Very Important! ! !
We are ALL Aware that Ticks are Serious Health Hazard.
On June 16th at 9am I was walking with my mom on the Beaver Island
It was a beautiful day and the sun was warm, it was a great new experience, lots of good sniffs.
When I got home my mom noticed that I was covered with ticks, I think at least 45.
Actually she found more on Saturday, Sunday and one more this morning. . . .
Fortunately I only way 12 pounds and I am a very calm and friendly puppy
so it was easy for her to find and remove the ticks. Can you image some of
other dogs we met along the path? And if their owner didn't find the ticks
right away, those ticks could have infested an entire house . . .
How can we as Responsible Citizens Address the Problem?
Recently New York State had to be begged to cut the grass. . .
The land adjoining the Beaver Island Parkway and the West River Parkway
has been neglected throughout the spring, until finally with a fair
amount of nagging from the Town, they cut the grass. Most of the sections
were at least three feet tall. In reality it caused serious concerns at
the intersections crossing over the Parkway, the grass blocked the view of
cars trying to enter traffic. In addition to that specific problem the long
grass is a breeding ground for insects and rodents.
It is widely accepted that the two actually work together to increase the
tick population. It is also widely accepted that ticks carry Lyme Disease.
There have multiple requests to the State for a committment to future maintenance of
State properties along both Parkways. In the many communications and public
meetings with the State the only committment we have been able to recieve
is 2-5 times a year. We all know what that means, at least two times.
Honestly if your neighbor only cut their grass twice a year you would be outragged.
It seems the only people that are outragged are people that live adjacent to the
States property. For argument sake pretend you are one of those people.
So you go the Town and you ask that your neighbor cuts their grass, the Town
suggests they have no way to force them to cut it. A courtesy call maybe from a
Town Official but no way to force them to cut their grass. Maybe you are one
of the many responsible citizens that cut their neighbors grass? Out of Courtesy?
With all the discussion and fancy renderings regarding the new propossed path
along the West River, supposedly opening up that beautiful space to islanders
it is clearly not a welcoming space when the grass is 3 feet tall infested with ticks.
This is a serious issue and it needs a serious committment from the State!
As a Town or a concerned citizen we need to make our voices heard and before
the State moves forward with any project. A committment to something as basic
as cutting the grass in IMPERATIVE.
Your Suggestions are Welcome!
Please Email: giccfrg@roadrunner.com with your suggestions.