U.S. Geological Survey Energy and Wildlife Research Annual Report for 2019 Circular 1458 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. Top left: Wind energy facility in White Pine County, Nevada (photograph by Alan Cressler, U.S. Geological Survey [USGS]). Top right: Solar energy facility in Colorado (photograph by Jessica Robertson, USGS). Bottom left: Oil production in Montana (photograph by Lawrence Igl, USGS). Bottom right: Hydroelectric power plant in Glendo State Park, Wyoming (photograph from Wikimedia, Creative Commons 3.0). Center from top to bottom: Golden eagle fitted with Global Positioning System backpack (photograph by USGS); Hawaiian hoary bat (photograph by Frank Bonaccorso, USGS); Pronghorn (photograph by National Park Service); Brook trout (photograph by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). U.S. Geological Survey Energy and Wildlife Research Annual Report for 2019 Edited by Mona Khalil Three caribou standing in the tundra in Alaska. Photograph by Andrew Ramey, U.S. Geological Survey. Circular 1458 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Khalil, M., ed., 2019, U.S. Geological Survey energy and wildlife research annual report for 2019: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1458, 108 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1458. ISSN 1067-084X (print) ISSN 2330-5703 (online) ISBN 978-1-4113-4335-1 iii Contents Science to Understand Risks, Measure Impacts, and Inform Solutions ..............................................1 Progress and Updates to the Annual Report ............................................................................................1 List of Projects ................................................................................................................................................3 Energy Icons ...................................................................................................................................................7 Study Locations ..............................................................................................................................................8 Project Descriptions ....................................................................................................................................11 Bats and Land-Based Wind Energy .................................................................................................11 Raptors and Land-Based Wind Energy ...........................................................................................20 Grassland Birds and Waterbirds and Land-Based Energy ..........................................................26 Pollinators and Bioenergy .................................................................................................................36 Reptiles and Amphibians and Land-Based Energy .......................................................................40 Big Game and Other Terrestrial Mammals and Land-Based Energy .........................................44 Coastal and Marine Birds and Offshore Energy ............................................................................48 Marine Animals and Offshore Energy .............................................................................................58 Fish and Other Aquatic Species and Hydropower ........................................................................66 Terrestrial and Aquatic Habitats and Ecosystem Functions ........................................................74 Conservation and Energy Development Planning and Management Tools ..............................84 References Cited........................................................................................................................................105 List of Species ............................................................................................................................................107 iv Abbreviations AWEA American Wind Energy Association BCI Bat Conservation International BLM Bureau of Land Management BOEM Bureau of Ocean Energy Management BSEE Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement DEEP SEARCH Deep-Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral/Canyon/Cold Seep Habitats DNA deoxyribonucleic acid DOE U.S. Department of Energy DOI U.S. Department of the Interior DWH Deepwater Horizon eDNA Environmental DNA EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency FSC floating surface collector GIS geographic information system GOM Gulf of Mexico GoMMAPPS Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species GPS Global Positioning System GPS-GSM Global Positioning System-Global System for Mobile communications MFTB Mexican free-tailed bats MHI main Hawaiian Islands NABat North American Bat Monitoring Program NEXRAD Next Generation Weather Radar NGO nongovernmental organization NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOPP National Oceanographic Partnership Program NPR–A National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska NPS National Park Service OCS Outer Continental Shelf OER Office of Exploration and Research PPR Prairie Pothole Region RAMPS Restoration Assessment and Monitoring Program for the Southwest SDM structured decision making UOG unconventional oil and gas USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USDA U.S. Department of Agriculture USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USGS U.S. Geological Survey UV ultraviolet WEC wave energy conversion WLCI Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative WNS white-nose syndrome U.S. Geological Survey Energy and Wildlife Research Annual Report for 2019 Edited by Mona Khalil Science to Understand Risks, Measure balance development with stewardship of the Nation’s fish and wildlife heritage. USGS studies related to energy development Impacts, and Inform Solutions focus on delivering information to help resource managers and energy developers avoid, minimize, or mitigate the impacts of Access to affordable and reliable energy remains a critical energy infrastructure on fish and wildlife. These studies have need for people and the economy. To satisfy society’s demand three primary goals: for energy, the United States is expanding access to vast 1. Understand risks by identifying when, where, and how natural resources to produce electricity as well as petroleum fish and wildlife share space with energy facilities. and natural gas products. Oil and gas production and wind and solar energy generation have shown consistent growth over 2. Measure direct and indirect impacts to species and the last 15 years. Currently, more than 59,000 wind turbines habitats. are contributing to power grids in 41 States, Guam, and Puerto Rico (American Wind Energy Association, 2019; Hoen and 3. Inform feasible and cost-effective solutions to minimize others, 2019), and more than 9,200 ground-mounted solar impacts through technology and management strategies. projects with a capacity of 1 megawatt and above are in opera- tion, under construction, or under development (Solar Energy Industries Association, 2019). Development of our Nation’s vast energy resources, Progress and Updates to the Annual however, often conflicts directly with the equally vast fish and Report wildlife resources, which contribute billions of dollars to the economy through harvest, recreation, and services to humans This report summarizes ongoing USGS research projects and agriculture. The effects of energy development on living and publications related to the impacts of energy development resources include fragmentation of populations, degradation on fish and wildlife resources, tools to assess those impacts, or loss of habitat, and direct mortality of birds, bats, fish, and solutions to avoid or minimize risk. These studies are and other wildlife interacting with energy generation facili- funded through a combination of Congressionally appropriated ties. Thus, an expanding energy infrastructure results in new funds to the USGS and supplemental contributed funds from requirements for land and ocean conversion for project siting USGS partners, including other Federal and State resource and operational decisions to minimize risk to fish and wildlife management agencies. resources. This year’s report features geospatial models and tools The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a bureau within for species and habitats that were produced to assist resource the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). The USGS mis- managers and the industry in siting new energy development sion is to provide reliable scientific information to describe and selecting off-site mitigation areas. Research efforts are and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property applied to oil and gas development activities, where USGS from natural disasters; manage