The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has asked the public to avoid a lake in northwest Indiana.

On Thursday, the IDEM asked the public to stay away from Wolf Lake in Hammond, where dozens of ducks and other birds were found dead.

IDEM said dead fish were also reported at the lake.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources began receiving reports of dead or sick birds at the lake in mid-February. Investigators have sent some of the dead birds to a laboratory at the National Wildlife Health Center to determine the cause of death.

The test results will show if the birds were diseased, or if they have chemicals in their carcasses.

On Tuesday, the Indiana DNR announced that avian cholera had been confirmed among geese in Gibson County, where 176 snow geese have been found dead since early January.