Tara Chestnut, PhD
@tcastanea.bsky.social
Wildlife Ecology | Natural History | Disease | Invasive Species | Contaminants | Aquatic Science | Reintroductions | Science Communication | March Mammal Madness narrator | she/her
Pinned
Tara Chestnut, PhD
@tcastanea.bsky.social
· Jul 22
Need a moment of joy today? I recently gave a talk about what Indigenous inclusion in science looks like. Grab some tissues and get ready to ugly cry… 🐻🪶🐍🐸🐟🧪
Me, prepping for tonight’s city council meeting. Based on the posted agenda, it was sure to be a spicy one. The mayor did a good job of bringing the temperature down in the room while I ate my popcorn in the back. I encourage you all to get involved with local politics!! It’s fun plus snacks!
a cartoon of snoopy wearing a chef 's hat cooking
Alt: A cartoon of snoopy wearing a chef 's hat cooking popcorn on the stovetop. He is wearing a red apron, standing on a green stool. When to popcorn starts lifting the lid of the pot, he turns and dumps it into a bowl
media.tenor.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Me, prepping for tonight’s city council meeting. Based on the posted agenda, it was sure to be a spicy one. The mayor did a good job of bringing the temperature down in the room while I ate my popcorn in the back. I encourage you all to get involved with local politics!! It’s fun plus snacks!
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
I see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%).
Lay article attached:
Lay article attached:
One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources isn’t straws or grocery bags – it’s your tires
Every few years, the tires on your car wear thin and need to be replaced. But where does that lost tire material go? The answer, unfortunately, is often waterways, where the tiny microplastic particle...
www.pbs.org
December 24, 2025 at 4:49 AM
I see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%).
Lay article attached:
Lay article attached:
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
12 former FDA commissioners released an extraordinary warning in the Dec. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
They wrote that the current claims and policy changes pose a threat to evidence-based vaccine policy and public health security.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
They wrote that the current claims and policy changes pose a threat to evidence-based vaccine policy and public health security.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Inside the FDA’s Vaccine Uproar - KFF Health News
An internal email claiming covid vaccines killed children triggered a formal response from a dozen past FDA commissioners. The email, sent by the head of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Resear...
kffhealthnews.org
December 21, 2025 at 1:22 AM
12 former FDA commissioners released an extraordinary warning in the Dec. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
They wrote that the current claims and policy changes pose a threat to evidence-based vaccine policy and public health security.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
They wrote that the current claims and policy changes pose a threat to evidence-based vaccine policy and public health security.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
NEW PAPER ALERT! My first paper where I’m a subject! 🧬⚕️🧪
A substantial number of women had clinically actionable results but would NOT have qualified for genetic testing. These findings support broader access to genetic testing as part of personalized breast cancer risk assessment
ClinicalTrials.gov
A substantial number of women had clinically actionable results but would NOT have qualified for genetic testing. These findings support broader access to genetic testing as part of personalized breast cancer risk assessment
ClinicalTrials.gov
December 19, 2025 at 2:17 AM
NEW PAPER ALERT! My first paper where I’m a subject! 🧬⚕️🧪
A substantial number of women had clinically actionable results but would NOT have qualified for genetic testing. These findings support broader access to genetic testing as part of personalized breast cancer risk assessment
ClinicalTrials.gov
A substantial number of women had clinically actionable results but would NOT have qualified for genetic testing. These findings support broader access to genetic testing as part of personalized breast cancer risk assessment
ClinicalTrials.gov
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
🦇Bat Acoustic Analysis Training Course, Kamloops, BC June 15-19, 2026 (see comment for links)
December 18, 2025 at 3:33 AM
🦇Bat Acoustic Analysis Training Course, Kamloops, BC June 15-19, 2026 (see comment for links)
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
This is your annual reminder that if you are in the US and have FSA funds that you won't use, Menstrual products are covered by FSA funds and can be donated to food pantries and shelters.
December 11, 2025 at 11:40 PM
This is your annual reminder that if you are in the US and have FSA funds that you won't use, Menstrual products are covered by FSA funds and can be donated to food pantries and shelters.
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
A bunch of us did a piece on RFK Jr.'s attacks on vaccines. Please circulate. Scientists and clinicians are sounding the alarm. It's time to act. youtube.com/shorts/4wnNy...
December 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
A bunch of us did a piece on RFK Jr.'s attacks on vaccines. Please circulate. Scientists and clinicians are sounding the alarm. It's time to act. youtube.com/shorts/4wnNy...
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
“Delaying the first hepatitis B vaccine dose beyond the newborn period introduces risks that have lifelong detrimental consequences and no measurable health benefit.”
Important and timely piece by an amazing team - Mike Abers, Angela Ulrich, & Rochelle Walensky. 👏👏
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Important and timely piece by an amazing team - Mike Abers, Angela Ulrich, & Rochelle Walensky. 👏👏
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Risks of Revising Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccination Recommendation
This Viewpoint from infectious disease experts cautions about the consequences of rescinding the ACIP policy to immunize all newborns against hepatitis B.
jamanetwork.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:49 AM
“Delaying the first hepatitis B vaccine dose beyond the newborn period introduces risks that have lifelong detrimental consequences and no measurable health benefit.”
Important and timely piece by an amazing team - Mike Abers, Angela Ulrich, & Rochelle Walensky. 👏👏
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Important and timely piece by an amazing team - Mike Abers, Angela Ulrich, & Rochelle Walensky. 👏👏
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
When I was a public health educator I was often invited to give STI prevention talks at senior centers. There is nothing more humbling than talking about sex and demonstrating how to use a condom with folks who could be my grandparents!
Moment of silence for all the freaky senior citizens out there
November 25, 2025 at 10:03 PM
When I was a public health educator I was often invited to give STI prevention talks at senior centers. There is nothing more humbling than talking about sex and demonstrating how to use a condom with folks who could be my grandparents!
If you want to know more about the community where I live, look no further! Our love language is meat 🥩✍️🎯
In this rural area, the meat draw is the big night of the week. Everybody from all the nearby towns pack into the old bar.
This small town near Mount Rainier comes together for community — and meat
Mineral, Washington is tucked deep in the foothills of Mount Rainier. There are not a lot of residents there, and not a lot of jobs. But, this town of only a couple hundred knows how to take care of e...
www.kuow.org
November 25, 2025 at 2:09 AM
If you want to know more about the community where I live, look no further! Our love language is meat 🥩✍️🎯
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
The HPV vaccine is erasing cancer – here's the proof www.gavi.org/vaccineswork... via @gavi.org
The HPV vaccine is erasing cancer – here's the proof
More than a decade after the first HPV vaccination programmes rolled out, data from multiple countries reveals a dramatic fall in cervical cancers and precancers, confirming that HPV vaccines are high...
www.gavi.org
November 24, 2025 at 1:50 AM
The HPV vaccine is erasing cancer – here's the proof www.gavi.org/vaccineswork... via @gavi.org
A movie that takes place where you’re from
November 23, 2025 at 11:51 PM
A movie that takes place where you’re from
FIVE DAYS LEFT to send a thank you note and submit a public comment! A federal advisory committee with be discussing vaccine safety, changes to vaccine schedules and specifically hep b. Include links to peer-reviewed literature. What say you?!?! 💉🤧🤮😷
You can send a thank-you note to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if you are a measles enthusiast.
SCOOP: CDC officials on Monday linked for the first time the measles outbreak that began in Texas with another in Utah and Arizona, a finding that could end America’s status as a nation that has eliminated measles.
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/h...
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/h...
November 20, 2025 at 5:22 AM
FIVE DAYS LEFT to send a thank you note and submit a public comment! A federal advisory committee with be discussing vaccine safety, changes to vaccine schedules and specifically hep b. Include links to peer-reviewed literature. What say you?!?! 💉🤧🤮😷
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:
“We cannot talk about COVID in the past tense.
“It’s still with us, it still causes acute disease and Long COVID, and it still kills.
“The world might want to forget about COVID-19, but we cannot afford to.”
“We cannot talk about COVID in the past tense.
“It’s still with us, it still causes acute disease and Long COVID, and it still kills.
“The world might want to forget about COVID-19, but we cannot afford to.”
November 19, 2025 at 2:24 AM
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus:
“We cannot talk about COVID in the past tense.
“It’s still with us, it still causes acute disease and Long COVID, and it still kills.
“The world might want to forget about COVID-19, but we cannot afford to.”
“We cannot talk about COVID in the past tense.
“It’s still with us, it still causes acute disease and Long COVID, and it still kills.
“The world might want to forget about COVID-19, but we cannot afford to.”
You know what to do! Repost and remember… storm water management is cool. Congrats @neorsd.org ☔️🎉 youtu.be/jPCJIB1f7jk?...
November 19, 2025 at 3:21 AM
You know what to do! Repost and remember… storm water management is cool. Congrats @neorsd.org ☔️🎉 youtu.be/jPCJIB1f7jk?...
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
A call to action everyone can take now is to add a public comment. Public comment periods ends Nov 24, 2025. Short and anonymous comments are welcomed! Let’s increase the comments quickly.
Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the following meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ...
www.federalregister.gov
November 17, 2025 at 6:29 PM
A call to action everyone can take now is to add a public comment. Public comment periods ends Nov 24, 2025. Short and anonymous comments are welcomed! Let’s increase the comments quickly.
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
Changes in vaccine advisory process in US disrupted immunization guidance. Independent ongoing peer-reviewed evidence supports safety & efficacy of immunizations against Covid-19, RSV, & influenza during the 2025–2026 season. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Updated Evidence for Covid-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025–2026 | NEJM
Changes in the vaccine advisory process in the United States have disrupted immunization
guidance, which reinforces the need for independent evidence review to inform decisions
regarding immunizati...
www.nejm.org
November 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Changes in vaccine advisory process in US disrupted immunization guidance. Independent ongoing peer-reviewed evidence supports safety & efficacy of immunizations against Covid-19, RSV, & influenza during the 2025–2026 season. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
I cringe at the circumstances that required this sign to be posted
November 14, 2025 at 9:04 PM
I cringe at the circumstances that required this sign to be posted
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
The solicitation is finally up! Good luck to everybody applying this year (and those with mentees applying) - it's an extremely tight turnaround but very glad to see this. 🧪🌎
September 26, 2025 at 5:05 PM
The solicitation is finally up! Good luck to everybody applying this year (and those with mentees applying) - it's an extremely tight turnaround but very glad to see this. 🧪🌎
Today, I went to a CVS to get my COVID shot & was told that despite the WA Dept of Health’s Standing Order, they are following ACIP’s guidance to only vax folks 65+ or w/ underlying conditions. I filed a complaint w/ DOH. You can too! 💉⚕️😷🤷🏻♀️ HSQAComplaintIntake@doh.wa.gov
doh.wa.gov/newsroom/doh...
doh.wa.gov/newsroom/doh...
September 23, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Today, I went to a CVS to get my COVID shot & was told that despite the WA Dept of Health’s Standing Order, they are following ACIP’s guidance to only vax folks 65+ or w/ underlying conditions. I filed a complaint w/ DOH. You can too! 💉⚕️😷🤷🏻♀️ HSQAComplaintIntake@doh.wa.gov
doh.wa.gov/newsroom/doh...
doh.wa.gov/newsroom/doh...
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
The public has until September 19 to weigh in on the proposed rescission of the 2001 roadless rule on Forest Service land, a move that experts have said will harm the health and biodiversity of ecosystems.
buff.ly/oMa9f05
buff.ly/oMa9f05
How to comment on the planned roadless rule rollback - High Country News
The deadline to weigh in on the change is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 19.
www.hcn.org
September 9, 2025 at 2:31 PM
The public has until September 19 to weigh in on the proposed rescission of the 2001 roadless rule on Forest Service land, a move that experts have said will harm the health and biodiversity of ecosystems.
buff.ly/oMa9f05
buff.ly/oMa9f05
And just like that, I’ve started saving for an Icelandic vacation… 🇮🇸🐧 newatlas.com/biology/baby...
It's time to throw baby puffins off cliffs as annual event gets underway
Right now, groups of Icelanders are taking to the streets late at night, armed with cardboard boxes and torches, in search of the telltale white bellies of baby Atlantic puffins. Once caught, these bi...
newatlas.com
September 9, 2025 at 4:19 AM
And just like that, I’ve started saving for an Icelandic vacation… 🇮🇸🐧 newatlas.com/biology/baby...
I live in Washington State and this is the message I get when I try to schedule my COVID vaccine… I don’t want to start over! I just want my shot 😭💉😷🩻⚕️
September 7, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I live in Washington State and this is the message I get when I try to schedule my COVID vaccine… I don’t want to start over! I just want my shot 😭💉😷🩻⚕️
Reposted by Tara Chestnut, PhD
Dr. Judy Stone has written yet *another* great piece, this time about measles and what the public should know about it.
Measles continues to spread throughout the U.S., and we have the highest number of cases since it was declared eliminated in 2000.
Measles continues to spread throughout the U.S., and we have the highest number of cases since it was declared eliminated in 2000.
What Parents Need To Know About Measles As Kids Head Back To School
Measles is highly contagious. If an unvaccinated person is exposed, there is a long, expensive quarantine period parents should consider and serious health consequences.
www.forbes.com
September 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Dr. Judy Stone has written yet *another* great piece, this time about measles and what the public should know about it.
Measles continues to spread throughout the U.S., and we have the highest number of cases since it was declared eliminated in 2000.
Measles continues to spread throughout the U.S., and we have the highest number of cases since it was declared eliminated in 2000.