The need for proper setbacks in Chatham-Kent between wind turbines and homes and natural settings was voiced loudly Tuesday by Chatham businessman Harry Verhey. Verhey told Chatham Sunrise Rotary Club members - of which he is a member - that he isn't challenging the use of wind turbines, but is convinced there is an urgent need to determine setbacks that are right for the municipality. "The recent proliferation of industrial wind projects will have a negative impact on the community," he said. "The massive size of industrial wind turbines conflicts with the scale and character of the Chatham-Kent landscape." ...Verhey said ads run in local papers by the proponents of wind farms aren't enough - "for the most part the public is unaware of turbine developments and locations."

Under pressure from environmental activist groups such as Defenders of Wildlife and the Los Angeles Audubon Society, the California Energy Commission on August 10 released bird and bat protection guidelines for local wind power permitting agencies. Although the guidelines are neither mandatory nor enforceable, the move represents growing concern that industrial wind farms are taking an unacceptable toll on bird and bat populations. The most recent avian mortality studies show between 1,750 and 4,700 birds are killed every year at California's Altamont Pass wind farm alone. Similar mortality numbers are reported at industrial wind farms in Solano County and other parts of the state. The Los Angeles Audubon Society says there is a lack of research into how industrial wind farms, many of which are located in migratory flyways, affect songbird flight patterns. The group is seeking a moratorium on turbine operation for several hours each day during the spring and autumn migration seasons.

A petition is calling on the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to push for wind farm developments to be suspended in the UK. Internet lobby group Proact, which co-ordinates wildlife campaigns, said it has collected 3,248 signatures. Proact’s David Conlin said the society does not go “far enough” in opposing wind developments. The RSPB said it will respond to the petition, but added that it deals with farm proposals on a case by case basis.

As part of their lobbying against wind turbine farms in Scotland's mountains, MCofS's Chief Officer, David Gibson is attempting to mobilise travel and tourist businesses to voice their dissent against this 'industrialisation'.

A spokesperson for McNaughton said the two elected officials want all turbine construction to halt until results of a federal health study on the impacts of turbines has been tabled. ...The spokesman said there is also growing concern about the devaluation of property as a result of the rapid proliferation of wind turbines in Chatham-Kent and throughout southwestern Ontario.

Scientists at Stirling University are suggesting new national guidelines be drawn up to protect bats and birds from domestic wind turbine developments. Research by the School of Natural Sciences found wide variations in the planning processes for micro-turbines.

Campaigners have urged politicians to stop part of East Yorkshire becoming a "dumping ground" for wind turbines. The area covered by the Beverley and Holderness constituency has eight turbines, approval in place for 33 more and a further 90 are being considered. Campaigner Cherie Blenkin said the area's landscape should be preserved.

A CAMPAIGN group which aims to protect common land has hit out at plans to build up to 24 wind turbines in East Lancashire. The Open Spaces Society said the project, designed for the moors between Hyndburn and Rossendale, would be a "menace on the landscape". ...Because the site is common land the company will need special permission for the site. Kate Ashbrook from the conservation group said: "Haslingden is a wonderful oasis among the Lancashire towns. Here the public have the right to walk and ride over every square inch of the common. "The wind turbines with their associated paraphernalia would be a gross intrusion on the landscape and will be highly visible from the common and from further afield."

People living in Earthcott Green protested over plans for the wind farm, off Old Gloucester Road, at Alveston Parish Council's planning meeting last night. They told parish councillors, who were discussing Stroud-based power firm Ecotricity's planning application to South Gloucestershire Council for the first time, that the wind turbines were "totally inappropriate" for the village.

The main objection facing Sugarland Wind is the bird deaths expected from putting towering, fast-spinning blades between Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, two prime destinations for migrating birds, wading birds and birds of prey. Sugarland backers have said they expect about three to four bird deaths per tower per year.

Alison Rodgers told how Palterton residents are "losing sleep" after Barlborough-based firm Banks Renewables submitted plans to Bolsover District Council to build three wind turbines on fields in the village.

Plans for 17 turbines in a picturesque part of the Highlands have been branded a "wind farm too far" by campaigners who say it will ruin the landscape. A survey has found 93% of those who responded were opposed to the plans, sparking a campaign against the bid.

Campaigners against a proposed windfarm set out to prove that their concerns were not hot air at the weekend by launching a helium-filled "blimp" into the south Norfolk skies. Members of Stop Hempnall's Onshore Wind Turbines (SHOWT) flew the 20ft long airship shaped balloon to highlight the scale of the proposed seven turbine site, north east of the village. The demonstration comes as Diss-based developer Enertrag UK aims to submit plans in the autumn for the windfarm in the Tas Valley, which will stand 130ft tall.

The Federal Environment Minister, Ian Campbell, has dismissed claims he ignored advice from senior members of his department when he vetoed a windfarm project in Victoria's Gippsland region.

As Virginia wrangles over the visual impact of 400-foot towers on nearby historic properties, a similar situation in West Virginia resulted in a $10,000 grant offer from a wind energy company building 23 wind turbines overlooking some 18 historic places in Mineral County. Not everyone agrees it's an appropriate solution, but Pinnacle Wind Force LLC offered to make that amount available for historic preservation efforts after the West Virginia Division of Culture and History (the State Historic Preservation Office) found its wind project would have an adverse impact on historic resources nearby.

Big plans east of Bend may come down to a small bird, the sage grouse. Central Oregon's first commercial wind farm could be up and running as soon as next year, unless it runs into environmental or other obstacles its backers cannot overcome. The $220 million project would be built on private land 30 miles east of Bend. However, the project is facing some scrutiny over it's impact on the wildlife habitat.

Holberton said a huge swath of the Maine coastline remains uncharted territory as far as understanding bird migrations ...when visibility is poor, the birds fly at much lower altitudes, under 500 feet. "Most of the birds are island hopping and that is why wind development in shallow water and right along the coast in my opinion poses big issues," said Holberton.

He said the California Native Plant Society petitioned the BLM in 2005 to make the entire Walker Ridge region - a total of about 14,000 acres - an "area of critical environmental concern." He said the area has a high amount of serpentine soils and rock with a potentially high mercury content. Special, rare types of plants grow in those serpentine soils, Schneider said.

Not all renewable energy sources are completely environmentally friendly. For instance, Canada's Wolfe Island Eco-Power Centre2, the country's second largest wind farm, has demonstrated itself to be a killer of birds and bats.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's approval of the proposed Nantucket Sound wind farm this week prompted a wave of legal threats from opponents who argue the decision violates the Endangered Species Act and other laws. One possible suit even contends the project could hurt endangered right whales. That suit, however, is only one of several possible challenges to the plan by Cape Wind Associates to build 130 wind turbines in the Sound.