Latest news with #DennisVasquez
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Yahoo
Veterans Memorial reopens after starling soiling shut it down
Mar. 25—The grounds of the New Mexico Veterans Memorial in Southeast Albuquerque have reopened, according to the city's Parks and Recreation Department. The announcement comes nearly a month after the park was shut down, due in large part to a massive amount of defecation from an estimated 50,000 European starlings that were roosting at the park. The Parks and Recreation Department said it was able to use non-lethal tactics to force the birds from the park, located along Louisiana SE, north of Gibson. "We're very happy to invite the public back to the New Mexico Veterans Memorial to enjoy that space and to honor our veterans," Dennis Vasquez, deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said Tuesday. In addition to safety risks and the unpleasant sight of bird excrement, the operation to move the starlings was due to concerns around air travel from neighboring Kirtland Air Force Base and the Albuquerque International Sunport. Vasquez said the birds ended up flocking to a variety of places away from the area, and the Parks and Recreation department is taking steps to make sure the disruption doesn't happen again next winter. The park's reopening comes just before it hosts a ceremony honoring Vietnam veterans Sunday at noon.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Veterans Memorial reopens following bird ‘invasion'
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The New Mexico Veterans Memorial is back open after the city dealt with a bird invasion. The Parks and Recreation Department shuttered the memorial last month after around 50,000 European Starlings began roosting there, leaving behind a large amount of droppings. BioPark Zoo sees Spring Break influx The city says they used non-lethal methods to encourage the birds to relocate then cleaned the memorial, fully reopening the grounds to the public Friday. 'Starlings are a common, non-native bird around the country that can create big problems when they gather in large numbers, but it's the first time we've had anything like this in a city park,' says Dennis Vasquez, deputy director of the City of Albuquerque Parks and Recreation Department. The department says it also took steps to prevent the birds from coming back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Starling soilings temporarily shutter city park, causes flight concerns
Feb. 25—Benches, plaques and even a life-size replica of a kneeling soldier at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial are covered in off-white spots. The source? European starlings, a bird native to Eurasia and northern Africa, that have been sleeping and defecating at the Southeast Albuquerque park over the last month. There are nearly 50,000 birds roosting in the area, which, in addition to creating an eyesore, is causing concern at the nearby Albuquerque International Sunport and Kirtland Air Force Base. The city has closed the park and will use non-lethal methods, such as wrapping the nesting areas in tarps, to disperse the starlings that have occupied it. "We wouldn't want visitors to be in this sacred space under these conditions, so we're going to take a break here. We'll see how many weeks it'll take before we reopen," Dennis Vasquez, deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Department, told the Journal on Tuesday. He added that the issue had been on the city's radar for the past month, but the unusual situation left the department unprepared. "They're one of the most populous bird species in the country and winter roosting is a common behavior, but in groups this size, it's kind of unusual, maybe unprecedented, for Albuquerque," Vasquez said. The park sits along Louisiana SE, right next to KAFB and just a few miles north of runways at the Sunport, and the city's Aviation Department said there is concern the birds could be an issue for planes landing and taking off. "This many invasive birds in proximity to the Sunport can be a serious life safety risk, and the Aviation Department does all it can to ensure wildlife are protected from harm while keeping aircraft safe," Leah Black, spokesperson for the Aviation Department, said in a statement. She added the birds can be a hazard due to aircraft bird strikes and the department is "always monitoring for these kinds of potential risks." On Tuesday evening, Vasquez along with Chad Buckland and Justin Hendricks of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Brian Boyd, from the city's Aviation Department, fended off birds from the park by waving tarps around for an hour at sunset, successfully deterring them from landing. A date was not given for the park reopening. In the meantime, scheduled events at the grounds are being rescheduled or relocated. "We know it's an inconvenience for the public, but ... we've just got to take care of what we have to do here," Vasquez said, noting the park should reopen by Memorial Day, which is on May 26.
