Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Alaska Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for technical assistance to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on ticks and tick-borne diseases in wildlife. Specifically, research to develop integrated approaches to tick management that include tick biocontrol, wildlife species management, and wildlife habitat management. This research will be integrated into an interjurisdictional approach to ticks on wildlife in northern New England. Within the tick ecological community, the focus will be on winter ticks that significantly impact moose populations, the invasive Asian longhorned tick that affects domestic animals, and ticks of public health importance (e.g., blacklegged tick, lonestar tick) that are detected on wildlife or use wildlife as a bloodmeal source. Co-production of a regional tick surveillance sampling strategy and coordination with federal, state, and tribal natural resource management agencies will be critical to avoid duplicity of effort and ensure actionable science is conducted to inform decision-makers. Following consultation with federal and state agencies, the efficacy of tick biocontrol methods in the field will be evaluated. The CESU Partner will partner with USGS to assess potential non-target effects of the biocontrol on wildlife and the environment. To ensure, long-term interjurisdictional capacity to monitor for ticks and tick-borne diseases, the recipient will partner with USGS on training workshops for biologists and technicians at natural resource management agencies. The recipient will actively participate in multi-sectoral and interjurisdictional workshops and meetings related to regional tick-borne disease management, especially those facilitated by USGS. The recipient will partner with USGS on public outreach during Vector Week and the development of educational resources for teachers. Information dissemination will include federal reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts, presentations, and participation in meetings with federal, state, and tribal natural resource management agencies. This collaboration will advance our efforts to understand the changing dynamics of ticks and tick-borne disease in northern New England and implement actionable science to support interjurisdictional integrated tick management.