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Council frames tick‑borne disease as a public‑health crisis and seeks state collaboration
Summary
Council members and residents described a rising tide of tick‑borne illness — including alpha‑gal cases — and urged state health and environment agencies to allow island‑specific tools such as altered deer‑management rules; lobbyists offered to help secure legislative or regulatory avenues.
Council members and residents told the Shoreham Town Council the town is facing an escalating public‑health problem from ticks and tick‑borne diseases, including growing numbers of alpha‑gal cases.
"We have a public health crisis that comes from ticks," a council member said, urging action beyond traditional herd‑management approaches. Residents described recent diagnoses — including a high‑school student — and said the community has already seen quality‑of‑life consequences.
Council members discussed seeking a tailored statutory or regulatory approach. Lobbyists said the appropriate contact at the state Department of Health is Neil Huygens, who handles legislative matters, and recommended working with him and DEM to present health data and make the case for island‑specific rules. Jeff Taylor said the town could ask the legislature to recognize the island's unique circumstances if agencies decline to revise rules under DEM authority.
Speakers noted management tools such as baiting are generally not permitted by DEM because of chronic wasting disease risks, but argued Block Island's deer population is isolated and lacks that condition. The council asked the local medical center to collect incidence data; the lobbyists said they would help connect the town with state health staff to develop an evidentiary case.
No formal council direction was adopted; members agreed to pursue data collection, engage the Department of Health and DEM, and consider possible legislative requests depending on agency responses.
