West Nile virus claimed the lives of two Park Cities residents and sickened hundreds of other North Texans last summer. This spring, the City of University Park and the Town of Highland Park have teamed up to raise awareness about the precautions that should be taken during mosquito season. They’ve launched the "Fight the Bite" campaign to provide residents with simple steps they can take to control mosquitoes. 

The effort is centered on eliminating standing water. Members of University Park’s Youth Advisory Commission (YAC) joined Boy Scouts from area troops to distribute informational door hangers last weekend. YAC members were in charge of distributing the door hangers on the City’s southwest side. Lauren Hansford, a member of YAC, who took part in the effort on March 16 said, “We started pretty early in the morning and finished the majority of our zone by noon."

She continued, “Residents can use the phone numbers listed on the door hangers to contact the City or Town about standing water locations or to arrange for free property inspections and on-site advice about mosquito control.” 

Story and photo courtesy of Erin Egan, City of UP Youth Advisory Commission Public Information Officer