Martha’s Vineyard has a thriving population of ticks. For a long time, Martha’s Vineyard has had the highest rates of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection characterized by a target-shaped rash, in Massachusetts. Since 2020, more than 1,500 alpha-gal tests at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital have come back positive. “The industry response on Martha’s Vineyard has been collaborative,” says Cohen. “People who make the transition often tell us they are thriving and have no desire to go back to eating meat, even after their levels improve or their restrictions change,” she says.