Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to letters@bangordailynews.com
What’s in a name?
I am writing to correct the BDN’s use of the name “deer tick” to refer to Ixodes scapularis, the principal vector for Lyme disease in Maine. The correct common name for this species is the “blacklegged tick.”
There is some interesting taxonomic history to these names. Ixodes scapularis was discovered and described in 1821 and assigned the common name “blacklegged tick.” A second species in the same genus, Ixodes dammini, was described in 1979 and assigned the common name “deer tick.” But in 1993, mating experiments and genetic evidence revealed that the two ticks actually belong to the same species, and the names Ixodes scapularis and “blacklegged tick” took priority because this species was described first. These are the names that we should use today.
What’s in a name? In general, it’s important to use correct common and scientific names to reduce confusion about identification. In the case of Ixodes scapularis, the common name also identifies a major diagnostic trait for the species; it is the only widespread tick species in Maine that has black legs (the American dog tick has brown legs). As no other ticks in Maine currently transmit Lyme disease, being able to recognize the species can help people assess their likelihood of exposure to Lyme disease while spending time outdoors. Moreover, the incorrect common name (the “deer tick”) reinforces a widely-held misunderstanding that deer carry the Lyme disease pathogen, when in fact rodents are the principal hosts for the pathogen and deer cannot transmit Lyme disease.
Allison Gardner
Assistant Professor of arthropod vector biology
University of Maine
Orono
Changing America
As I watch the federal government write laws that will have a major impact on our daily lives I wonder who is in control. With H.R. 1 and H.R. 5 the landscape in America is about to change and not for the good of the people.
With the voting laws and equality laws that are being proposed it would be like the federal government saying we no longer need driver licenses or age restriction for drivers. No more ID requirements for daily living and if there is anything people see in the stores they like, they can take it, and if they do not want to pay, no big deal. The unraveling of America that seems to be the objective in Washington and it is happening right now with these laws. They call it voting rights for all or equality rights, but like driving a car, those licenses are nothing more than a hindrance. It seems crazy, and that’s because that is exactly what H.R. 1 and H.R. 5 are: crazy and destructive.
They put cute names on these bills to be totally deceptive. The name does not reflect what the laws do. Nothing but deception.
R. Scott Jellison
Hermon
Reject fish farm in Frenchman Bay
Regarding the March 18 OpEd on the proposed salmon farm in Frenchman Bay (“Industrial fish farms pose dangers to Frenchman Bay”), it is deeply worrying that such a massive undertaking is planned for waters so close to Acadia National Park. Along with the many risks raised by the author, it is important to keep in mind the forward-looking policy put forward in January by Gov. Janet Mills regarding wind power development in state waters.
The governor stated that “commercial-scale offshore wind projects do not belong in state waters that support the majority of the state’s lobster fishing activity, that provide important habitat for coastal marine and wildlife species and that support a tourist industry based in part on Maine’s iconic coastal views.” Those same concerns absolutely should apply to the acres of massive, industrial-scale salmon pens proposed by American Aquafarms.
A floating fish factory producing 66 million pounds of salmon a year, literally within view and earshot of Acadia, should raise serious questions in areas the governor has so correctly prioritized. In the interest of protecting Maine’s ocean bounty and preserving its iconic seascape, I call upon the Department of Marine Resources to deny American Aquaculture’s application to build this ill-considered fish farm in Frenchman Bay.
Carol Chappell
Bar Harbor