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Impact on Wildlife and USA
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Understanding the trade-off: Environmental costs and benefits of industrial wind energy development
October 23, 2008
by Dan Boone & Rick Webb
Wildlife expert Dan Boone presented these slides at the 38th North American Symposium on Bat Research held in Scranton, PA in October 2008. Mr. Boone's presentation focused on the trade-offs of wind energy development in Eastern US balancing the benefits of this energy resource against the environmental risks, particularly to bats. Note that slides # 27, 32 and 33 of the presentation provide graphs which quantitatively estimate the potential impacts on bats and forest habitat resulting from the projected intensity of wind energy development within the eastern US states which comprise the bulk of the Appalachian mountain region. The summary slide from the presentation is listed below. The full presentation can be accessed by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
Also filed under [
Impact on Bats|
Energy Policy]
George Wallace comments before House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans
July 10, 2008
by George E. Wallace
Testimony from the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans Oversight Hearing on "Going, Going, Gone? An Assessment of the Global Decline in Bird Populations"
Also filed under [
Impact on Birds]
American Society of Mammalogists unanimous resolution: Effects of wind-energy facilities on bats and other wildlife
May, 2008
by American Society of Mammalogists
Also filed under [
Impact on Bats]
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies position statement: Wind energy impacts on wildlife and wildlife habitat
April 18, 2008
While the public and many decision-makers generally believe that wind energy is environmentally benign, it may entail significant detriments to wildlife and essential habitats, which need to be more clearly understood, and addressed. State fish and wildlife agencies should be at the forefront of cooperative development and implementation of measures to characterize, avoid, minimize and effectively mitigate the impacts of wind energy development on natural resources.
Therefore the position of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, in regard to wind energy development is to: ...
Also filed under [
Impact on Birds|
Impact on Bats]
The Wildlife Society final position statement: Impacts of wind energy development on wildlife and wildlife habitat
March, 2008
by The Wildlife Society
Below is National Audubon's recently adopted policy pertaining to wind power generation.
Also filed under [
Impact on Landscape]
Wind energy development and wildlife conservation: Challenges and Opportunities
October, 2007
by William P. Kuvlesky, Jr. et. al.
ABSTRACT Wind energy development represents significant challenges and opportunities in contemporary wildlife management. Such challenges include the large size and extensive placement of turbines that may represent potential hazards to birds and bats. However, the associated infrastructure required to support an array of turbines—such as roads and transmission lines—represents an even larger potential threat to wildlife than the turbines themselves because such infrastructure can result in extensive habitat fragmentation and can provide avenues for invasion by exotic species. There are numerous conceptual research opportunities that pertain to issues such as identifying the best and worst placement of sites for turbines that will minimize impacts on birds and bats. Unfortunately, to date very little research of this type has appeared in the peer-reviewed scientific literature; much of it exists in the form of unpublished reports and other forms of gray literature. In this paper, we summarize what is known about the potential impacts of wind farms on wildlife and identify a 3-part hierarchical approach to use the scientific method to assess these impacts. The Lower Gulf Coast (LGC) of Texas, USA, is a region currently identified as having a potentially negative impact on migratory birds and bats, with respect to wind farm development. This area is also a region of vast importance to wildlife from the standpoint of native diversity, nature tourism, and opportunities for recreational hunting. We thus use some of the emergent issues related to wind farm development in the LGC—such as siting turbines on cropland sites as opposed to on native rangelands—to illustrate the kinds of challenges and opportunities that wildlife managers must face as we balance our demand for sustainable energy with the need to conserve and sustain bird migration routes and corridors, native vertebrates, and the habitats that support them. (JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 71(8):2487–2498; 2007)
Also filed under [
Impact on Birds|
Impact on Bats]
Assessing Impacts of Wind-Energy Development on Nocturnally Active Birds and Bats: A Guidance Document
October, 2007
by Thomas H. Kunz et.al. Journal of Wildlife Management
This important collaborative document describes the current research on wind energy and the assessment of impacts on nocturnally active birds and bats.
H.R. 2337 just introduced in the US House of Representatives by Congressman Rahall (D-WV), Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. Title II, Subtitle D (beginning with Sec. 231 on page 39) of the bill addresses the safe siting of wind energy facilities. This specific section can be found below.
Also filed under [
General|
Zoning/Planning]
Some elements to consider in policy, planning, and public relations
Also filed under [
General|
Impact on Landscape|
Impact on People|
Impact on Economy|
Safety|
Zoning/Planning]