Do you know for a FACT that the surveys cost only $50-$500. What
you are
ignoring is
---Time to set up point counts, that is where do they go $$$
---Time to get the contract to conduct the surveys developed and
executed more $$$
---Time to enter and analyze data. more $$$$
---Time to write, review, submit report and then edit after the
regulators review the report more $$$$
---Profit NOBODY works for free more $$$
Matthew Voisine
Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Planning - Environmental Analysis Branch
26 Federal Plaza - Rm 2151
New York, New York 10278-0090
Voice: 917.790.8718
Fax: 212.264.0961
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-6025326-8614...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-6025326-8614...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of
grosb...@clarityconnect.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 9:44 PM
To: nysbirds-l@cornell.edu
Subject: RE: Fw: [nysbirds-l] Blockbusting
Hello all,
I fully agree that wind energy is a big step in the right direction.
However, this total of $100,000 to do
a full survey is a bit interesting, especially given the money spent
on
surveys for this project to date might have totaled anywhere from
$50-$500
--two 3 minute point counts at 20 points --that's 2 hours of field
work. I
don't think anyone would agree that that's adequate.
Moderation and analysis is
the key to most things, and it seems that perhaps spending $5000-
$10,000 for
a more adequate survey across seasons would be a bit more
respectable. If BP
was made to invest in the more expensive sure-thing blowout
preventer, this
mess in the gulf would have likely been avoided. For sure wind farms
are less
damaging to the environment than gas and oil exploration, but it's
also
important to take a step back and assess things critically from all
angles.
This project might simply be a winner, but rubber stamping it
without an
adequate survey would be wrong as well. I can think of many things
that have
been rubber stamped in the past 10 years --many that probably
shouldn't have
been.
cheers,
Matt
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Jack Meyer jackmeyer...@earthlink.net
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 15:36:23 -0400
To: NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu
Subject: Fw: [nysbirds-l] Blockbusting
Sorry, Matthew, I meant to reply to all. Jack Meyer
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jack Meyer" <jackmeyer...@earthlink.net>
To: "Voisine, Matthew NAN02" <matthew.vois...@usace.army.mil>
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 3:00 PM
Subject: Re: [nysbirds-l] Blockbusting
Matthew's post caused me to think a bit. If a wind turbine, or a
whole
farm full of them, malfunctions, it will not coat birds, other
wildlife,
and shorelines in oil.
Of course, one windfarm is not going to make much of a dent in our
dependance on oil, but it is a step in the right direction.
Jack Meyer
----- Original Message -----
From: "Voisine, Matthew NAN02" <matthew.vois...@usace.army.mil>
To: "Bill Evans" <wrev...@clarityconnect.com>; <nysbirds-l@cornell.edu
>;
"cayugabirds" <cayugabird...@cornell.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 11:04 AM
Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Blockbusting
Hi all
I had initially thought of replying just to Bill but decided to
reply to
all.
I have NO vested interest in wind power or birds for that matter.
I do
however believe that wind power presents an excellent opportunity
to move
towards a more sustainable form of energy, and I have been
researching
avian
behavior and birding for 15 years.
Wind turbines kill a minute number of birds annually. The numbers
are in
the
single digits per year per turbine. Compare those numbers to
domestic
cats,
buildings, and towers, and you will see that concerning yourself
with wind
turbine caused avian mortality is insignificant. As well as the fact
that
to
build a building, radio, television, or cellular tower, or own a
cat, you
do
not need to complete a $100,000's study of how they will affect
birds.
Just some food for thought.
Below are just a few links to some peer-reviewed journal articles
concerning
avian interaction with wind turbines.
http://www.outlierproductions.com/Resources/Barrios%20bird%20wind.pdf
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3082982
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3784243
http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/610790__909088697.pdf
Avian interactions with television towers, or buildings
http://www.jstor.org/stable/4514603
http://www.birdsandbuildings.org/docs/WinStrikeMortalityTJO.pdf
http://74.125.155.132/scholar?q=cache:SfGsZ-2oBKoJ:scholar.google.com/+avian
+
mortality+building+strike&hl=en&as_sdt=20000000000
Predation of birds by domestic cats
http://up.picr.de/2379461.pdf
http://md1.csa.com/partners/viewrecord.php?requester=gs&collection=ENV&recid
=
3596640&q=predation+of+birds+by+domestic
+cat&uid=1090184&setcookie=yes
Matthew Voisine
Wildlife Biologist
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Planning - Environmental Analysis Branch
26 Federal Plaza - Rm 2151
New York, New York 10278-0090
Voice: 917.790.8718
Fax: 212.264.0961
-----Original Message-----
From: bounce-6022171-8614...@list.cornell.edu
[mailto:bounce-6022171-8614...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bill
Evans
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 6:24 PM
To: nysbirds-l@cornell.edu; cayugabirds
Subject: [nysbirds-l] Blockbusting
Greetings birders,
In the lull between NY breeding bird atlases, I thought some
birders out
there might be interested in some mid-season blockbusting. In this
case,
it's
not USGS blocks but the locale of a proposed wind energy project in
western
NY.
The proposed Alabama Ledge wind farm, about 5 miles northwest of
Batavia,
NY
would consist of up to 52 wind turbines and border the southern
edges of
the
Iroqouis National Wildlife Refuge and the Oak Orchard Wildlife
Management
Area. The Town of Alabama, NY is the lead agency and is currently
weighing
the proposal and its draft environmental impact statement. The latter
included a breeding bird study in which the stated goal was:
"locating and counting breeding resident birds within the areas
proposed
for
development. The surveys were conducted in the first two weeks of
June
based
on the regional timing recommended for USGS BBS in western New York
(USGS
2001)."
Toward that end, a consultant hired by the wind project developer
carried
out
two 3 minute point count surveys at 20 points within the wind project
area.
That is all the breeding bird survey planned to be conducted for
this wind
project and it provides the formal record for consideration of
breeding
birds
that might be potentially impacted by the project. To me that seems
like a
grossly inadequate level of assessment, especially so for a wind
project
proposed to be built in such close proximity to some of our precious
wildlife
refuges. For any wind project in New York (and beyond) it seems we
should
have a detailed record of what was there prior to the wind project's
construction.
I'm planning on heading over to the locality of the Alabama Ledge
wind
project this Sunday to bird along the roadsides within the proposed
wind
project area. I'd welcome coordinating with any similarly interested
birders
this Sunday and collating sightings from birders visiting the
location
over
the next month. The goal would be to send the Town of Alabama,
NYDEC and
USFWS a list of additional breeding species within the proposed wind
project
development, that were not detected in the developer's survey, which
might
be
impacted by the wind project.
A map of the project area along with the species detected by the
developer's
breeding bird study can be found at the following link:
http://www.horizonwindfarms.com/northeast-region/documents/under-dev/alabama
-
ledge/deis/Appendix%20F2%20Avian%20and%20Bat%20Studies.pdf
Please email me offlist if you are interested in participating in
this
"blockbusting" effort.
Bill Evans
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