The Carbon County Environmental Education Center issued an update about bird flu recently, saying it will not be accepting ducks or geese for rehabilitation.

“Our first concern has been the safety of staff and of all birds currently in care,” chief naturalist Susan Gallagher said in a newsletter.

“We’ve kept ourselves and our birds safe in large part thanks to you,” she said, citing donations from people.

“Since this virus persists in the landscape longer in colder conditions, we’ll all need to stay vigilant for the time being. Below is the best advice we have at this time.”

People who find sick, injured, or dead geese or ducks are asked to contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-WILD (1-833-742-9453). You can call us if you need help identifying any bird spec

The game commission does not advise that the public handle any abnormal, injured, sick or dead wildlife unless authorized to do so. However, if you have dead wildlife on your property and haven’t heard back from the Game Commission within 24 hours, you may wish to dispose of the carcass.

Disposal via burial or commercial/residential trash is appropriate and will protect scavenging wildlife. If electing to dispose of the carcass, the following guidance is provided:

1. Before picking up the wildlife carcass, put on either disposable or washable gloves. If gloves are unavailable, a plastic bag can be used as a makeshift glove.

2. If performing on-site burial, a burial hole at least two feet deep will discourage scavenging. Do not bury the carcass in an area that could contaminate a water supply.

3. If disposing of the carcass in commercial/residential trash, place the carcass in a plastic bag along with any disposal gloves that were used, then place everything in a second plastic bag before disposal.

4. Once disposal is complete, immediately wash your hands and any non-disposable gloves that were use

The USDA offers a comprehensive website for those with poultry flocks of all sizes. According to the USDA, our nation’s poultry industry is the largest in the world, making biosecurity at every farm exceptionally important.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is also restricting public access at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.

With the continued warming trends and the anticipated arrival of snow geese to Middle Creek, this decision was made out of an abundance of caution for human and domestic animal health.