Project: "Biocontrol methods to reduce tick populations". We are exploring the effectiveness of various biological organisms, especially fungi that attack arthropods, in reducing survival and reproduction of ticks. The purpose is to seek environmentally safe and effective alternatives to chemical pesticides, as well as to explore appropriate means of delivering biocontrol agents to maximize their impact on tick populations.
Collaborators: Elyes Zhioua (Univ. of Rhode Island), Vicki Hornbostel (IES), Michael Benjamin (IES)
Funding sources: Dutchess County, NY, National Institutes of Health

Project: "Community and population based intervention program to prevent Lyme disease combined with a novel approach to reduce vector tick populations". We are employing several techniques to reduce tick populations and Lyme disease incidence in Dutchess County, NY. These include education, active surveillance for Lyme disease among health care professionals, and application of pesticides to both deer and small mammals that host vector ticks.
Collaborators: The American Lyme Disease Foundation, the Dutchess County Department of Health, Dutchess County Community Advisory Board
Funding source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Project: "Biodiversity, habitat fragmentation, and Lyme disease risk". We are assessing the role of habitat fragmentation, forest fragment size, and other landscape features on vertebrate communities directly, and on ticks and tick infection prevalence indirectly. This research is conducted in the northeastern and midAtlantic regions of the U.S.
Collaborators: Felicia Keesing (Bard College), Kathleen LoGiudice (Union College), Kenneth Schmidt (Texas Tech University), Henry John-Alder (Rutgers University), Raymond Winchcombe (IES)
Funding source: National Institutes of Health

Project: "Of moths and mice: the influence of dispersal distance and local predation risk on persistence of a sparse prey". This project assesses the impact of dispersal behavior by gypsy moths and predatory behavior by white-footed mice on the local and regional population dynamics of the moths, which are an important forest pest.
Collaborators: Clive Jones (IES), Brett Goodwin (Univ. of North Dakota), Eric Schauber (Southern Illinois University)
Funding source: National Science Foundation

Project: "Incidental predation in songbirds: using behavioral indicators to determine ecological processes and scales". We are assessing the role of predatory behavior and space use by small rodents in the survival of songbird nests and their consequent population dynamics.
Collaborator: Kenneth Schmidt (Texas Tech University)
Funding source: National Science Foundation

Project: "Pulsed resources and the dynamics of rodents, ticks, and Lyme-disease risk in oak forests". This study consists of long-term monitoring of acorn production, rodents, ticks, and Lyme disease infection probabilities in oak forests of Dutchess County, NY.
Collaborators: Charles Canham (IES), Felicia Keesing (Bard College), Kelly Oggenfuss (IES)
Funding sources: National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health