This story was released earlier today, 8 January 2007. David Aborn Chattanooga, TN Police shut down 10 blocks of businesses in the heart of downtown early Monday after dozens of birds were found dead in the streets, but = officials said preliminary tests showed no dangerous chemicals in the air. As many as 60 dead pigeons, sparrows and grackles were found overnight = along Congress Avenue, a main route through downtown. No human injuries or illnesses were reported. "We do not feel there is a threat to the public health," said Adolfo Valadez, the medical director for Austin and Travis County Health and = Human Services. He said preliminary air-quality tests showed no dangerous chemicals and the area should reopen around noon. U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said = officials had no credible information to suggest any imminent threat to the city. On Congress Avenue, just outside the state Capitol, emergency workers = donned yellow hazardous-material suits Monday morning, and dozens of fire = trucks and ambulances were parked nearby. Workers were testing for any sort of environmental contaminant or gas or chlorine leaks that might have cause the bird deaths, said police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz. At least one bird carcass was being tested locally for other possible causes, and other carcasses were shipped to = the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Texas A&M University. Valadez said the tests on the dead birds would likely take several days = and look for signs of poisoning or viral infections, though he said = officials do not think bird flu is involved. A 10-block stretch of Congress Avenue, several side streets and all buildings in the area were shut down and declared off-limits as a precaution, Chovanetz said. The street closure stretched from just outside the Capitol to a section = of the Colorado River known as Town Lake. The Capitol opened on schedule Monday, the day before the legislative session was to begin. =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________