Avian Issues in Land-Based Wind Environmental Business Council May 29, 2008
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Transcript of Avian Issues in Land-Based Wind Environmental Business Council May 29, 2008
Avian Issues in Land-Based Wind
Environmental Business Council May 29, 2008
“I honestly beleave it iz better tew know nothing than two know what ain’t so”
Josh Billings, 19th C
Wind Energy and Birds
• Endangered Species Act• Migratory Bird Treaty• US DOI Wind Turbine Advisory
Committee – (http://www.fws.gov/habitatconservation/
windpower/wind_turbine_advisory_committee.html)
Population trends of U.S. breeding species Data are from the 415 native species
with adequate BBS sample sizes for analysis
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From: Greg Butcher, National Audubon, State of the Birds USA presentation 2004
What Can Happen in 50 Years?
1943 1996
Courtesy of AMC
Vivian Stockman, May 30, 2003
A “typical” mine encompasses 1,000 – 4000 acres of ridge line during the mine’s lifetime
EPA 2003 MTRVF PEIS
Mountain Top Mining West Virginia
2003 Buzzard’s Bay Oil Spill(San Francisco, Black Sea 2007)
Wind Energy Birds(and Bats) Possible Impacts
(NAS 2007)
• Habitat destruction and fragmentation
• Habitat displacement• Collision mortality• None of these are unique to wind,
but differ by degree, perhaps
Bird Fatalities at Wind Turbines(NRC 2007, Jain et al. 2007*)
Region Number of Turbines
Birds per MW per year
Raptors per MW per year
Buffalo Mtn, TN 3 11.67 0
Buffalo Ridge, MN 73-143 3.03 – 5.93 0 – 0.04
Foote Creek Rim, WY 33-72 1.99 – 2.50 0.05 – 0.06
Mountaineer, WV 44 2.69 0.02
Oregon (3) 16 - 41 0.95 – 2.56 0
Top of Iowa 89 1.44 0.01
Bat Fatalities at Wind Turbines(Kunz et al. 2007, Jain et al. 2007*)
Region Number of Turbines
Fatalities per MW year
Buffalo Mtn, TN 3 31.5 – 41.1
Buffalo Ridge, MN 73 – 143 0.8 – 2.9
Foote Creek Rim, WY 33 – 72 2.0
Mountaineer, WV 44 25.3 – 32.0
Oregon (3) 16 – 181 0.63 – 3.59
Top of Iowa 89 8.6
Maple Ridge, Lewis County, NY(195, 1.65 MW Turbines)
Maple Ridge, NY2006 (per MW)
Frequency Bird Incidents Bat Incidents
Daily* 5.81 14.87
Every 3 days 2.71 13.54
Weekly 1.90 9.21
*Golden-crowned Kinglets: 29 – 43% of observations!!!Most birds found at one turbine = 9
Sources of Bird Mortality(Erickson, et al. 2001; NRC 2007)
• Communications Towers – 4 million to 50 million
• Buildings and Windows – 98 million to 980 million
• Vehicles – 60 million to 80 million• Cats – 8 million to 220 million (rural cats)• Wind Turbines – 10,000 to 40,000 (3.1 birds
per MW installed capacity; 0.003% of all sources of human-caused avian mortality)
• Estimated 10 – 20 billion land birds in North America
Mean number of birds found under communication towers
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Bird MortalityAndCommunicationTowers
Michigan Spring 2005Joelle Gehring
Potential Collision Mortality
• Current estimate = 3.1 birds per MW installed capacity (NRC, 2007)
• 1 MW installed generates 2.4 – 3 million kWh per year (AWEA)
• Massachusetts 2000 electricity = 52,663 million kWh (U. S. Census Bureau)
• If 100% from wind, ~53,000-66,000 birds/year• Mostly passerines, except corvids –
significance depends on species, e.g., raptors, state-listed species
Needs and Challenges. I
• Defining preconstruction site assessments – identify risk factors
• Cumulative and population-level impacts– Collision mortality – Habitat loss/displacement– Defining thresholds – what is unacceptable?
• Project Size –single turbine versus utility scale projects
Needs and Challenges. II
• Adaptive Management – opportunities for learning– Post-construction monitoring– BACI (before-after control investigations)
• Bats – test several hypotheses explaining high bat mortality
• American Wind and Wildlife Institute (AWWI)
Closing
• All energy use has an impact• Increase energy conservation and energy
efficiency – reduce fossil fuel use• Increase use of renewable energy including
wind• Site wind projects to minimize environmental
impact – reduce resolvable uncertainty