Avian Issues in Land-Based Wind Environmental Business Council May 29, 2008.
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
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Avian Issues in Land-Based Wind
Environmental Business Council May 29, 2008
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“I honestly beleave it iz better tew know nothing than two know what ain’t so”
Josh Billings, 19th C
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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)
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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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% o
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IncreaseDecreaseSig. Decr.
From: Greg Butcher, National Audubon, State of the Birds USA presentation 2004
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What Can Happen in 50 Years?
1943 1996
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Courtesy of AMC
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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
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2003 Buzzard’s Bay Oil Spill(San Francisco, Black Sea 2007)
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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
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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
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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
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Maple Ridge, Lewis County, NY(195, 1.65 MW Turbines)
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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
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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
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Mean number of birds found under communication towers
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Bird MortalityAndCommunicationTowers
Michigan Spring 2005Joelle Gehring
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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
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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
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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)
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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