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Amherst Island – Biodiversity Threatened

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Amherst Island – Biodiversity Threatened Amherst Island – Biodiversity Threatened Algonquin Power plans to build 31 to 37 (500 foot tall) Industrial Wind Turbines on Amherst Island. If these are erected, the adverse consequences to Amherst Island’s unique environment will be significant, perhaps irreversible. The project must be stopped! Amherst Island: § 32 Species at Risk § Located on the Atlantic Migratory Flyway § Important Bird Area (IBA) of Global Significance § Internationally recognized for concentrations of wintering hawks and owls / Owl Woods nd § Ranked 2 in biodiversity significance (Lake Ontario Islands - Northeast) For Additional Information go to: ProtectAmherst.yolasite.com 1 Why Algonquin Power cannot be allowed to build 31 to 37 industrial wind turbines on Amherst Island: Amherst Island is an Important Bird Area (IBA) of Global and Continental Significance § The Amherst Island IBA, which encompasses the entire island, is recognized as being a site of Global and Continental Significance for Congregatory Species. Sizeable spring congregations of Brant and Dunlin have been recorded. Between 1994 and 1997 the average number of Brant staging at this site during the spring migration was 3,550, representing just over 1% of the North American population. 1 A diversity of habitats has resulted in Amherst Island becoming a renowned site for a wide variety of other birds including shorebirds, raptors, and land-birds such as large concentrations of migrating swallows. Amherst Island is located on the Atlantic Migratory Flyway § Amherst Island, located on the Atlantic migratory flyway in Lake Ontario, is seasonally impaired by fog and other weather events. Migratory birds and those that inhabit the island often experience low visibility conditions, this may increase the potential number of turbine blade/bird collisions. Amherst Island is internationally recognized for concentrations of wintering hawks and owls / Owl Woods § Amherst Island has gained international recognition for its concentrations of wintering hawks and owls. Up to 10 species of owls have been recorded during a single winter. Short-Eared, Long-Eared and Great Horned owls are among the resident bird population. Visitors from the Far and Near North -- Snowy owls, Saw-whet owls, and the rare Boreal owl as well as Eastern Screech and Barred owls add to the owl population during late fall and winter. Both Red-tailed and Rough-legged hawks are usually present and there are annual sightings of Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons and Turkey Vultures. 1 IBA Canada Web Site: http://www.ibacanada.com/site.jsp?siteID=ON062&lang=EN 2 Amherst Island is ranked 2nd in biodiversity significance § Lake Ontario’s Northeast Coast is comprised of 911 islands. Islands of Life: A Biodiversity and Conservation Atlas of the Great Lakes Islands ranks Amherst Island 2nd in biodiversity significance in this area; second only in significance to it’s much larger neighbour, Wolfe Island. § The Great Lakes contain the largest collection of freshwater islands in the world. These islands contain significant biodiversity including endemic species, rare habitats, and critical biological functions. They are important breeding and staging areas for colonial nesting waterbirds, harbor noteworthy assemblages of plants and animals and provide important stopover sites for migrating birds. They make a significant contribution to the physical and biological diversity of the Great Lakes and surrounding basin. [1]2 § In 2009 Islands of Life scored Wolfe Island with a total of 302 for Biodiversity and Amherst Island garnered a very respectable 272. However, the development of the 86 turbine Wolfe Island wind factory has resulted in the destruction of a good portion of the biological diversity previously found on that Island. It is possible that Amherst Island now supersedes Wolfe Island in biodiversity significance. Amherst Island is recognized as significant for waterfowl § The Significant Wildlife Habitat Technical Guide published by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in October of 2000, specifically cites Amherst Island as being significant for waterfowl. The same document establishes that areas beyond wetland (marshes, bogs, etc.) such as meadows and grasslands are also important. [2]3 1. Islands of Life: A Biodiversity and Conservation Atlas of the Great Lakes Islands: 2010, Ministry of Natural Resources: page 142. http://conserveonline.org/library/islands-of-life-a-biodiversity-and-conservation/view.html 3 2. Significant Wildlife Habitat: Technical Guide, October, 2000, Ministry of Natural Resources (p308). 3 Amherst Island - Non Avian Species-at-Risk There are 9 non-avian species-at-risk that have been documented to breed and use the habitat found on Amherst Island. According to information provided in the “Natural Heritage & Waterbody Assessments” storyboard posted on the Algonquin Power web site, fieldwork has begun in order to evaluate the impact of industrial wind turbines, and their ancillary structures, on the following species- at-risk: Bobolink, Whip-poor-Will, Least Bittern and Short Eared Owl. Why has Algonquin Power not identified any non-avian species- at-risk as requiring fieldwork in order to evaluate the impact of industrial wind turbines on these species? Amherst Island is home to the following non - avian species-at- risk: Breeding on Fish and Amherst Wildlife SARO SARA Algonquin Island COSEWIC Conservation (Prov) (Fed) Power BAT Little Brown Bat Yes END No fieldwork Northern Bat Yes END No fieldwork TURTLE Blandings Turtle Yes THR END No fieldwork Northern Map Turtle Yes SC Yes SC SC No fieldwork Snapping Turtle Yes SC SC SC No fieldwork SNAKE Eastern Ribbonsnake Yes SC SC No fieldwork Milksnake Yes SC Yes SC No fieldwork Queensnake Yes END Yes THR No fieldwork INVERTEBRATES Monarch Butterfly Yes SC SC No fieldwork END / Endangered: A species facing imminent extinction or extirpation in Ontario which is a candidate for regulation under Ontario's Endangered Species Act. THR / Threatened: A species that is at risk of becoming endangered in Ontario if limiting factors are not reversed. SC / Special Concern: A species with characteristics that make it sensitive to human activities or natural events. Algonquin Power: Fieldwork undertaken to evaluate the impact of wind turbines on these species per the Algonquin Power "Natural Heritage and Waterbody Assessments" story board posted on the Algonquin Power web-site. COSEWIC: Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada SARA: Species at Risk Act (Federal) SARO: Species at Risk Ontario 4 Amherst Island Avian Species-at-Risk There are 24 avian species-at-risk documented to either breed on Amherst Island, or use the habitat found on the island. The Field Checklist provided by Kingston Field Naturalists lists 377 species of birds that have been identified within a 50-kilometer radius of MacDonald Park in Kingston Ontario. A good number of these species are regularly sighted on Amherst Island. According to information provided in the “Natural Heritage and Waterbody Assessments” storyboard posted on the Algonquin Power web site, Algonquin Power has undertaken fieldwork to evaluate the impact of industrial wind turbines for only 4 of the 24 species-at-risk found on Amherst Island. What is Algonquin Power's rationale for discounting the remaining 20 avian species-at- risk? Amherst Island is home to the following avian species-at- risk: 5 Industrial Wind Turbines Contribute To Population Decline and Mortality A growing body of evidence indicates that Industrial wind turbines negatively impact local and migrant wildlife. The research and literature available on birds and bats is extensive. The three most commonly cited causes of population decline and mortality include: Collision / Wake § Industrial wind turbines generate a substantial wake – which compromises avian ability to fly and hunt. To the right is a picture of industrial wind turbine wake; pity the poor owl hunting for voles, the monarch butterfly migrating or the bat chasing insects § Collision with a moving turbine blade or associated infrastructure, resulting in immediate death or prolonged fatal injury, is a common cause of population decline. IWT lighting systems may add to the toll by attracting and/or confusing exhausted migrants at night. “Nocturnal migrants appear to be attracted to steady burning lights, especially in poor weather”. (1) 4 § Each of the turbines proposed for Amherst Island measures over 500 feet tall and the speed at the tip of the blade can reach up to 275 kilometers per hour. The turbines have a swept area (the area covered by the blades as they spin) of 10,000 square metres, almost 2.5 acres for each turbine. This equates to an Amherst Island “kill zone” covering between 80 to 90 acres. § Migratory and resident birds, bats and butterflies will be subject to a lethal gauntlet of rotating turbine blades as they forage for food. § The Amherst Island silo in the picture to the left (one of the tallest structures on the island) stands approximately 100 feet tall; clearly the churning blades of the massive turbines will dominate the landscape. 1. Gehring, Joelle, Paul Kerlinger, and Albert M. Manville. 2009. Communication towers, lights, and birds: successful methods of reducing the frequency of avian collisions. Ecological Applications 19:505–514. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/07-1708.1 6 Habitat Degradation / Loss § Population decline is the inevitable outcome of the habitat degradation and loss that results from the significant disruption caused by the spinning turbine blades and ensuing
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