Everything we do, including sitting on the couch, entails some risk. Below are links to sources of information about some risks that may be present in parks and conservation areas in Newton or surrounding areas. Also included are links about the health benefits of outdoor activity.
Health Benefits of Exercise
Medline (National Institutes of Health)
US Centers for Disease Control
Safety During Hunting Season
Other Safety Issues
Poison Ivy and Other Poisonous Plants
American Academy of Dermatology
Medline (National Institutes of Health)
US Food and Drug Administration
Wellesley College Web of Species
Poison-Ivy.Org
New York Times
The Hiker’s Guide to Poisonous Plants
Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus
Massachusetts Dept of Public Health (view current risk levels)
Medline (National Institutes of Health)
US Centers for Disease Control
USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Eastern Equine Encephalitis
Massachusetts Dept of Public Health (view current risk levels)
US Centers for Disease Control
Ticks and Lyme Disease
East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project Tick Factsheet
Massachusetts Dept of Public Health
University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Resource Center
Medline (National Institutes of Health)
US Centers for Disease Control
Bedbugs.Org (blog with a long list of links to other resources)
Blue-Green Algae
Charles River Watershed Association
Massachusetts Dept of Public Health
Sunburn
American Academy of Dermatology
Medline (National Institutes of Health)
Small Animals and Rabies
Massachusetts Dept of Public Health
Medline (National Institutes of Health)
US Centers for Disease Control
MassWildlife
Wild Turkeys
Large Animals
Coyotes have been reported in Newton and surrounding communities in recent years.
City of Newton: Coyote Reports
MassWildlife
Mass Audubon Society
Project Coyote
How Can We Coexist Peacefully with Coyotes? (Boston Globe, 5/30/2010)
Stanley Park Ecology Society
Humane Society
Bear sightings have been reported in several towns within I-495, but only very rarely in Newton or adjoining communities.
Boston Globe (6/10/2005)
