The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in a blue-winged teal in Greene County through surveillance conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and DNR Division of Fish, Wildlife & Nature Preserves.

HPAI has also been confirmed as the cause of death in black vultures in Jefferson County and is suspected as the cause of black vulture deaths in Franklin County.

Signs of HPAI in waterfowl and raptors include:

• Sudden death
• Neurological impairment (e.g., lack of coordination, swimming/walking in circles, tremors, twisted neck)
• Lack of energy and appetite
• Swelling of the head, neck, and eyes
• Nasal discharge, cough, sneezing, lack of coordination, and diarrhea.

If you find wild waterfowl or raptors that are dead for no obvious reason or showing any of the above signs, report it online at on.IN.gov/sickwildlife.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the public health risk for HPAI is low. However, it is possible for humans to contract HPAI. Avoid contact with sick waterfowl and other sick wildlife whenever possible. If a carcass must be removed, put on disposable gloves and a mask, double bag the carcass, and place it in the trash. If possible, use a tool such as a shovel to pick up the carcass instead of your hands. Wash hands with soap and warm water immediately afterward.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends that waterfowl hunters process birds in a well-ventilated area or outdoors and wear protective clothing such as a face mask and gloves. Meat harvested from waterfowl should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F before consumption.

Reach out to the Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) if you develop any of the following symptoms after coming in contact with waterfowl: eye irritation or redness, fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headaches, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, or rash. Call IDOH at 317-233-7125 during business hours. Outside of business hours, call 317-233-1325 and follow the prompts in the automated menu to speak to the epidemiologist on call.

Some domestic and agricultural animals are also known to be susceptible to HPAI, including poultry, cattle, and cats. If you have these animals at home, be sure to process and dispose of any harvested waterfowl away from your animals and practice good biosecurity measures.

For more information on HPAI, visit on.IN.gov/avian-flu.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis resident Tyler Baumann caught a 9-ounce mooneye on the East Fork of the Whitewater River on June 5 in Dearborn County, beating the previous record of 5.8 ounces set in 2019 on the Ohio River in Clark County.

Baumann caught the 12-inch-long state record fish from a kayak using a night crawler under a bobber. State record fish are determined by weight rather than length, according to a news release from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Mooneye are found in large rivers throughout Indiana.

Mooneye and goldeye look similar and are often mistaken for one or the other.

To differentiate between the two, look at where the dorsal fin starts in comparison to the anal fin. For mooneye, the start of the dorsal fin is either before or in line with the start of the anal fin. For goldeye, the start of the dorsal fin is behind the start of the anal fin.

Learn more about the Indiana Record Fish program or Fish of the Year program at on.IN.gov/recordfish.

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Kosciusko County Dispatch received a call at 10:59 p.m. Saturday, about a missing person near the 11100 block of Northeast Wawasee Drive, according to a news release from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

The family of the missing man said they had not seen him for about three hours.

Conservation officers arrived and began searching the shoreline and surrounding areas.

At 2:22 a.m. Sunday, the body of Riley Thoren, 21, was recovered by a conservation officer diver in 3 feet of water.

An exact cause of death is pending autopsy results.

Other assisting agencies included the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office and the Syracuse Police Department.

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SYRACUSE — A four-year-old drowned Sunday afternoon on Syracuse Lake, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

A DNR spokesperson says Kosciusko County Dispatchers were called around 4:45 p.m. about a 4-year-old who went missing along East North Shore Drive, near Syracuse Lake.

They say officers with the Syracuse Police Department arrived shortly after being called and pulled the child out from under a pier, in three feet of water.

Officers gave the child CPR before they were taken to Goshen Hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.

DNR says preliminary investigation shows the child wandered outside of the home they were visiting, and a parent called 911 after not finding the child.

The child had been missing for about 20 minutes, conservation officers believe, according to the DNR.

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CHURUBUSCO — A report from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is shedding new light on how two people in Whitley County died in a snowmobile accident late Friday night.

An initial investigation by the Indiana Conservation Officers reveals that 44-year-old Robert Baker and a juvenile passenger were traveling on a snowmobile at approximately 11:45 p.m. on Friday on Blue Lake near Churubusco when they crashed into brush along the shoreline.

The collision caused both occupants to be thrown from the machine. Lifesaving efforts were rendered at the scene, but both were pronounced dead.

The investigation into the accident is still ongoing.

Assisting agencies include the Whitely County Sheriff’s Department, the Churubusco Police Department, the Smith Township Fire Department, the Indiana State Police, and the Whitley County Coroner’s Office.

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WARSAW — A young person drowned Sunday afternoon after two minors were pulled from a channel behind Gilliam Drive in Warsaw.

The accident was reported at about 12:27 p.m.

The home at Gilliam Drive North is located along a channel that feeds into Center Lake.

Warsaw Police Department, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory and Lutheran EMS were dispatched to the scene on the northwest side of Center Lake.

The two victims had been pulled from the water and resuscitative efforts were underway as the initial crews arrived, according to a news release from Warsaw Police Department.

One victim was airlifted by Lutheran Air Ambulance from nearby Central Park and remains in critical condition in a Fort Wayne hospital.

The other victim was transported to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital and pronounced deceased a short time later.

Additional resources from Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory CARES, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office responded.

Due to the sensitivity of the incident and the ongoing investigation, all names are being withheld. 

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on Friday confirmed the state’s first positive case of chronic wasting disease — a deadly neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer.

The positive case was recorded in northern Indiana’s LaGrange County and is adjacent to a region in Michigan where the disease, also known as CWD, has previously been detected, according to state officials.

The Indiana white-tailed deer that tested positive for CWD was a male harvested by a hunter, according to state officials. Two independent tests confirmed the animal was positive for the disease.

Indiana DNR deer biologist Joe Caudell said in a news release that CWD has been detected in wild deer in 33 states, including all states bordering Indiana.

He added that — because CWD was previously detected in Michigan, near the Indiana border — finding it in this area of Indiana was “highly likely.” For that reason, DNR will continue monitoring the area for CWD.

“CWD has been in our region for many years with positive cases in all of our surrounding states,” Caudell said. “The public can help by reporting sightings of sick or dead deer to the DNR, as well as submitting harvested deer for testing during deer hunting season. Through increased awareness and testing, we can work to monitor CWD within Indiana’s deer population.”

There have been no reported cases of CWD infection in humans, according to the Indiana DNR.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hunters “strongly consider” having their harvested deer tested before eating the meat. The CDC also advises not to eat meat from an animal that tests positive for CWD.

Scientists believe CWD is caused by a misfolded protein that causes damage to the animal’s nervous system.

Those proteins likely spread between animals through body fluids like feces, saliva, blood or urine, either through direct contact or indirectly through environmental contamination of soil, food or water, according to the CDC. Other animals can contract CWD from the environment even after an infected deer has died.

In Indiana, that means CWD can spread from deer-to-deer contact or through contaminated environments and remains in the soil for many years. Indiana DNR cautions that animals in the late stages of CWD can appear emaciated, show erratic behavior, and exhibit “neurological irregularities.”

Sick or dead wildlife should be reported to Indiana DNR and can be done so online.

Indiana’s various deer hunting seasons run from mid-September until the end of January.

During a season, hunters can voluntarily drop off deer heads at one of several CWD sampling locations around the state to have animals tested for the disease. Test results will be posted online for individual hunters to access when laboratory tests are complete.

* * *

The CDC recommends hunters should take the following steps when hunting in areas with CWD:

• Do not shoot, handle or eat meat from deer and elk that look sick or are acting strangely or are found dead (road-kill).
• When field-dressing a deer, wear latex or rubber gloves when dressing the animal or handling the meat. Additionally, minimize how much you handle the organs of the animal, particularly the brain or spinal cord tissues, and do not use household knives or other kitchen utensils.
• Strongly consider having the deer or elk tested for CWD before you eat the meat.
• If you have your deer or elk commercially processed, consider asking that your animal be processed individually to avoid mixing meat from multiple animals.
• If your animal tests positive for CWD, do not eat its meat.

* * *

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to giving Hoosiers a comprehensive look inside state government, policy and elections. The site combines daily coverage with in-depth scrutiny, political awareness and insightful commentary.

You can read the original version of the story here.

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WARSAW — The old cement pier at Center Lake in Warsaw will likely cost upward of half a million dollars to remove.

Removal of the pier – and construction of two new piers – is part of the overall Center Lake Recreational Trail project.

But the cost of pier removal — and the complexities that it might bring — have led city officials to separate it out from the bigger plan.

The city is now looking into possible grants from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, the K21 Health Foundation, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, according to City Planner Justin Taylor.

"It became very complicated when they went through the bidding process on how exactly they would remove that pier," said Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer during a meeting with the board of works on Friday.

Structural damage is now visible from the side of the pier, said Parks Superintendent Larry Plummer.

"There was talk that they'd have to be on the lake on a barge and come back in because of the instability of the pier," Thallemer said.

The uncertainty created a "premium" on the cost of the work, he said.

The city decided a few years ago to remove the pier because its base causes stagnating water, which can bring health concerns.

The pier also has numerous hazards involving the edging of the pier, which is wrapped in steel. In some of the areas, the cement is crumbling.

"We've patched some areas but as fast as we patch them, they fall through," Plummer said.

[caption id="attachment_80905" align="aligncenter" width="420"] One of two signs used to keep swimmers off the pier at Center Lake in Warsaw. The other sign is in Spanish. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

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FORT WAYNE -- There are many good reasons to check out the upcoming boat show in Fort Wayne.

You’ll find more than 60 exhibitors, including 20 Marine Dealers from Indiana and Michigan at the Fort Wayne Boat Show and Sale, which runs from Feb. 9-12 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

Incredible prices, low financing and special incentives on boats, personal watercraft,
accessories, piers and much more!

The show has everything that has to do with outdoor fun.

From pontoons, deck boats, speed boats, lifts, piers, docks, boat covers, and boat repair to patio furniture and golf carts.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will conduct a Water and Boating Safety class on Saturday, Feb. 11. The class is free to the public and hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Register at the DNR booth or the Indiana DNR website and then click on the education tab and then Boaters Edu. Or call 260-244-3720.

Admission to the Boat Show is $10. Children 12 and under are free.

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