[BCNnet] BCNnet: wind turbine effect on birds and bats needs more study

[Birdchris at aol.com]

Sierra Club renewable energy people are starting to talk more on our list  
serves about bird and bat safety when it comes to placement of wind turbines.  
This was posted up onto one of our list serves.
 
Christine Williamson
Chicago/Cook
_birdchris at aol.com_ (mailto:birdchris at aol.com) 
 
 
Windmill project could kill birds and bats, report says
While not  opposing the plans, Va. game officials say effects need study

BY REX  SPRINGSTON
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER [Roanoke, VA] - Mar 4,  2006

Nineteen big windmills proposed for remote Highland County  could
produce "the highest mortality rates in the East" for birds and bats,  a
state report says. [This report is available via:  
http://www.vawind.org/Assets/Docs/19301_Hi.pdf .]

But biologists of  the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, which
produced the report, say  the precise effects of the windmills are
unknown because so little research  has been done.

"We are not in a position of saying we oppose the project,  but we are
simply saying it needs very careful study," said Ray Fernald,  manager
of nongame programs for the game department.

Highland New Wind  Development, run by Henry T. McBride of Harrisonburg,
is proposing the  windmills for two 4,300-foot-high ridges in Highland,
about 150 miles  northwest of Richmond.

Each windmill would stand nearly 400 feet tall --  about the height of
the Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond. The project would  be Virginia's
first major wind farm. Depending on how strong the wind blows,  the 19
Highland windmills could produce as much as 38 megawatts of  power,
enough on average for 15,000 to 20,000 homes, supporters  say.

Highland New Wind is seeking permission from the State  Corporation
Commission to build the windmills. As part of that process,  state
agencies are reviewing possible environmental effects. The new  report
is the game department's review.

Meanwhile, the state  Department of Environmental Quality, which
coordinates those state reviews,  suspended the review Wednesday until
Highland New Wind responds to issues  raised by the game department and
other agencies.

The state Department  of Historic Resources, for example, wants a
"viewshed analysis" to show where  the windmills would be seen.

Once the company responds, the reviews will  continue and documents
reflecting all sides will be passed on to the SCC,  said Bill Hayden, a
spokesman for the Department of Environmental  Quality.

Hayden said the suspension is not unusual but could cause a  delay of
weeks, if not months.

Frank Maisano, a spokesman for Highland  New Wind, said the company
would work hard to satisfy the  agencies.

"There will be a minimal impact on the environment as a whole,  because
it is a wind project," Maisano said.

Much of the game  department's 22-page report is a response to a 2005
study by ABR Inc., a  consultant for Highland New Wind.

ABR used radar and other means to gauge  the abundance of bats and birds
flying at night along the two Highland ridges  from mid-August to
mid-October. Bats are nocturnal, and most songbirds  migrate at night.

The ABR researchers indicated thousands of birds and  bats could be
flying along the ridges during the two months. [see graphics of  at-risk
nocturnal migrants:  
http://www.vawind.org/Assets/Pictures/migrant%20numbers%20by%20altitude.pdf
]

The  game department's report responded: "We believe this may translate
into the  highest mortality rates in the East."

The game department, which was not  asked to contribute to the study,
wants to work with the consultant to design  future research, said
biologist Andrew Zadnik.

Animals possibly at  risk from the windmills include two endangered
species, the Virginia  big-eared bat and the Indiana bat, the game
agency's report said. The  Virginia big-eared bat is the official state
bat.

The report  recommended, among other things, another year of studying
bird and bat  activity before the windmills are built. (Another agency,
the Department of  Conservation and Recreation, recommended at least two
years of  study.)

The game department's report also called for at least three more  years
of study after construction, including searches for  carcasses.

It may be possible, the report said, to accommodate the  developers and
the animals -- perhaps by shutting down the windmills when the  airborne
animals are most abundant.

The report also suggested looking  into how often larger birds, such as
hawks and eagles, fly Highland's ridges  by day.

Most American windmills operate in the West and Midwest, but  developers
are increasingly looking to Eastern mountains, home to abundant  winds
and wildlife.

Nearly 90 windmills are running in the Appalachian  Mountains, and more
than 900 are planned or proposed for Virginia, West  Virginia, Maryland
and Pennsylvania, the report said. The report calls for  considering the
cumulative effect of those projects.

In addition to  raising concerns about flying animals, the game
department's report said  Highland "is one of the premiere sites" in
Virginia for outdoorsy tourists  such as bird watchers.

"Development of the project could result in many  tourists going
elsewhere," the report said. Supporters have suggested the  windmills
may draw tourists.

The SCC will hold hearings on the  windmill proposal March 13 and 14 in
Monterey.

Contact staff writer  Rex Springston at rspringston at timesdispatch.com or
(804)  649-6453.

Birds, bats and windmills

Nineteen big windmills are  proposed for Highland County ridges. A new
state report says:

• The  windmills could kill large numbers of birds and bats.
• They could drive away  some tourists.
• More study is needed, including collecting animal carcasses  if the
windmills go up.

Windmill hearings

WHAT: The State  Corporation Commission will hold four public hearings
on the proposed  Highland County windmills.

WHEN: March 13 at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. and March  14 at 4 and 7 p.m.

WHERE: Highland Elementary School gymnasium,  Monterey.

RULES: Like court. No signs, demonstrations or  cheers.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_
BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137834500931&path=!news&s=1045855934842

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