BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Contractors working for the City of Buffalo cut down trees and destroyed habitat at Times Beach Nature Preserve at Buffalo's Outer Harbor during nesting season Friday, alarming conservationists and prompting a response from Deputy Mayor Swanekamp.
The city-owned nature preserve is home to more than 230 species of birds, but some had a rude awakening when city contractors arrived with heavy machinery, chopping down trees and mowing down vegetation.
The patch, on the edge of the preserve, was home to rare species, including families of red-headed woodpeckers, barn swallows and tree swallows. Friends of Times Beach Nature Preserve fonder, Jay Burney, tells me important nests seem to have been lost to the damage.
"We've discovered that most of the birds that were here - the 30 species we've had in the last couple of weeks and the many many nesting birds - they don't seem to be here. It's deadly silent down here. It's like the summer has turned silent," Burney said.
Burney stepped in to stop the bulldozerson Friday afternoon.
"I said 'You can't go in I won't let you go in,' I mean I'm not a big guy and I'm not sure that would have worked out," Burney said.
WATCH: City contractors destroy bird habitat at nature preserve during nesting season
A standoff followed, with police being called to the scene. Burney also called the mayor's office. Deputy Mayor Benjamin Swanekamp attended.
"He was here within 15 minutes," Burney said.
Swanekamp stopped the contractors, AJ's Tree Service, who were brought in to clean up storm damage. He told me the mayor's office was not previously aware of the work being carried out by the city's Forestry Division.
"I was pretty shocked. I'm a bird enthusiast like the mayor and it seemed like a pretty heavy handed approach to tackling those trees," Swanekamp said.
The deputy mayor added the city has only managed the nature preserve for two months, so the workers are more accustomed to clearing parks and roadways rather than the delicate work of nature preserves.
The incident is the second blunder by the city's forestry division within a month, which is managed by interim Parks Commissioner Stephen Buccilli. In June, City workers mistakenly cut down a tree on private property in South Buffalo. So why the mishaps?
"We talked to Commissioner Buccilli educating we want forestry to take a much softer touch," Swanekamp said. "Let's be more conservative with where we're going in, and focus on planting more trees not cutting trees down right now."
