The below e-mail exchange provides insight into the possible impacts to endangered species, including Sea Turtles, should FPL win approval to erect six utility-scale turbines on Hutchinson Island, a barrier island off the coast of Florida. Originals of both e-mails can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

To: Juan Soto
From: Shudes, Karen, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
CC: Pam McChesney, Jane Chabre, Sabrina Menendez, Robbin Trindell, Meghan Koperski
Subject: FPL wind turbines on Hutchinson Island
Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 16:32:44 -0400

Dear Mr. Soto,

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff acknowledges your concerns regarding the installation of six (6), 417 ft tall wind turbines on Hutchinson Island proposed by Florida Power and Light (FPL). FWC is in favor of "green energy" alternatives; however, the location of such structures must be carefully chosen so that they do not severely impact threatened and endangered species that depend on coastal habitat for their survival.

Ample scientific research has proven that both the threatened loggerhead
(Caretta caretta) and endangered green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles respond to moving objects (e.g., people and other medium-sized to large animals). Nesting sea turtles can respond to this movement during their emergence from the sea by abandoning their nesting attempt, initial body-pitting behavior, or digging of the egg chamber. The blades of the proposed wind turbines could cause significant movement and noise, which could cause a female sea turtle to abort her nesting attempt. Furthermore, in the case of a successful nesting attempt, vibrations from the proposed wind turbines could negatively impact the development of embryos in the nest.

In addition, the effects of light pollution on sea turtles have been well documented. Any artificial lights on or associated with the proposed wind turbines could have a detrimental effect on both nesting and hatching sea turtles. Artificial lights on beaches discourage emergence and nesting by females in both the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles. Artificial lights also have significant effects on the seaward orientation of hatchling sea turtles.

FWC staff believes the wind turbines proposed by FPL could impact threatened and endangered sea turtles attempting to nest on adjacent beaches. As a result FWC will be an active player in the permitting process, and we will do our best to inform the Department of Environmental Protection and FPL on the potential detrimental impacts the proposed wind turbines could have on threatened and endangered sea turtles of Hutchinson Island.

Sincerely,

Karen Shudes

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Imperiled Species Management Section - Sea Turtle Subsection
Koger Center
1320 Executive Drive
Atkins Building - Suite 101
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: (850) 922-4330
Fax: (850) 921-6988

 

To: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
From: Juan Soto
Subject: Strong Environmental Concerns about impact of FPL wind turbines in
Hutchinson Island
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:47:38 -0400

Dear Commissioners:

FPL is planning to install six 417-ft tall wind turbines in a portion of their property in Hutchinson Island, Florida (Saint Lucie County). The FPL details may be found at http://www.stluciewind.com/

This property, even though it's theirs, is a "wildlife preserve" (these are FPL's own words). According to FPL, "There are about 180 species of birds and animals that inhabit the St. Lucie Plant property in our wildlife preserve. Of these, 36 are endangered or threatened." This is over 30% of the endangered and threatened species in Florida.

These wind turbines will be built just at the Coastal Construction Line and spaced at about every 900 to 1,200 feet.

We are very concerned about the impact this will have on the wildlife preserve. Just 5 of the 36 endangered or threatened species in that wildlife preserve are 5 of the 6 remaining species of sea turtles in the world. These 5 species of sea turtles nest every year in the beaches that will be 200 to 300 feet in front of these proposed wind turbines.

The Florida's 1995 Marine Turtle Protection Act (MTPA) states that "no person may take, possess, disturb, mutilate, destroy, cause to be destroyed, sell, offer for sale, transfer, molest, or harass any marine turtle or its nest or eggs at any time." "Take" is defined as an act which kills or injures sea turtles, including "significant habitat modification or degradation that kills or injures marine turtles by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, such as breeding, feeding, or sheltering."

The five species of sea turtles that nest every year in those beaches just 200 to 300 feet from these wind turbines are the green (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), and Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempi). All these species of sea turtles are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA).

That noise and the lights from the wind turbines placed right at the Coastal Construction Line will be enough to provoke "false crawls" leading turtles to shed their eggs at sea. Furthermore, the lights, and even the magnetic fields from these 13.8 Megawatt generating wind turbines will contribute to disorient the sea turtle hatchlings affecting their survival.

This would be clearly against the MTPA as it seriously affects the breeding pattern of the sea turtles, right?

Now, in regard to the remaining 31 species endangered or threatened, Section 9 of the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) prohibits the sale, import, export, or transport of any endangered species and most threatened species, and makes it unlawful to "take" them. The term "take" is broadly defined as "to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct." The United States Supreme Court has affirmed the Secretary of the Interior's interpretation that take includes "significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife."

The destruction of the many acres required to build the access roads for the heavy trucks to bring heavy elements as long as the 148-foot long blades which are cast in one piece, and to erect the 6 wind turbines, plus the noise and lights from the operation of the wind turbines will be a significant habitat degradation that may injury or kill the wildlife in the FPL's wildlife's preserve.

The citizens of Saint Lucie County, and specially those from Jensen Beach and those surrounding the Indian River Lagoon, are very concerned about the environmental impact of this project among many other things. We believe that the damages to the ecohabitat where 36 endangered and threatened species are from the installation of these turbines and their operation may be irreparable.

We respectfully ask you to do everything you can to protect this beautiful environment in Hutchinson Island. We believe in green energy alternatives but not to the expense of our few remaining green spaces. To put it in other words, as one of my neighbors used to say it, "to reduce our carbon footprint, we cannot destroy God's footprint".

Respectfully yours,
Juan G. Soto, P.E.
Jensen Beach, Florida

Download File(s):
email sent to FWC on April 22, 2008 about FPL wind turbines.pdf (36.12 kB)
email from FWC on May 14, 2008 titled FPL wind turbines on Hutchinson Island (1).pdf (20.79 kB)