Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII Meeting Proceedings
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Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII Meeting Proceedings October 19-21, 2010 Lakewood, Colorado Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII MEETING PROCEEDINGS October 19-21, 2010 Lakewood, Colorado PUBLISHED April 21, 2011 Prepared for: National Wind Coordinating Collaborative by Susan Savitt Schwartz The National Wind Coordinating Collaborative c/o RESOLVE 1255 23rd St. NW, Suite 875 Washington, DC 20037 NWCC Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII i Acknowledgments Meeting Presented By: National Wind Coordinating Collaborative In Partnership With: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Platinum Sponsors: AES Wind Generation BP Wind Energy Horizon Wind Energy Stantec Gold Sponsors: EPRI / Electric Power Research Institute Iberdrola Renewables Silver Sponsors: American Wind Wildlife Institute BHE Environmental Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative Ecology and Environment, Inc. Great Lakes Wind Collaborative Invenergy National Renewable Energy Laboratory Natural Resource Group TXESA Environmental Consulting U.S. Offshore Wind Collaborative WEST, Inc. The NWCC is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind and Water Technologies Program. NWCC Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII ii Acknowledgments We wish to thank all members of the Wind Wildlife Research Meeting Planning Committee, who contributed extensive volunteer hours in planning this meeting: • Taber Allison, Massachusetts Audubon • John Anderson, American Wind Energy Association • Ed Arnett, Bats & Wind Energy Cooperative • Christina Calabrese, Horizon Wind Energy • Jennifer Dickson, The Wilderness Society – BLM Action Center • Bronwyn Hogan, California Department of Fish and Game • Patrick Gilman, U.S. Department of Energy • Gino Giumarro, Stantec Consulting • Rick Greiner, Pattern Energy • Judd Howell, American Wind Wildlife Institute • Eric Johnson, Kansas Parks & Wildlife Department • Christy Johnson-Hughes, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Silka Kempema, South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks • Keith Lott, Ohio Department of Natural Resources • Al Manville, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Jerry Roppe, Iberdrola Renewables • Jill Shaffer, U.S. Geological Survey • Lynn Sharp, Tetra Tech • Karin Sinclair, National Renewable Energy Laboratory • Danna Small, Horizon Wind Energy • Dale Strickland, WEST, Inc. • Genevieve Thompson, Audubon and American Wind Wildlife Institute • Steve Ugoretz, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources • Wendy Wallace, Energetics, supporting the U.S. Department of Energy • Stu Webster, Iberdrola Renewables • Heather Whitlaw, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service • Jim Woehr, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement • Terry Yonker, Marine Services Diversified and Great Lakes Wind Collaborative Thank you also to all NWCC Staff: • Abby Arnold, Kearns & West • Jennifer Bies, Kearns & West • James Damon, RESOLVE • Lauren Flinn, RESOLVE • Danielle Ravich, Kearns & West • Tim Sandusky, RESOLVE NWCC Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII iii Abstract Wind energy is able to generate electricity without many of the environmental impacts (conventional and toxic air pollution and greenhouse gases, water use and pollution, and habitat destruction) associated with other energy sources. This can significantly benefit birds, bats, and many other plant and animal species. However, the direct and indirect local impacts of wind plants on birds and bats continue to be an issue. The populations of many bird and bat species are experiencing long-term declines, due to the effects of a wide range of human activities, including energy production and consumption. These proceedings document current research pertaining to wildlife fatalities; habitat and behavioral impacts; cumulative and landscape-scale impacts to species; mitigation techniques and technologies; and offshore considerations. Suggested Citation Format This volume: PNWWRM VII. 2011. Proceedings of the Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII. Lakewood, CO October 19- 21, 2010. Prepared for the Wildlife Workgroup of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative by RESOLVE, Inc., Washington, DC, Susan Savitt Schwartz, ed. 189 pp. Preceding volumes: PNWWRM VII. 2009. Proceedings of the Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VII. Milwaukee, WI October 28- 29, 2008. Prepared for the Wildlife Workgroup of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative by RESOLVE, Inc., Washington, DC, Susan Savitt Schwartz, ed. 116 pp. PNWWRPM VI. 2007. Proceedings of the NWCC Wildlife Workgroup Research Planning Meeting VI. San Antonio, TX November 14-15, 2006. Prepared for the Wildlife Workgroup of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative by RESOLVE, Inc., Washington, DC, Susan Savitt Schwartz, ed. 138 pp. POWIWD-V. 2005. Proceedings of the Onshore Wildlife Interactions with Wind Developments: Research Meeting V. Lansdowne, VA November 3-4, 2004. Prepared for the Wildlife Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee by RESOLVE, Inc., Washington, DC, Susan Savitt Schwartz, ed. 120 pp. PNAWPPM-IV. 2001. Proceedings of the National Avian-Wind Power Planning Meeting IV, Carmel, CA, May 16-17, 2000. Prepared for the Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee by RESOLVE, Inc., Washington, DC, Susan Savitt Schwartz, ed., 179 pp. PNAWPPM-III. 2000. Proceedings of the National Avian-Wind Power Planning Meeting III, San Diego, CA, May 1998. Prepared for the Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee by LGL, Ltd., King City, Ont., 202 pp. PNAWPPM-II. 1996. Proceedings of the National Avian-Wind Power Planning Meeting II, Palm Springs, CA, September 1995. Prepared for the Avian Subcommittee of the National Wind Coordinating Committee by RESOLVE, Inc., Washington, DC, and LGL, Ltd., King City, Ont., 152 pp. PNAWPPM. 1995. Proceedings of the National Avian-Wind Power Planning Meeting IV, Denver, CO, July 1994. Repot DE95-004090. RESOLVE, Inc., Washington, DC, and LGL, Ltd., King City, Ont., 145 pp. Ordering Information These Proceedings are available in PDF format with accompanying presentations available as separate pdf files. Proceedings may be downloaded from the NWCC website: www.nationalwind.org NWCC Wind Wildlife Research Meeting VIII iv Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................................. II TABLE OF CONTENTS ...............................................................................................................................V SESSION 1. WELCOME AND SETTING THE STAGE ............................................................................................1 SESSION 2. FATALITY IMPACTS TO BIRDS AND BATS ...................................................................................... 10 Updated Summary of Bird and Bat Fatalities from Wind-Energy Facilities ....................................... 10 Estimating Bird and Bat Mortality at a Wind Energy Facility in North-Central Texas ........................ 13 Bat Mortality at a Wind Farm in Southeastern Wisconsin (with a Special Focus on Investigating the Cause of Death for Bats Killed by Wind Turbines) ............................................................ 18 Relationships Between Bat Fatality and Weather, Marine Radar, AnaBat, and Night Vision Data at a Wind Energy Facility in the Midwest ................................................................................ 21 Using Discriminant Function Analysis and Other Quantitative Techniques to Classify Bat Echolocation Calls .............................................................................................................. 25 Spatio-temporal Assessment of White-tailed Eagle Collision Risk at the Smøla Onshore Wind Power Plant in Central Norway ..................................................................................................... 29 A New Statistical Method and a Web-Based Application for the Evaluation of the Scavenging Removal Correction Factor ................................................................................................ 33 Modeling the Relationship of Wildlife Fatality to Daily Weather or Activity Patterns: Statistical Design and Implementation Issues .................................................................................... 35 SESSION 3. IMPACTS TO WILDLIFE HABITAT AND BEHAVIOR ........................................................................... 38 Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Use and Population Demographics at the Simpson Ridge Wind Resource Area, Carbon County, Wyoming ........................................................................ 38 Modeling Habitat Distributions of Bats Using GIS: Wind Energy and Indiana Bats* ......................... 42 Reproductive Success of Black-capped Vireos and Other Shrub-nesting Passerines in Relation to Distance from Wind Turbines ............................................................................................ 45 Night Migration Concentration Areas in Michigan and the Great Lakes: Knowledge Important to the Siting of Wind Farms and Other Tall Structures ................................................................ 49 DAY ONE – WRAP UP DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................... 53 Big Game Impact Assessment: Lessons Learned from Natural Gas Development in Wyoming ........ 54 The Costs of Chronic Noise Exposure for Wildlife .............................................................................. 58 Interactions Between Migratory