Hello Thor >I really think that this issue is largely a red >herring.
I think so too, and thanks for the refs (and to Darryl). >Wind turbines can kill birds and bats; even the larger >models produce wing-tip speeds over 100mph. Bats too? Really? I'm surprised. I remember reading a report of some tests with captive bats using a fan, just an ordinary domestic cooling electric fan, though quite a big one. They managed to get the bats to fly through the fan, which they did without any trouble, using their inbuilt hi-tech radar gear to time it right and avoid the blades most unerringly. The researchers turned up the speed, the bats still avoided the blades, turned it up again, still no problem, but at the fastest setting the bats were beaten - but not injured: they flew over the fan rather than through it. Maybe the 100mph+ wing-tip speed of a big wind-turbine is a different matter, but I don't quite see how. Any chance of wind farms killing red herrings? regards Keith >But with >proper siting and sizing of wind farms, especially >with respect to migration routes, this issue is mostly >a non-issue. > >As an example, there was a recent study done for wind >farms near Pasco, Washington, which found no mortality >among any ESA-listed species of bird or bat, and low >mortality in general, IIRC. I don't have the link to >hand, but if anyone really wants it I can get my hands >on it. > >The significant mortality of birds, especially raptors >at the Altamont wind farm usually comes up in these >discussions. That was an exceptional case, perhaps >the case the proves the rule, and important lessons >were drawn from it to apply to future wind farms. >Here are a couple of links in this regard: >http://www.cleanpowernow.org/birdkills.php >http://www.towerkill.com/towertalk/messages/499.html > >Consider the impact of fossil fuel-burning plants on >birds and their habitats. Wind turbines aren't >perfect, but properly sited are certainly a better >alternative from an ecological standpoint. > >People concerned about wind turbines on bird mortality >rates need to get a sense of perspective. Let me >quote from the US Fish and Wildlife Service: > >birds.fws.gov/mortality-fact-sheet.pdf > >"Building window strikes may >account for 97 to 976 million bird deaths >each year. Communication towers >conservatively kill 4 to 5 million birds >annually (possibly closer to 40 to 50 >million; a nationwide cumulative impacts >study should help resolve this question). >Strikes at high tension transmission and >distribution power lines very >conservatively kill tens of thousands of >birds annually. Taking into account the >millions of miles of bulk transmission and >distribution lines in the U.S., and >extrapolating from European studies, >actual mortality could be as high as 174 >million deaths annually. Electrocutions >probably kill tens of thousands of birds but >the problem is barely monitored. Cars >may kill 60 million birds or more each year, >private and commercial aircraft far fewer, >while wind turbine rotors kill an estimated >33,000 birds annually." > >Yeah, I we need to protect birds by getting rid of >wind turbines. That's clearly going to have a huge >impact. > >thor skov > > > >===== >"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul." > --Edward Abbey > >Grants Manager, Stillaguamish Tribe Of Indians >P.O. Box 277 Arlington, WA 98223-0277 >Phone: (360) 652-7362 Ext 284 >Fax: (360) 435-7689 Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?list=biofuel Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
