There's not much you can do about ticks in the wild,  and they overwinter in the bark of trees and similar places.........you don't even see them until you find them on you or the animals.  I would think that it would be spotted ticks  from the NW states that might be moving to Alaska,  not the ticks from the northeast.  .   Fleas are another problem too,  they also move north with travelers but the cold winters here kill them off ............outside anyway........not necessarily inside your house.