He started off by saying that even the Dalai Lama hates ticks. While that is difficult to verify, it could be true — but Buddhist teaching frowns on the killing of any living thing.

By the end of entomologist Larry Dapsis’ talk “One Bite Can Change Your Life,” at the WHRHS Performing Arts Center Wednesday, June 28, one could assume few came away with a Buddhist outlook on the issue of ticks and the infectious diseases they help spread, but they had some advice on how to prevent being bitten.

“This is a beautiful summer evening, and I can’t think of a better way to spend it than by having a very robust discussion of infectious diseases,” he said.

The talk, sponsored by the Plymouth County Beekeepers Association focused on protecting oneself, one’s yard and pets from pathogens that cause Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis relapsing fever and Powassan virus carried by ticks found in the region. Dapsis holds degrees in environmental science from Fitchburg State University and in entomology from UMass, Amherst. He has worked with the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Service for six years and 24 years in the cranberry industry with Ocean Spray before that. He stressed that, prior to joining the Cooperative Extension Service, he had little experience with ticks.

“I had a very vertical learning curve,” he said. “To address that, I read everything I could get my paws on, and talked with a ton of people. I had to figure out what the landscape really looked like.”

Even the word “tick” elicits a visceral response from people.

“When I say people hate them, I mean everybody hates them,” he said invoking the Dalai Lama. “When a gentle soul like the Dalai Lama turns his back on a form of life on this planet, that is a headline.”

Dapsis said the Dalai Lama had tweeted out his disdain for ticks a few years ago. True or not, who could blame him?

The six New England states rank in the top spots on most lists for the incidence of Lyme disease in the United States over several three-year average studies.

“If there is any question that we are living at Ground Zero with this problem, this should take it off the table right away,” he said.

While Barnstable County used to regularly rank at the top for Lyme in the state, Plymouth County has overtaken Barnstable in that statistic.

Part of the credit for Barnstable’s improvement has been its aggressive work against the Lyme vector.

He has advocated the hiring of an entomologist for Plymouth County, and that position has been budgeted with the expectation that one should be hired by this fall.

During a question session after his talk, Dapsis was careful to point out he is not qualified to answer medical questions, but focused on how the insects spread diseases. While he focused on deer ticks, Dapsis noted that climate change has brought more aggressive pests such as the Lone Star tick — which hails from Texas as the name implies — and the illnesses they carry.

“We’re seeing plants and animals where we never used to see them before,” he said, noting that three years ago, the first established population of Lone Star ticks was found on the Massachusetts mainland at Sandy Neck Beach Park in West Barnstable.

Samples from the six-mile stretch revealed that Lone Star ticks “own that area” which is in a migratory bird flyway.

The concern with the Lone Star ticks is that they can see prey and run toward it, unlike the blind deer tick that has to “quest” for hosts on the end of vegetation.

“This is an aggressive biter,” Dapsis said of the Lone Star, known for laying eggs in clusters of thousands which hatch into hard-to-see nymphs that stick together. “Within minutes you can get overwhelmed with hundreds of bites and the older stages are also very aggressive. … They can run with spider-like speed. If they can see you, they’re going to chase you.”

The main danger of the Lone Star tick is that it spreads diseases such as erlichiosis and other illnesses, an http://www.tickencounter.org/images/Amblyomma_americanum.jpg can trigger a red meat allergy.

That includes any foods, including marshmallows, made with red meat or its components.

“This can range from hives to anaphylactic shock,” he said.

Once attached to a host, all ticks secrete a glue-like material to hold themselves in place until its feeding cycle, which can last for days if not detected and removed, is complete.

That cycle includes the secretion of anticoagulants into the host to ease feeding on blood as well as agents to deaden nerves to help prevent detection.

Some animals like mice, rabbits and birds known as competent hosts can harbor the Lyme disease bacteria and transfer it back into the tick population. People are among the incompetent hosts that cannot infect a tick, but are a food source for the insects.

How to protect yourself?

Dapsis advocates the liberal use of insect repellent since the highest rate of Lyme is among children ages 5 to 9 and in the senior population, who have the time to be outside. New England winters are not harsh enough to harm ticks in the winter and synthesize glycerol, a natural anti-freeze, to protect them from the cold.

Repellants are the first line of defense.

Dapsis is not a fan of all-natural products because they are not always EPA-registered. Products with DEET, eucalyptus oil or, to his preference — permethrin — which is used for treating fabric and footwear.

“It’s a real attitude adjuster,” he said. “This is the most effective tool in the box.”

Products like K-9 Advantix or Frontline or tick repellent collars can help protect your pet from the vectors. Check with your vet to determine what is best for cats.

Removing a tick should be done with pointed tweezers, grasping the insect at the head easing it out backwards.

“If you crush that tick, you just might give yourself a nasty infection,” Dapsis said. “A tick gut is full of microbes.”

Most people flush the tick down the toilet.

Instead, keep the tick, date it, and if possible send it to a lab such as the entomology department at UMass, Amherst (see tickreport.com) to determine what microbes it might be carrying. You may not test positive for an illness a tick carries, he said, but it is a “starting point for a conversation with your doctor.”

A local boy and his family are looking forward to a trip abroad to Scotland this August as the adventure of a lifetime begins for a boy who simply loves to make music.

Nathan Campbell, 8, of Halifax, will be competing in the World Pipe Band Championships before an international audience in Glassgow, Scotland in mid-August.

Nathan has been studying music for years and his instrument of choice is the bagpipes. As a member of the Colum Cille Pipes and Drums, he has played for many area events and his ability to play so well, at such a young age has impressed many.

Why the bagpipes? He saw a Highland festival and decided he would like to give the bagpipes a try.

Kim Campbell is mom to Nathan and his brother Evan, 11.  Evan is a drummer for the Colum Cille Pipes and Drums and is likewise learning the bagpipes –indirectly- she joked. She assists with cleaning and tuning the instrument with Nathan as well as driving to events and practices. The boys perform for various events and most recently Nathan performed at a cookout for residents at The Woodlands in Plympton.

The boys believe they get their musical talents from their father, Mathew, who is a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Marines. Their Scottish family history includes an heirloom kilt,  over 100 years old and dating back to their paternal great-great-grandfather in Edinburgh. The three Campbell men have had portraits done at various times in the kilt.

Nathan and his brother have been recognized by locals on the South Shore as they perform while marching along the Cape Cod Canal in Bourne where the family likes to camp.

He is learning to read and write music, clean the bagpipes, properly tune it in various temperatures and environmental influences and to always look sharp in his Highland attire.

Both boys belong to Colum Cille Pipes and Drums, located on Cape Cod, which currently has about 30 members. They wear the Cunningham Tartan in honor of their benefactor Harold Cunningham.

One of the most emotional and heartfelt moments for the Campbell family was attending the one-year memorial for the SS El Faro in Jacksonville, Fl. Nathan played Amazing Grace at services in honor of those who perished when the ship was lost.

Mathew Campbell, a chief engineer who ships out for several months or more at a time, had at one time been stationed on the SS El Faro. He knew several of the 33 shipmates who perished when the ship was lost during the 2015 Hurricane Joaquin.

During the tribute Nathan played his pipes before nearly 500 people, said mom Kim.  If he was nervous performing before the crowd it didn’t show. Both boys agreed with their mom that it was a special time for all the families to attend.

The Campbells are enthusiastic about the trip to Scotland with Nathan as it is the pinnacle of Pipe Band competiton.

Evan will be traveling to Glasgow to support his younger brother, assisting in shining and cleaning the instruments, which he is wholeheartedly looking forward to doing.

Nathan also considers himself an adventurer and having seen a special on Antarctica, he hopes one day to visit –  as long as he can bring his bagpipes.   

Atty. Richard Bowen, representing his own private practice, met with the Plympton Board of Selectmen at their meeting on Monday, June 19, 2017. The Plympton Board of Selectmen is strongly considering a potential legal partnership with Bowen as their Town Co-counsel. In this arrangement Bowen, would work alongside the law firm, Kopelman and Paige, the town’s current legal counsel.

Richard Bowen was a senior partner for Kopelman and Paige and worked there for 25 years before leaving to start his own practice. According to Bowen, there was no animosity between him and Kopelman and Paige; he believes they are a great firm.

Bowen said he just wanted to try things with a different approach, which he called “preventative medicine.” It’s a more hands-on approach that tries to work with selectmen at early stages of decision making in order to prevent law suits and any potential legal trouble.

However, Bowen said, this doesn’t mean he wants to take decision making power away from the town’s government. He said, “I’ve been a selectman. I don’t want to do it again.” Bowen also added that he’s not a policy maker, but is just “hands on.”

Another point Bowen brought up to selectmen was that he brings this sort of law practice for a small number of communities, including Wareham and Douglas. He said that being in a private practice has given him more of an opportunity to use what he called an “interactive person-to-person practice of law.” According to Bowen, a firm may be doing many more communities and it makes that personal practice much harder to achieve.

Selectmen questioned Bowen, especially about expertise on unique cases that may require a specialized skill, since he’s working in a sole practice. Selectmen Chair Christine Joy asked if there was something Bowen was not comfortable handling, would he refer the Board back to Kopelman and Paige?

Bowen said that he would have no problem doing this if what was needed landed outside his legal expertise. He said he would refer to Kopelman and Paige or anyone who would know the case better in specific circumstances.

Selectman John Traynor said he would like to try Bowen as a co-counsel on a six month trial basis. He did have some questions about comfort working with both him and Kopelman and Paige. Bowen said that would not be an issue as there is mutual respect. He emphasized that he worked there for 25 years and was happy.

Selectmen decided to proceed with Bowen. They are having a formal meeting soon to discuss how a contractual relationship with Bowen as co-town counsel would work. Depending on how things go at the meeting, Plympton selectmen voted to enter into an agreement with Bowen as their co-town counsel alongside Kopelman and Paige.

Fire Department Update

Fire Chief Warren Borsari met with selectmen asking if they could transfer an older, unused police vehicle for Fire Department use.

Chief Borsari wants the SUV reassigned to the Fire Department as a service vehicle that  can be uses for required home and business inspections as well as transporting paramedics to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth to complete their required hospital hours.

Currently, the Fire Department uses ambulances for these types of services. Chief Borsari said, “I’d rather do this than send an ambulance to someone’s home.”

Selectmen asked what Police Chief Patrick Dillon thought about this proposal. According to Chief Borsari, Chief Dillon thinks this is a great idea.

The only cost for the town would be updating the insurance and a license plate transfer fee. The vehicle is a Ford Explorer with 84,000 miles on it. It also has new tires. Chief Borsari said, “It’s a good, safe vehicle that can be used for these kinds of things.”

Chief Borsari,  with selectman John Traynor, also gave an update on the hiring of part time clerical help for the Fire Department. A job description for the position is being finalized.

Traynor said he collaborated with Police Chief Dillon by using the Police Department’s format for hiring their administrative assistant. The position is for 15 hours per week and pays $15 per hour.

Other News

Town Clerk Tara Shaw brought her list of committee reappointments for the Board of Selectmen to sign, barring any changes when she speaks with the various department heads.

The Board of Selectmen has considered improving volunteerism in the town to be a major goal for 2017. Ken Thompson, Chairman for the Zoning Board of Appeals did however emphasize that attendance needs to be emphasized for those volunteering.  He’d like to see a reappointment process that takes that into account the volunteer’s ability to serve in the future..

Thompson said, “Continuances are causing issues, so it’s doing more harm than good if people miss more (meetings) than they make.” The Board kept the process the same for this year, but selectman Mark Russo also expressed a desire to change the process next year.

Selectmen decided they will interview a third hiring firm for the Town Administrator position. At the last meeting on Monday, June 12, the Board said they would make a decision at this meeting, however, the Board since learned that state law requires they interview at least three firms.

Bob Karling, Plympton’s Zoning Enforcement Officer, was sworn in as a new Planning Board member. At last week’s selectmen’s meeting Planning Board Chair Deb Anderson said naming Karling to the board would give the planning board the quorum they need to vote on items needing a super-quorum.  Karling is also the Zoning Enforcement Officer.

The next Plympton selectmen’s meeting is Monday, June 26, at 6p.m.