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Council grants permission for noninvasive tick sampling at Horseshoe Nature Preserve
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Summary
The council approved a request from River University researchers to conduct noninvasive field sampling of ticks at Horseshoe Nature Preserve between July and September 2025 for a genomic Lyme‑disease study; council sought public notice and no Conservation Commission referral was required.
MERRIMACK, N.H. — The Town Council granted permission for a River University biology team to conduct noninvasive field sampling of ticks at Horseshoe Nature Preserve between July and September 2025 as part of a genomic research project on how environmental factors affect tick microbiomes.
Assistant Professor Nimanthi Abirathna of River University told the council her research team plans to collect ticks by dragging a cloth over vegetation, check the cloth for ticks, and place samples into vials for later sequencing at the University of New Hampshire genome core. The project also proposes deploying small humidity/temperature data loggers at sampling sites for roughly one month.
Abirathna said the project is funded by a seed grant from the NIH (a “small” award), but the award paperwork had not been finalized at the time of the June 12 meeting; she said she expected to start in July but indicated the start date could depend on funds being available. She described the field methods as noninvasive and said two undergraduate students will work on the project wearing personal protective equipment.
Councilors asked staff whether the request needed Conservation Commission review; town staff replied the council’s permission was customary and that the Conservation Commission would be informed. Staff and the researcher agreed the town would provide public notice so park users would understand researchers on site and avoid unnecessary calls to police.
Motion and vote: The council voted 6-0 to permit River University’s Department of Biology to conduct the noninvasive sampling at Horseshoe Nature Preserve between July and September 2025.
No permits beyond council permission were required at the meeting, and no conditions restricting the sampling method were imposed beyond the researcher’s description of noninvasive methods. The researcher said she will coordinate with town staff on public notice and site locations to avoid impacts to turtles and other sensitive species.
