Sally Collins' statement before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

The Service favors:
--conservation of wildlife in the public trust;
--development of renewable energy that is bird and bat friendly; and
--use of informed decisions based on adequate environmental assessment and sound science.

This letter was written by the law firm Meyer Glitzenstein & Crystal to the United States Dept. of Interior and the United States Fish & Wildlife Service on behalf of National Wind Watch, the Humane Society of the United States, the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound and Juniata Valley Audubon concerning the Fish & Wildlife Service's intention to convene a committee to engage in a 'collaborative process' to revise the Fish & Wildlife's Interim Guidance on Avoiding and Minimizing Wildlife Impacts from Wind Turbines.

This compilation of scientific reports provides compelling evidence of significant bird mortality at windfarms. Its cumulative effect with other causes of bird deaths may bring many species to extinction - especially as captivity-bred specimens will be lacking turbine-free habitats where they can be released safely.

Industrial Wind Action is pleased to include Donald S. Heintzelman as an ally in our efforts to educate the populace on the potential detrimental impacts of industrial wind energy facilities on migrating hawks, eagles, and falcons. Mr. Heintzelman, an ornithological and wildlife consultant with more than 50 years field experience, is a pioneer in the field of hawk migration science--particularly along the Appalachian ridgelines. He is the author of 21 published books including the four hawk migration books featured here. His books are important references for anyone interested in identifying where migrating hawks occur and understanding the flightpaths and behaviors of these amazing flying creatures. Three of his four books listed below are available on the used book market; the last recently was published by Falcon Guide/Globe Pequot Press as the 2nd edition of Guide to Hawk Watching in North America. Mr. Heintzelman lives in the rural countryside of southeastern Pennsylvania.

GAO Report. "The impact of wind power facilities on wildlife varies by region and by species....however, many wind power facilities in the United States have not been studied and, therefore, scientists cannot draw definitive conclusions about the threat that wind power poses to wildlife in general."

BBC Research & Consulting's 2005 report for the National Wind Coordinating Committee that studies 9 wind plant sitings in an effort to identify circumstances that distinguish welcomed projects from projects that were not accepted by communities.

...additional radar studies would be required to see if spring migration patterns are different than those measured in the fall. Typically spring migration is shorter than fall migration with fewer numbers in the shorter period of time. How this will affect the numbers of birds passing through the rotor swept volume is unknown. It is important to determine the seasonal timing, altitude and numbers of migrant birds passing over the proposed project site and the effects of weather upon their passage over a greater part of the whole year. In addition, it is possible to determine some of the bird and bat species passing through the project site by accoustical sensors to determine which species, that make vocal calls, are migrating through the site.

More than 25 national and regional conservation groups, including Defenders of Wildlife, National Audubon Society, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Endangered Species Coalition, today called on Interior Secretary Gale Norton and other federal officials to assess the impacts of planned extensive wind power development on Appalachian mountain ridges on migratory birds, before these projects are constructed. In a letter to Secretary Norton and others, the groups cited documented bird kills by existing wind turbines in the region, and urged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to develop appropriate criteria for siting and construction of these facilities under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it illegal to kill migratory birds.