Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

So new tick-borne virus, no tests available. So 50 deer per square mile, 100 square miles, that’s 5,000 deer on the Vineyard. The way I hear it, no deer equals no ticks. As I have said before, 5,000 — given certain changes in regulations — 75 per cent of that sounds like a doable number, very doable, over the course of several years.

Bloodthirsty? Not as thirsty as the ticks.

I would hate to lose our very successful tick-raising operation in Chappaquonsett, but won’t stand in the way of progress.

Christopher Gray, New York