Connected Learning Ecosystem summer event. Informal and formal educators throughout the state came together to explore out-of-school and classroom activities about ticks, dragged for ticks in various ecosystems, and explored tick related state climate data.

During the event, several educators from various learning settings signed up to pilot the 4-H Tick Project, a community science project engaging K-12 youth and educators through collaborations with 4-H Youth Development, University of Maine Cooperative Extension TickLab, and Maine Forest Tick Survey. Youth dragging for ticks in multiple ecosystems over time allows them to experience data collection, exploration, and analysis, whilst contributing to the Maine Tick Survey, a multi-year, multidisciplinary community science project that examines how forest land management practices impact tick populations and disease risk across Maine. The partnership with UMaine Diagnostic Research Laboratory Tick Lab allows for identification and disease testing of the ticks youth collected via sampling, which is then sent back to educators and youth to use.

Five educators from four counties took part in the 4-H Tick Project pilot and successfully dragged for ticks with youth. Educators received tick drags, vials for specimens, tweezers, tick spoons, tick ID cards, and stopwatches. They also received a data collection sheet and detailed collection protocol.

Educators also utilized LENE materials and resources, such as the Tick Memory Game and the Life of a Tick game from the Gulf of Maine Research Institutes Ticks, Disease, and Climate learning module. Youth enjoyed getting outside and educators got a sense that collecting for ticks allowed youth to feel more in control of their relationship with ticks, compared to finding ticks on them. One 7th grader who took part in the pilot said, “it was gross, terrifying, and really fun” after dragging for ticks in invasive knotweed. This project also allowed youth to develop communication, data literacy, and tick ID skills. One youth said “they look like nymphs” while examining ticks in a vial their group collected in the woods.

The Tick Project has sense taken off with contributions from 11 counties and over 1300 youth across the state of maine