Renee Meyer, Editor
Block Island Times
PO Box 278
Block Island, RI 02807

Letter to the Editor May 12, 2026

Protecting Public Health on Block Island:
RI H8451 Must be Passed

Block Island is facing a growing public health challenge driven by tick-borne diseases related to our high deer density. Lyme, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis are already familiar to many islanders, but an emerging threat—Alpha Gal Syndrome, which is transmitted by the lone star tick—raises the stakes even higher. Alpha Gal can cause severe, even life-threatening allergic reactions to eating red meat, often without warning.

Block Island’s unique environmental and geographic characteristics have rendered deer management tools designed for the mainland largely ineffective. The Island has consequently experienced an alarmingly high incidence of tick-borne diseases, with many individuals infected multiple times. A fundamentally different, locally appropriate strategy is essential to substantially reduce both the deer population and the prevalence of disease.

That is why H8451, a bill recently introduced in the Rhode Island House, is so important and must be passed. The bill, if passed by the RI House and Senate, would allow the Town of New Shoreham to implement for a two-year time-limited period a deer‑management plan targeted specifically to the needs of BI that would be under the oversight of RIDEM.  Any plan would require public hearings both on the mainland by RIDEM and on the island by the Town Council and include strict safety protocols.

This legislation is not about recreational hunting or removing safeguards. Rather, it is about harnessing every available responsible tool for deer management to protect public health on BI—while maintaining transparency, accountability, and public safety.

As we all care about our community’s health, environment, and future, make your support known by either calling or writing our own members of the RI State House (Tina Spears at rep-spears@rilegislature.gov and 401-222-1162) and Senate (Alana DiMario at sen-dimario@rilegislature.gov and 401-276-5568) as well as the House Speaker (Chris Blazejewski rep-blazejewski@rilegislature.gov 401-222-2466) and other RI legislators and ask them to vote for H8451. Only with a strong outpouring of support from our community can we make an impact in securing the passage of H8451 by the Rhode Island House and then the Senate.  Templates of suggested text to send or phone may be obtained on BIRA’s website at www.bira02807.org/take-action/

Working to help solve this public health crisis on Block Island cannot wait. Thank you for getting involved.

— Block Island Residents Association (BIRA)