As government officials try to harness the Oklahoma wind as a practical power source, they must also be mindful of the birds and bats most affected by wind farms.Western Oklahoma is home to bat colonies and the lesser prairie chicken, but the area also has some of the best real estate for wind farms.

"It just so happens that the most prime wind areas of our state overlay very nicely with the last remaining prairie chicken habitat in the state as well as our biggest bat colony," said J.D. Strong, Oklahoma secretary of environment.

Bats have been battered and killed by the turbines while lesser prairie chickens, which avoid tall structures, simply leave when a turbine is erected, and they don't come back.

"Once a turbine goes in you're essentially done as far as the lesser prairie chicken," Strong said.

The lesser prairie chicken is of concern because Strong said it is close to being added to the endangered species list. That could further prohibit wind farms from building near the birds' habitat just as Oklahoma is poised to be a leader in wind technology.

Russ Horton, wildlife research supervisor with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, said it is estimated that there are only a few thousand lesser prairie chickens remaining in the state. That number is thought to be 10 percent of the birds here 100 years ago.

Oklahoma Secretary of Energy Robert Wegener said the state must tap into wind power and wind farms for long-term sustainability.

Oklahoma is 12th in wind-power generation, and trails neighboring Texas and Kansas.

Wegener said for every 1,000 new megawatts of wind energy produced over the life of a wind farm, that could translate to a $1.2 billion economic impact. If Oklahoma could develop at least 10,000 megawatts of new wind power, it could pay handsomely for the state.

"The wind industry in Oklahoma could easily have over a $10 billion economic impact in the state," Wegener said.

One other resource in Oklahoma could also help contribute to electric power generation.

"Natural gas and wind are perfect partners," Wegener said.

Transmission infrastructure, which has had no major improvements in 30 years, also presents a hurdle.

"By fully developing its wind resources, Oklahoma could provide 10 percent of the nation's electricity by 2030," said Natalie Shirley, Oklahoma secretary of commerce and tourism. "And indeed we will develop those resources."