The bill requires the federal government to establish a “tick-borne disease working group,” which is required under Gillibrand’s Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education and Research Act, passed in 2016.

Gillibrand was slated to speak at the college, where professor Lee Ann Sporn has been conducting tick and Lyme disease-related research for several years.

A relative newcomer to the North Country, Lyme disease has become prevalent in the local area, with Keene and Keene Valley seen as hot spots for the disease and the small arachnids that carry it.

“Lyme disease, particularly in our region, is on the rise,” Jones said Monday. Regarding Gillibrand, he added, “On a state level, I know she has a willing partner in me.”

Paul Smith's College professor Lee Ann Sporn speaks during a press conference on a federal law being pushed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand at Paul Smith's College Monday afternoon. (Enterprise photo - Justin A. Levine)

Jones also touted the passage of his recent state bill that allows kids at summer camps to have better access to insect repellents.

Sporn, who in addition to her research is now heading up a new human health and the environment program at the college, said incidents of Lyme disease are going down around the state but are on the rise in the North Country. She has partnered with veterinarians for her work and found that about one-quarter of all dogs in the North Country show signs of exposure to Lyme disease.

In addition to the high rates of exposure for dogs, Sporn has also found that just over 50 percent of all ticks in the North Country carry Lyme disease.

While this is certainly bad news, Sporn said the good news is that tick densities are still relatively low.

Another low spot in the battle against ticks and the diseases they carry is the recent death of a Saratoga County man from the Powassan virus. Sporn said her research is keeping an eye on the disease, which is rare but more dangerous than Lyme.

“All of our ticks are tested for Powassan virus,” Sporn said. “Last fall, we did a deer survey from deer that were taken by hunters, and we collected small blood samples from them … because deer are our sentinels for Powassan virus.

“So far, we’ve found a low level of Powassan virus in our deer and small mammals in this region, (but) none of our ticks have tested positive. So that’s good news for the North Country on Powassan virus.”

She added that it may be a matter of time until the more dangerous virus rears its head in the area.

Gillibrand, according to a press release put out by her office, was expected to both celebrate the formation of the working group and lament a proposal by President Donald Trump’s administration to cut the National Institutes of Health budget.

“I will continue to do everything I can to help fight Lyme disease in New York, and I urge the Trump administration to take this problem seriously and carry out its responsibilities under the Lyme disease provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act,” Gillibrand said in her release.

“Families in the North Country should be able to spend time outdoors without having to worry about being bitten by a tick and contracting Lyme disease.”

Ticks wait on tall grass and other vegetation with legs outstretched, waiting to grab onto animals and people as they brush against them. Recommended defenses include using insect repellent, tucking pants into socks, wearing light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to see, and remembering to check oneself head-to-toe for ticks at the end of a hike or walk.