NORTHAMPTON, Pa. – Northampton Borough closed Canal Street Park on Thursday after multiple dead geese were reported there the day before.
The closure affects the entire park, including the D&L Trail, playground, basketball and tennis courts, pavilion, walking paths, river access, and all grassy areas.
Officials say the Pennsylvania Game Commission arrived Thursday morning after being notified of the situation. The commission recommended shutting down the park and brought in a biologist to run tests on the geese.
“We first heard about just a few. Yesterday there were about five or six. So that’s when we reached out to the Game Commission. And then today it was a lot more,” Northampton Borough Manager Brian Welsko says.
Officials estimate roughly 150 dead geese were in the Lehigh River alone, with more along the shoreline and park. While tests are still pending, borough leaders say bird flu is suspected.
“All signs kind of point that way. They did start culling the geese population in the area,” Welsko says. “They said there was about 150 in the river at the time, give or take. That’s an estimate.”
As of 1:30 p.m., officials were actively culling geese in the park as a precaution.
Following the borough’s release, the Borough of Walnutport posted on Facebook requesting their citizens and visitors stay vigilant in the area of the Lehigh Canal and Lehigh River due to the potential bird flu outbreak in Northampton.
Last year, a similar situation occurred at another location in Northampton County. Hundreds of snow geese were found dead in a quarry in Lower Nazareth Township and several other locations in the Lehigh Valley; with bird flu being the cause.
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“Speaking with the Game Commission, they say this is a very frequent thing that happens at this time of year when the frost breaks,” Welsko added.
Residents are urged to avoid any dead or sick geese and report sightings to the Northampton Borough Office at 610‑262‑2576 or the Pennsylvania Game Commission at 833‑742‑4868.
If you live in the Walnutport area, contact the borough at 610-437-5252.
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