Conservation groups seek changes at wind farm

Birds and bat mortality at issue

 A coalition of eight conservation organizations is seeking further limits on the operation of a western Maryland wind farm that it calls the deadliest in the United States.

The 28-turbine Criterion Wind Project, located near Oakland, Md., went into operation in December of 2010 and is owned by Exelon Power, a unit of Exelon Corp. (NYSE: EXE).

The challenge is contained in comments filed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is considering the wind farm operator’s request for an incidental take permit for endangered Indiana bats.

During its first full year of operation (2011), Criterion conducted daily monitoring for bat and bird mortality between April 5 and November 15. Although no Indiana bat deaths were confirmed, Criterion estimates that the project killed approximately 1,093 other bats (39 bats per turbine) and 448 birds (16 birds per turbine), the groups say. This is the highest mortality rate per turbine for any wind facility in the U.S.

The Endangered Species Act makes it illegal to “take,” meaning harm or kill, federally threatened or endangered wildlife. Some otherwise legal activities, such as wind turbine operation, have the risk of incidentally taking protected species. These activities can continue, as long as the project owner “undertakes reasonable and practical measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate” deaths of listed species.

Continued:  http://www.renewablesbiz.com/article/12/10/conservation-groups-seek-changes-wind-farm

Windfarms: bird mortality cover-up in the UK

The British public is being misinformed regarding bird mortality at wind farms, denounce Save the Eagles International (STEI) and the World Council for Nature (WCFN). It is contrary to fact to pretend that these industrial structures are “carefully sited” so as to avoid risks to birds and bats. It is equally false to allege that grouse and other ground-nesting birds don’t mind laying their eggs under wind turbines, or that raptors avoid these dangerous areas.

In a recent article, The Guardian states: “Studies in the UK had found evidence that birds of prey in particular avoided wind farms” (1). But if you look closely at the picture shown in the article, you’ll notice that the two birds flying between the turbines are raptors, red kites, in fact, which were reintroduced in the UK at great cost. “So! - they avoid wind farms, eh?” – quips STEI’s President Mark Duchamp.

In Germany, where a few wind farms have been loosely monitored for bird and bat mortality, the government has disclosed the number of carcasses reported so far: 69 eagles, 186 kites, 192 buzzards, 13 harriers, 59 falcons, 12 hawks, 7 ospreys, plus hundreds more birds of all sizes and even more bats (2). “These figures are just a small sample of the ongoing massacre”, comments Duchamp, who cites this example:  “Ubbo Mammen, an ornithologist commissioned by the German government, estimates that 200-300 Red Kites are being killed yearly by wind turbines in Germany” (3). These machines are driving many rare species into extinction, warns Mark.

Continued:  http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/46021