The April 11, 2019 Roach-Bauer Forestry Forum is pleased to announce that Nicole Chinnici, Laboratory Director of the Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory in East Stroudsurg, Pa., will present an update of the latest developments on ticks in the eastern United States and their implications to wood workers and recreationists. The title of her presentation is “Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases in PA.” The Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory is an integrated service of the Department of Biological Sciences within East Stroudsburg University. The Lab utilizes state-of-the-art genotyping equipment and can differentiate genetic variation with and among populations and species of wildlife for biological and forensic applications.
Ms. Chinnici’s expertise at the Lab includes handling wildlife forensic casework, creating and managing wildlife forensic databases, and mentoring students in molecular biology research including population genetics. Nicole assists in prevalence studies of diseases associated with black-legged ticks.
Ms. Chinnici’s presentation will be of interest to forest managers, foresters, biologists, loggers, and all recreationists using the forests. Several species of ticks thrive in Pennsylvania forests, posing health threats to humans and pets by transmitting pathogens, such as Lyme’s disease, through tick bites. The presentation will cover tick biology and trends, and steps that hose working or recreation in the woods can take to minimize their exposure to tick bites and tick-borne pathogens.
Continuing Forestry Education credits apply to this presentation.
Ms. Chinnici has served as the Lead Facilitator of the PA Lyme Resource Network since January of 2015. She started at the Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory in May of 2013, and became the Director in September of 2017. Nicole received her certification as a Certified Wildlife Forensic Scientist from the Society of Wildlife Forensic Science in December of 2107.
The Forum will be held at Grandma Bair’s Conference Center at 608 North Fraley Street, downtown Kane, and the conference center shares a parking lot with the Save-A-Lot grocery store.
Preceding the talk will be a no-host social hour from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The program will start immediately after dinner. Reservations are required! Early reservations received on or before Thursday, March 28, are $25.00. Reservations from March 29 through April 4 will cost $30.00. No reservations will be accepted after April 4. The cost for full-time students pursuing a natural resource degree is $10.00. For reservations, contact the Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, PO Box 133, Kane, Pa., 16735, at 814-837-8550 or FAX 814-837-4950, or e-mail hardwood@penn.com.