• Deer Tick ↓
• Dog Tick ↓
• Lone Star Tick ↓

The Martha’s Vineyard tick-borne illness reduction initiative has run out of funds, and barring an influx of money will have to shut down after this summer, program director Richard Johnson confirmed.

A post-summer report says tick populations are up, especially the newest species of disease-carrying arachnid to invade Martha’s Vineyard: the lone star tick.

Lone star tick nymphs and adults are spreading and increasing in numbers, data from the MV Tick Programs 2018 yard surveys shows.

The recent death of a seasonal resident with an apparent case of tularemia has sparked renewed discussion about tick-borne illnesses.

The archery season for deer will be extended by two weeks in an area of the state that includes the Vineyard, state officials announced last week.

Dukes County and the Island boards of health are sponsoring a Martha’s Vineyard Tick Fair on Saturday, July 28.

Maps prepared by cartographer Chris Seidel document the spread of deer ticks, dog ticks and lone star ticks.

Island hunters took nearly 800 deer during the 2017 deer hunting season, the highest harvest in at least 16 years, according to recently released state data.

Shotgun hunting season began Monday, and the weigh station was busy this week with hunters, biologists collecting ticks, and a new deer donation program.