NORTHAMPTON, Pa. – A bio-secure warning sign, the current-day greeting card at Upper Mount Bethel’s Liberty Acres Farm.
“It’s secure, so we can’t really take people around the farm anymore,” said Brian Spagnola.
Poultry is the prime money maker for Brian Spagnola’s business. By mid-summer, more than a thousand birds can cover his fields.
“Our feed company. They disinfect their tires before they come up the driveway,” he explained of the new protocols.
Small steps to avoid harsh scenes. Last year, Department of Agriculture workers in hazmat suits descended on a Lehigh County chicken facility after bird flu was discovered inside.
Already in 2026 across the state, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says more than 7 million commercial birds have died from the virus.
“We wanted to make sure that people with walking their dogs. You know, dogs chase after birds. It’s a common cycle,” said Brian Welsko, Northampton Borough’s Manager.
A reason that Welsko closed Canal Street Park earlier this week after 150 dead Canada geese were found nearby.
Reports of dead geese lead to park closure in Northampton Co.
The PA Game Commission says that even though tests have yet to be done, it’s all but certain the birds are a victim of bird flu.
This, as it’s seeing a resurgence in wild bird flu cases in Lehigh, Bucks and Northampton counties.
Head into the Northampton Borough Hall, and you can’t miss the signs of these avian times. Bird flu pamphlets dot the inside.
“Crows dying, that’s what we’ve heard. Nothing from game commission,” Welsko said.
For those like Spangola, an invisible virus re-shapes routines, and possibly futures.
“If bird flu shows up here, they’re going to come and decimate our flock, and then I’d probably be out of business.,” he said.
The borough says the earliest the park is expected to reopen is March 2. As for commercial flocks, Pennsylvania is the only state that has a dedicated bird flue recovery fund for impacted farmers.