Juliana Berube, previous CRU graduate student, uses a technique developed by the Penobscot Nation to sample ticks from the vegetation.

Moose populations (Alces alces) in New England are experiencing reduced birth rates, and lower than normal calf and adult survival caused by severe winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) infestations. In the early spring of bad years, it is common to see “Ghost Moose” which are skeletal, and nearly hairless. The ghastly appearance of these moose combined with the population effects of the ticks has caused alarm by moose managers and the public in affected area.

USGS researchers at the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, on the campus of University of Massachusetts, are partnering with Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, University of New Hampshire, and the Penobscot Nation, to monitor winter tick distribution and abundance and help understand effective adaptation and mitigation strategies to prevent negative effects on moose populations.

Under the leadership of the Penobscot Nation and with technical support from the USGS, researchers have co-created an effective method for monitoring winter tick distribution and abundance in brushy moose habitat. Researchers reviewed the tick literature and found common analysis methods lacked rigor and developed an effective way to analyze a common type of tick abundance data gathered from flag/drag surveys.