Active Bird Flu Outbreak Closes Somerset County Park Trails

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Trails at two Somerset County parks are closed due to an active bird flu outbreak that has killed or sickened more than 1,100 birds across the state.

All trails at the Environmental Education Center in Basking Ridge and portions of trails at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater are closed until further notice, said the Somerset County Parks Commission on Friday morning.

Closed areas are marked with signage.

Parkgoers are asked to:

• Avoid direct contact with birds
• Do not feed, touch, or remove birds from the park
• Do not approach sick or dead birds
• Keep pets away from sick or dead birds
• Walk cautiously where birds gather to avoid droppings.

The Somerset County Park Commission previously reported on Monday that dead wild birds were found at the Environmental Education Center off Lord Stirling Road in Basking Ridge and Duke Island Park off Old York Road in Bridgewater.

An active outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or "bird flu" is being reported in New Jersey.

More than 1,100 reports of dead or sick birds came in between Saturday, Feb. 14, and Monday, Feb. 16. Almost all reports are of Canada geese, with a few of other bird species, including brant along the coast.

Dead Canada geese were reported to the NJDEP over the past weekend in Holmdel, Manalapan, and Matawan in Monmouth County; Basking Ridge in Somerset County; Hainesport, Burlington County; Edison, Middlesex County; and Sicklerville, Camden County.

The NJDEP is urging the public to report any sick or dead birds they see, particularly in groups of 5 or more, to the Wild Bird Disease Reporting Form.

Typical signs of HPAI include diarrhea, discharge from the nose, coughing, sneezing, and incoordination, but some birds may show no signs before death.

H5N1 has killed two people in the U.S. since 2024, according to the CDC.

While HPAI can infect humans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that the ongoing HPAI outbreak is primarily an animal health issue that poses low risk to the health of the general public.

The NJDEP Fish & Wildlife reports that in 2025, confirmed detections of avian influenza in wild animals have occurred in all counties except Hudson and Union.

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