AP reports on USDA grant awarded to UMaine for tick research

The Associated Press reported on a $1.17 million grant awarded to University of Maine researchers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for research on protecting forest workers from tick-borne diseases. The grant will fund the development and testing of land management practices to protect forest workers, who are members of key industries in Maine but are at a greater risk of exposure to ticks and the diseases they carry, AP reports. The project is being led by Carly Sponarski, an assistant professor of human dimensions of wildlife and fisheries conservation, and Allison Gardner, an assistant professor of arthropod vector biology. Maine Public and WABI (Channel 5) carried the AP article, and MainebizLymeDisease.org and Morning Ag Clips carried a UMaine release about the grant.