Watch Out for Ticks!

Posted
Filed under Spring, Ticks

2562198878_e548ea735c_zYesterday, likely due to my work in cutting back poison oak on the trails, I found a tick on me. Freaked out by the possibility of contracting Lyme disease, I quickly found a pair of tweezers and pulled the tick out, trying carefully to grab it from the head rather than squeezing the body. It was difficult, as it was quite tiny. The bite spot is still red and sore. But the important piece of information is this: save the tick, so it can be tested for Lyme Disease.

But as this Press Democrat article points out (helpfully published the day I found the tick), the actual incidence of Lyme disease in Sonoma County is not high, despite the fact that we have had the most reported cases in California in recent years.

To prevent tick bites, the Sonoma County Department of Health Services recommends:

  • Walk in the center of trails.
  • Use repellents that contain 20 to 30 percent DEET on exposed skin and clothing for protection that lasts up to several hours. Treat clothing and gear (boots, socks, pants, tents, etc.) with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin.
  • Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors, preferably within two hours.
  • Conduct a full-body tick check; parents should check children under arms, in and around ears, inside belly button, behind knees, between legs, around waist, especially in hair.
  • Examine gear and pets, which can bring home ticks that will then attach to a person.
  • Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for up to an hour to kill remaining ticks.

Remember that ticks that carry Lyme disease can be very small — about the size of a poppy seed. The biggest danger comes when the tick bite goes undetected and the disease is allowed to fester without antibiotics to fight it. Long-term effects are possible in these cases.

Therefore, it’s wise to know what the symptoms of Lyme disease are so if you have any of these you can contact your doctor immediately (from the Mayo Clinic):

“These signs and symptoms may occur within a month after you’ve been infected:

  • Rash. From 3 to 30 days after an infected tick bite, an expanding red area might appear that sometimes clears in the center, forming a bull’s-eye pattern. The rash (erythema migrans) expands slowly over days and can spread to 12 inches (30 centimeters) across. It is typically not itchy or painful.Erythema migrans is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease. Some people develop this rash at more than one place on their bodies.
  • Flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.”

If these symptoms are not spotted or recognized, later signs may appear in the following weeks and months. See the Mayo Clinic web site for more information.

So stay safe out there, and be vigilant!

Photo by wahoowins, Creative Commons License CC BY-ND 2.0

Poison Oak Mitigation

Posted
Filed under Plant Life, Poison Oak, Spring, Stewardship, Trail Maintenance

poisonoakWe are once again in the season when poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) attempts to run rampant on the trail, threatening hikers with itchy rashes that can spread over one’s entire body (believe me, I’ve been there). So now is also the time when we stewards work to mitigate this threat. In the past, we have sprayed the edge of the tray to kill it off, but recently we have been taking a more ecologically friendly approach by simply clipping it back.

This is potentially dangerous work, but with appropriate precautions one can do it without harm. Last year I got one small spot of itchy irritation that I was able to manage until it subsided. This year (knock on wood) so far I’ve been itch-free.

As I’ve been doing this over the last week I’ve received a lot of complimentary feedback from grateful hikers who know how annoying such a rash can be. This helps make the labor worthwhile, as you know from even just several hours of work you can make a real difference.

No Dogs, Please, It’s the Law

Posted
Filed under Nature

I’m up on the Montini Preserve and Sonoma Overlook Trail almost every day and I see new dog leavings frequently. So I think this video I shot last year deserves another watch. Remember that it is a City ordinance that carries a $100 fine for the first infraction. The fine ratchets up with subsequent infractions. So not only is it sensible to obey the law, it can save you money too. If you happen to be a scofflaw who ignores all of this and allows your dog to do its business on the trail, then at least pick it up — or at the very least take a stick and fling it off the trail. I and plenty of other dog owners do not take our dogs on the trails. You should do the same.

 

Lizards are Back!

Posted
Filed under Lizards, Reptiles, Wildlife

lizardToday was the first day I noticed lizards on the trail this year, although it must be admitted that I hadn’t been on the trail for a couple days. But suddenly they are everywhere, along my entire hike from the 4th Street trailhead on the Montini Preserve all the way up to the top of the Overlook. Lizards provide a characteristic short, sharp rustling sound as they scurry and stop, scurry and stop, in the dry leaves. If the rustle is not of this variety, it may be a snake instead.

Lizards, like snakes, are reptiles and as such are cold-blooded. This means they rely upon their environment for body heat, which also requires them to hibernate for a period during the winter when ambient temperatures are cold. When they emerge from hibernation depends on the weather, and our recent heat wave in mid-February clearly has released them from hibernation.

So keep an eye peeled for this little creatures, who are often quite colorful, and also for their cousins, snakes. If the lizards are out, then rattlesnakes can’t be far behind.

 

150 MPH Hike?

Posted
Filed under Fundraising, Hiking, Stewardship

Sonoma Raceway Overhead Best New ColorWell, not quite, but don’t miss your chance to be part of the first organized hike on the pristine 1,600-acre Sonoma Raceway property on Saturday, May 14, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. All proceeds from the three-mile hike benefit the Sonoma Overlook Trail.

Steve Page, president and general manager of Sonoma Raceway, will delight us over lunch with some history as to how the raceway property was acquired and what the raceway is doing to protect this environmentally sensitive land.

Email us now to reserve your spot for this signature event! Your $50 contribution includes your participation in the hike, followed by a lovely picnic by Levy Restaurants with sweeping views of the Sonoma Valley. Friedeman Wines has donated their highly acclaimed Lancel Creek Wines to be served with lunch. Come meet the winemaker! Hikers can also participate in a raffle to win a pair of tickets to an upcoming Sonoma Raceway event.

Reservations are required. To reserve your spot or for more information, email LaurieSOT@gmail.com.