Hello Level Walkers – the following notification is from the National Park Service. Contact Kelsey Smith, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator, at chohvip@gmail.com to RSVP – LWC

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Potomac, MD – On April 23, 2017, at 11 a.m: What role do invasive plants play in the emergence of Lyme disease? How does trash serve as a breeding ground for mosquitos? Why is the “dogs on leash” policy a way to protect visitors from rabies?  For Park RX day, Susan Howard, Palisades Bike Patrol Volunteer, a seasoned international public health professional, also pursuing a PhD in environmental science, will give a talk on the intersection of wildlife, ecosystem and human health, called ‘One Health’, where she will discuss the link between conservation stewardship and how zoonotic diseases such as Lyme disease, mosquito-borne infections, and rabies spread when ecosystem integrity is imperiled by human actions.

The 184.5 miles of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal (C&O) is a living laboratory to not only stimulate an understanding among visitors of history and the human industrial pursuits that prompted its creation, but a place to promote the interconnectedness of all living things, particularly the interaction between wildlife, humans and ecosystems in both health and the emergence of disease.   

Ms. Howard is an active volunteer with the US National Park Service as a Palisades Bike Patrol Volunteer and has been involved in efforts to develop a One Health Plan for the C&O Canal since 2015.   As a PhD student in environmental science at George Mason University, she is interested in studying the role that interactive videos and games might have in fostering desirable One Health behaviors and practices including conservation stewardship in National Parks. Ms. Howard will share recommended risk reduction precautions and practices for park visitors; as well as preventive public health actions and conservation measures for park volunteers and employees.

The program is free, but there is an entrance fee to the park of $10.00 per single vehicle. Space is limited to the first 25 guests. If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP with your name and how many will be in your party. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Kelsey Smith, Assistant Volunteer Coordinator, at chohvip@gmail.com.

Photo – Four Locks, Locks 49 and 50 from Lock 48; April 6, 2017 – Level 41