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| Tree Swallow via Marshall Segal on Flickr |
The report affirms that TransAlta's Wolfe Island Wind Energy plant is one of the most destructive for birds and bats in North America.
Easily visible from the Kingston waterfront, the 86 turbines continue to kill large numbers of birds and bats. Most of the casualties described in the report are the same species reported in the three previous TransAlta studies of bird and bat deaths at their Wolfe Island plant, with Tree Swallow and Purple Martin at the top of the list, and including Bobolink and Barn Swallow, both listed as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
All of the Ontario swallow species listed in the report are suffering long-term population declines, which makes the unforeseen impacts of the wind energy plant on wildlife all the more troubling. Only two raptors casualties were reported, which may be more a reflection of reduced search efforts in this period, although winter raptor surveys on the island revealed higher numbers of several species compared with the previous year, in particular, Rough-legged Hawk and Short-eared Owl. However, raptors do not appear to be using the habitat on which the wind plant in the north-west corner of the island is situated, and where the turbine density is highest. Three migratory species of bats, including Hoary, Eastern Red, and Silver-haired, comprised the balance of the bat casualties. Unlike birds, which are struck by the fast spinning tips of the turbine blades, bats are killed due to "barotrauma," a condition caused by the sudden change of pressure around the blades that result in damage to their lungs.
The report presents the findings of monitoring programs that began in June 2009, which will produce reports approximately every 6 months over the first three years of the wind plant's operations. The current report represents the third six-month period of monitoring. (The first Report was for a two-month period). Several aspects of the plant's impact on birds and bats are monitored, including casualty rates of birds and bats, displacement of waterfowl and distribution and behaviour of raptors.
The results of the report reinforce the significance for birds and bats of the open scrubland habitat on the offshore islands at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, and onshore alvar habitats such as those found on Ostrander Point in Prince Edward County or Amherst Island. Wind energy plants, transmission towers, and other types of developments that put birds and bats at high risk should be excluded from these significant areas. All of Wolfe Island and a portion of its surrounding waters were recognized as a globally significant Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International's Canadian partners, Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada.
Taken together, the reports show that TransAlta's Wolfe Island Wind Energy plant has one of the highest annual rates of casualties, reporting 16.5 birds per turbine and 43.7 bats per turbine, based on the 6 month study period from July 1 to December 31, 2010. Over a year, this would amount to approximately 1,500 birds and about 3,800 bats. Only one wind plant of the 45 reported on in a landmark 2010 study cited in the TransAlta Report by the US National Wind Coordinating Committee killed more birds per turbine. That plant, the Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm in Tennessee, which is consisted of only three .66 MW turbines at the time of the study, and so makes for a poor comparison. Most wind energy projects have much lower casualty rates for birds and bats.
It is also becoming clear that the July to September period (when the Swallows congregate and the bats migrate) is the most devastating for birds and bats. In my view, it is time that TransAlta implement serious mitigation, and turn off the turbines during this high risk period. This would save the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of birds and bats.
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7 comments:
And what does Nature Canada intend to do abut this debacle?
All nature, environmental and particularly birding organizations are to blame for this. For the last 4 years they have all turned a blind eye to the industrialization of Important Bird Areas in Ontario. Afraid to be politically incorrect?
This slaughter continues. The McGuinty government is rubber stamping all projects no matter what. It is political.
The entire lack of regulations around destructve wind turbines will be a shameful black eye for years to come.
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment is taking industry's word on the prevention of environmental damage caused by industrial wind power projects, such as the bird deaths we are now seeing at Wolfe Island. There is NO oversight on the wind power developers' environmental assessments whatsoever. People need to stand up and say, This is enough!
The National Audubon Society mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity.
AND they support wind by powering their head office regardless of the bird slaughter by these cuisinarts of the air.
I expect Nature Canada will dither while the bird kill rises
This Wind Turbine Madness is not only a problem in Ontario. It is a national and international sickness. Currently there are 23 turbines being installed on a ridge top near Lyndonville, (Sheffield) Vermont. The Quebec Government has approved another turbine project near the border of Maine in spite of a great deal of opposition.
The environmental impact of these is significant; building service roads through pristine woodlands, transmission lines, bird kills, etc.etc. The place turbines should be installed is where the most power is needed; right in the cities. No towers needed.No transmission lines. No disruption to forests and wetlands. Install many smaller ones right on the skyscrapers.
No dithering here. We oppose wind energy projects in Important Bird Areas, period. IBAs take up a very small portion of the Canadian landscape and waterscape. Wind energy has to be about good ideas in good places. IBAs are bad places for wind energy plants because the risks are too high to birds, bats, and migratory butterflies. Wolfe Island is proving this. The regulators need to recognize this also. The industry should respect this. But in the absence of good regulations, as is the case everywhere in Canada, the wind energy developers will try and build these wind plants anywhere there is wind. Unfortunately, the natural coastlines and ridge tops where it is often windy are often very important places for migration or breeding bird. The regulators - ie government has a higher mission to protect biodiversity rather than sacrifice the future for a few tax dollars. Excluding wind energy plants from IBAs will not make any measurable difference in fighting climate change, but it will make a difference in protecting populations of sensitive wildlife, and removing a totally unnecesary threat. This means an emphatic "No" to Gilead's proposed Ostrander Point plant, No to proposed wind turbines on Amherst Island, No to wind trubines in Bicknell's Thursh habitat in the Massif du Sud in Quebec, or in the Hekate Straits for British Columbia, or in Prairie Grouse habitat in Alberta and Saskatchewan. IBAs are known, are mapped, and are easy to avoid if there is the will. We will continue to oppose any industrial development, including wind plants, in IBAs
What are we to do, if we don't stop using fuels for energy the pollution will also kill our birds!
Why do cities continue to build tall condo buildings on the water front where the wind and birds fly. How many birds have been lost via flying into our sky scrapers! We also have to be vigilante in our communities. Whatever happened to a turbine with the gold edging that was to help with bird impacts?
Our decison makers have to be more selective and avoid bird areas . Lets hope we have learned from this!
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