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A photo of a student performing tick research

UMaine seeks to thwart ticks by helping landowners weed out invasive forest plants

Ask anyone who frequents the forests of New England and they will likely speak of unwelcome companions — ticks. Blacklegged ticks are expanding their range and rising in numbers, infecting people with pathogens that cause conditions like Lyme disease and babesiosis. Climate change is frequently blamed, but researchers have noticed another man-made problem may be […]

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Morning Star interviews Burnham on fishery industry changes

The Maine Morning Star interviewed Theresa Burnham, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Maine School of Marine Sciences, on how the fishery industry is changing and the broader impact of those changes on the economy. “There are fewer variable professional fishermen than there were 20 years ago, but there are more fishermen fishing […]

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Press Herald, WABI interview Mech on browntail moth expectations for spring

The Portland Press Herald and WABI (Channel 5)  interviewed Angela Mech, assistant professor of forest entomology at the University of Maine, on the possibility for Mainers to see smaller browntail moth populations this spring than in previous years. Mech said she is “cautiously optimistic,” and that a fungus devastated populations this past summer. She and […]

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Maine Public interviews Dill on rate of tick borne diseases in 2024

Maine Public interviewed Griffin Dill, integrated pest management specialist who manages the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Lab, on the midcoast is experiencing the highest rates of tick borne diseases in the state and how climate change is impacting tick populations. Dill said the deer tick is prone to drying out, so it seeks […]

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BDN highlights UMaine research in 2024 overview of PFAS mitigation efforts

The Bangor Daily News highlighted research from the University of Maine in 2024 that aided statewide efforts to research, inform and protect communities from a group of chemicals known as PFAS. UMaine efforts include research to develop coatings free of PFAS for food wrappers and other paper products by using seaweed and tree pulp; and […]

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Kennebec Journal interviews Birkel on extreme weather in Maine

The Kennebec Journal interviewed Maine state climatologist Sean Birkel on how extreme weather patterns, such as the December 2023 flooding along the Kennebec River, will affect Maine in the future. Birkel said events like the flooding last December will get more severe with climate change. “We’re much more uncertain about the frequency part,” Birkel said. […]

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Press Herald cites overdose statistics from state, UMaine partnership

The Portland Press Herald cited a data visualization on drug overdose deaths compiled with data from the Monthly Overdose Report from the Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the University of Maine. The visualization showed a year-to-year decrease in overdose deaths starting in 2023 and the potential for the state to have the […]

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