Wildlife officials estimate that more than 4,200 birds have died from an avian cholera outbreak that started in early February.

The outbreak has occurred on private land, and the disease has killed mostly duck, but also some geese and other birds.

Currently, Idaho Fish and Game personnel are continuing to find and collect dead waterfowl in the Parma area in western Idaho. The dead birds are being collected by Fish and Game crews and volunteers and buried at the Fort Boise Wildlife Area to prevent and reduce further spread of the disease.

“We’re trying to minimize the impact,” said Tyler Archibald, Fish and Game habitat biologist at Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area.

Avian cholera is the result of an infection with the bacterium Pasteurella multocida. The bacterium kills swiftly — sometimes within 6 to 12 hours — and is released into the environment by dead or dying birds, or by birds carrying the disease.

Avian cholera is not considered a high-risk disease for humans, according to the National Wildlife Health Center. It is fairly common in Idaho, but wildlife officials say this is a larger-than-usual outbreak.

“Outbreaks of avian cholera have occurred annually in the area over the past decade,” Archibald said.

Tight waterfowl concentrations can enhance disease transmission among healthy birds. Archibald said when more ponds, reservoirs and lakes thaw and waterfowl disperse, cholera outbreaks tend to diminish and eventually end.

If anybody sees numerous dead birds, they are asked to call and report the location to Fish and Game’s Nampa Regional Office at 208-465-8465.

BOISE — Outdoor enthusiasts will rally on the steps of the Idaho Capitol on March 4 to show their support for keeping Idaho’s public just that — public.

The rally will begin at 11 a.m. on the south steps of the Capitol. Organizers of the event hope everyone who enjoys the outdoors will take part in the free celebration, according to a press release from Idahoans For Public Lands.

Multiple speakers, including some from Southeast Idaho, will speak on the need for public lands and how Idahoans use those lands. The speakers will include:

Martin Hackworth, Executive Director of Sharetrails/Blue Ribbon Coalition, a group of motorized users that represents 7,000 Idahoans. Yvette Tuell, Shoshone-Bannock Tribal member. Ryan Callaghan, Director of Conservation for First Lite, a hunting clothing manufacturer based in Idaho. Luke Nelson, a Patagonia Ambassador and father from Southeast Idaho. Jimmy Hallyburton, a mountain biker, former wildlands firefighter and biking advocate. Rialin Flores, event organizer and member of Idahoans for Public Lands.

“We want to see hunters and hikers; climbers and bird-watchers; mountain bikers and OHV owners. We want to see everybody who spends time in the outdoors,” said Rob Thornberry, Idaho representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “Idaho’s public lands are a treasure, and we want show our support for them.”

Idaho is 62 percent public lands, including lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service. Thousands enjoy Idaho’s 32 million acres of public ground daily, which is a statewide economic driver.

“As citizens of the United States, public land is our birthright,” said Martin Hackworth, executive director of Sharetrails/Blue Ribbon Coalition, a group of motorized users that represents 7,000 people. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s a source of national pride and something I’m not eager to surrender.”

Rally organizers want to send a clear message that Idahoans want public lands to stay public, including public land grazers.

For information, call Rob Thornberry at 208-569-8032 or go to www.facebook.com/Idahoansforpubliclands.

POCATELLO — YouTube celebrity Shay Carl recently posted on his Twitter account that he will be entering rehabilitation for alcoholism and he will not be on the internet for the foreseeable future.

Carl’s Tweet was posted on Sunday. The next day a story ran on an international news website about Carl allegedly exchanging sexual messages with an adult webcam model.

Carl, whose real name is Shay Butler, said on Twitter that the reason he has not been uploading video blogs recently is due to his addiction to alcohol. Though the 36-year-old admitted to quitting alcohol in the past, he said on his official Twitter page that he started drinking again three months ago.

“I have struggled with alcoholism for years,” Carl’s Twitter post read. “I thought I was able to escape addiction & it’s associated demons, but that disease has manifested itself back into my life (due to my decisions) because it is a life long disease.”

Carl, who grew up in and resides in Pocatello, is famous for his various YouTube channels. His main channel, titled SHAYTARDS, has almost 5 million subscribers and regularly includes videos featuring himself, his wife and their five children.

In Sunday’s Twitter post, he mentions his family as a motivating force in his decision to seek help.

“I am not making excuses,” Carl stated on Twitter. “I have a problem. This problem has hurt the ones I love most because I delayed the decision to get help. My wife, friends and family are by my side. My purpose is to rehab. It’s my only priority. I will not be on the internet.”

It is unclear for how long Carl plans to stay off the internet or whether he will continue with SHAYTARDS or his other YouTube channels at some point in the future.

Carl’s Tweet about his alcohol addiction was posted Sunday, and on Monday the International Business Times, an online news website visited by 40 million people each month, ran a story about Carl allegedly exchanging sexual messages through Twitter with an adult webcam model named Aria Nina.

On Sunday, Nina posted pictures of the explicit messages she claims were from Carl.

The Journal was unable to get a hold of Carl for comment.

Carl was most recently in the news late last year when he purchased the Pebble Creek Ski Area near Inkom.

Carl said via Twitter on Sunday: “I’ve been lying to myself. My heart is sick. It’s been impossible to keep up this perfect ‘happiness is a choice’ mentality. I can’t do it anymore.”

INKOM — Two events aimed at kids will be hosted at Pebble Creek Ski Area over the next few days.

The first event will be the Stacy Smith’s Fun Race for Kids on Saturday.

Kids are invited to experience the excitement of racing at Pebble Creek. Stacy Smith races are designed with fun in mind and focus on children who have not raced competitively.

Kids ages 16 and under can participate on either skis or snowboards. The course is an easy course set in the Aspen area. There is no race fee; all the kids need is a lift ticket. Sign up in the lodge by 12:45 p.m. on race day. Race time is 1:15 p.m. with awards at 3:30 p.m.

Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded each day.

Additional Stacy Smith’s Fun Races for Kids will be held on March 4.

The Stacy Smith’s Fun Races for Kids are sponsored by the Pocatello Ski Association through a fund established by Stacy Smith to encouraging skiing for youth. Stacy’s Run at Pebble Creek is named for Stacy Smith.

The second event is Scout Ski Day, which is set for Presidents Day on Monday.

This program assists Boy Scouts in obtaining their Snow Sports Merit Badge.

First-time beginner lessons are offered for Scouts who have never skied or snowboarded before. Scouts who already have their merit badge can just have fun on the slopes. This allows troops with Scouts of varying abilities to participate together.

To complete the merit badge program, Scouts need to be able to demonstrate skiing or boarding skills as required for the Snow Sports Merit Badge. All requirements for the merit badge will be covered during this one-day program.

Scouts should register downstairs in the lodge by 9:30 a.m. with the merit badge clinic and first-time beginner lessons starting at 10 a.m. The program fee is $25 for the lift ticket and the merit badge clinic or first-time lesson. Rental skis for this program are available for only $12 and snowboards for just $15. Helmets are $3.

POCATELLO — The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has finally released the fourth mountain lion kitten that was captured from the Johnny Creek area at the end of January.

Using signals from a radio collar affixed to the mother mountain lion, Fish and Game was able to determine her location by the end of last week and released the kitten in proximity to her.

During the week of Jan. 16, wildlife officials became aware of a mountain lion family that had made themselves at home right among the residents of Johnny Creek. The mother mountain lion, and what was originally thought to be just three kittens, were continually hunting deer, storing kills and finding shelter among the homes and structures in the area.

Fish and Game said these factors made removal of the mountain lions necessary.

Officials transported and released the female and her other three kittens to an undisclosed remote habitat in Southeast Idaho on the afternoon of Jan. 20. A fourth kitten belonging to the family was not captured until Jan. 26.

According to Fish and Game, radio telemetry information was spotty at first, as the mountain lion family moved around quite a bit. Fish and Game waited until she and her kittens finally became more settled before releasing the fourth kitten.

This was the first capture and release of an entire mountain lion family by Idaho Fish and Game in the southeast region.

The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office sent out a statement on Thursday warning of extreme avalanche danger in East Idaho and asking backcountry travelers to avoid high-risk areas.

According to the statement, the rapidly changing weather patterns the area has experienced over the past several days has created conditions where any area with a slope, overhanging snow or ice edges have become prone to slides and avalanches.

On Thursday, two slides completely covered a trail in the Bonneville County Parks and Recreation Snowmobile Grooming System. Though the sheriff’s office said most people assumed that groomed trail systems are not prone to these type of conditions, in actuality they can be just as dangerous as other mountainous and higher elevation areas.

For those who choose to recreate in the backcountry of East Idaho, the sheriff’s office is advising to make sure to be prepared with necessary safety gear, such as avalanche beacons, extra water and food, appropriate clothing and a GPS system. Backcountry travelers will also need to let loved ones know exactly where they plan to go and when they plan to return.

Earlier this week, the Utah Avalanche Center in Salt Lake City issued an avalanche warning for high elevation areas in Bear Lake and Franklin counties in Southeast Idaho. However, the warning ended today at 6 a.m.

Logan Canyon near the Idaho/Utah border closed down on Wednesday because of an avalanche that covered US 89 just west of the turnoff to Beaver Mountain. The avalanche left a 150-foot-wide path of snow across the highway that officials estimated to be 4 to 5 feet deep.

Media reports in Utah said the road was reopened to vehicle traffic on Thursday morning.

Four snowmobilers from North Dakota were rescued Sunday after becoming stranded near Island Park, according to a press release issued by Fremont County Search and Rescue.

At about 5:30 p.m., Fremont County Search and Rescue’s senior and junior members responded to Yale Creek Road west of Island Park after Fremont County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 call from the snowmobilers, who were stuck and unsure of their location.

The stranded individuals told the dispatcher that they had a fire going and that nobody was injured. The coordinates from the 911 call placed the snowmobilers between two and three miles north of Yale Kilgore Road.

Blizzard conditions hampered rescue efforts of the first search team sent to locate the snowmobilers. The team estimated it was a quarter mile from the snowmobilers, but dangerous winter conditions kept the team from advancing.

The search team rendezvoused with the backup search team equipped with snowshoes. The search teams headed to where they had previously smelled smoke, where the weather conditions improved.

Once the two teams combined, three members with showshoes walked into a drainage, where they located the four snowmobilers at 10:07 p.m. The decision was made to leave the stuck and broken-down snowmobiles behind.

With help from Fremont County Search and Rescue, the four snowmobilers were able to get back to their cabin.

Fremont County Search and Rescue encourages those traveling into the backcountry to be extremely cautious and be equipped with necessary equipment and survival gear. It’s also suggested to plan ahead and make others aware of destinations and return times.

An avalanche warning is currently in effect until 6 a.m. Friday for the Bear Lake and Franklin counties in Southeast Idaho.The Utah Avalanche Center out of Salt Lake City is warning that avalanche danger is high in these areas, with the recent heavy sn…

A young bull moose was spotted in Pocatello near Westwood Mall on Friday morning before Idaho Fish and Game removed it and released it back into an appropriate habitat.

Eric Johnson, who lives in the area, observed the moose walking down Moreland Avenue around 7:30 a.m. before he and his father jumped into a car to follow it. Johnson watched the moose meander its way east toward McKinley and Roosevelt avenues before losing sight of it around 8 a.m.

Jennifer Jackson, regional conservation education for Idaho Fish and Game, said Fish and Game officials arrived on the scene, darted the moose and removed it from the area. The moose was not harmed and was in physically healthy condition, Jackson said.

Jackson said she wasn’t sure what led to the moose wandering into town, but she did say she was told people were trying to move and corral the young animal.

“That is not a good idea,” Jackson said. “It can be dangerous for people. It can be dangerous for the animal. … No matter what the critter is, if it’s located someplace, leave it be, give us a call and we’ll respond and take care of it from there.”