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OREM, Utah (AP) -- Utah Valley State College is using a slick epoxy paint to discourage cliff swallows from making nests at the patio of the Pope Science Building.
The patio has been a favorite nesting site every year for swallows returning from Argentina. Many students enjoy watching them.
This year, the UVSC facilities department lined the bird's nesting area, where beams under the patio meet the roof, with a 6-inch strip of epoxy paint, which hardens to create a smooth surface.
"The epoxy paint was put on the building to discourage the swallows from nesting there," said Val Peterson, vice president for administration and external affairs.
It's working.
Usually by this time, the birds would be halfway through building their nests, said biology professor Wayne Whaley. Instead, dried mud covers the brick patio. The birds have tried repeatedly to put mud in the corners, but it doesn't stick.
"The birds are wasting their energy," Whaley said. If the facilities department doesn't get the epoxy off, "the birds are going to leave and they won't be back."
After receiving permission from the facilities department, biology graduates and employees of the biology department climbed on top of 10-foot ladders Tuesday and tried to take the paint off with sandpaper. It only made the concrete even smoother.
The biology department wants the area sandblasted.
Peterson, who contends the swallow droppings are a health hazard, said sandblasting would cause the building to deteriorate sooner.
The school has a permit to destroy nests without eggs or fledglings.
Whaley said that the cliff swallows are federally protected and that they should be allowed to nest where they want.
Peterson said, "This isn't a natural habitat that the birds find themselves in. This is something that was created after the fact."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
