Friday, August 6, 2010: 8:00 AM-11:30 AM
315-316, David L Lawrence Convention Center
OOS 55 - Wind Energy: A Solution to Global Warming or a Wildlife Disaster?
In the face of global climate change, finding clean and sustainable energy sources is becoming increasingly important. The world population continues to grow, and with it, our insatiable thirst for electricity. Many alternative sources of energy, from tidal to fuel cells, have been suggested; some are already in use (e.g., hydroelectric dams), but only a few, such as solar and wind, are available for large-scale development today. Traditional energy development has long been known to have serious impacts on wildlife, both direct (e.g., pollution) and indirect (e.g., habitat loss and destruction). However, until recently, little research was being conducted on the implications of alternative energy sources for wildlife. In order for alternative energy to be truly sustainable, we need to consider their impacts on both the physical environment (e.g., air and water quality) and the flora and fauna. In this session, we focus on wind as a “clean” energy solution and explore the observed and potential consequences of wind energy for wildlife. The objectives of this session are to 1) review the ongoing research being conducted regarding wind energy and wildlife, 2) discuss mitigation strategies, and 3) find opportunities for collaboration, with the ultimate goal of helping to inform and guide management decisions for future wind energy developments. Presenters will share their research with an emphasis on application to future wind energy development projects.
Organizer:Lisa A. Nordstrom, San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research
Co-organizer:Colleen L. Wisinski, San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research
Moderator:Lisa A. Nordstrom, San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research
8:00 AMOOS 55-1The environmental impacts of wind-energy projects and an analytical framework for evaluating those effects
Dale Strickland, Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc.
8:20 AMOOS 55-2Threats to migrating raptors from development of wind energy: Golden eagles as an umbrella species for conservation
Todd Katzner, National Aviary & Cellular Tracking Technologies, Trish Miller, Carnegie Museum of Natural History & The Pennsylvania State University, Michael Lanzone, Carnegie Museum of Natural History & Cellular Tracking Technologies, David Brandes, Lafayette College, Robert P. Brooks, Pennsylvania State University
8:40 AMOOS 55-3Monitoring a population of golden eagles within a proposed wind energy facility in northern Baja California, Mexico
Colleen L. Wisinski, San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research, Lisa A. Nordstrom, San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research
9:00 AMOOS 55-4Modeling the spatial behaviors of reintroduced California condors as a predictive management tool for assessing the impacts of wind farms
James K. Sheppard, San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research
9:20 AMOOS 55-5Wildlife mortality at wind turbines
K. Shawn Smallwood, N/A
9:40 AM Break
9:50 AMOOS 55-6Wildlife impact of wind power generation: Bird and bat collisions in Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico
Rafael Villegas Patraca, Instituto de Ecologia AC
10:10 AMOOS 55-7Reducing bat fatalities at wind energy facilities by changing turbine cut-in speed
Edward B. Arnett, Bat Conservation International
10:30 AMOOS 55-8Wind turbine guidelines for avoiding and minimizing wildlife impacts: Where do we go from here?
David J. Stout, US Fish and Wildlife Service

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See more of The 95th ESA Annual Meeting (August 1 -- 6, 2010)