Protect the Puerto Rican Nightjar
Luis Silvestre
REQUEST TO GOVERNOR ANIBAL ACEVEDO VILA TO PROTECT CRITICAL TROPICAL DRY FOREST HABITAT AND CRITICALLY ENDANGERED PR NIGHTJAR
The intention of this request is to ask the Governor to remove support for the proposed Wind Energy Complex in lands of Punta Verraco, Toro Hill and Punta Ventana that is contiguous with the Guanica State Dry Forest, a MAB Biosphere Reserve as recognized by UNESCO in 1981 . We understand that the Governor must act accordingly for the following reasons:
— Governor’s Platform program “Herencia 100.000″(Heritage 100,000) defines clearly its priority to acquire land that will expand the existing natural reserves with particular attention to those who serve as habitat for critically endangered species of flora and fauna. This statement represents an accurate description of the property composed by Punta Verraco, Toro Hill and Punta Ventana that will provide an expansion to the Dry Forest and serves as habitat for numerous critically endangered species.
— Because of the significant negative effect that the construction of this installation will have on a the critically endangered species, the PR Nightjar or “Guabairo” that is endemic of Puerto Rico found nowhere else on the planet. The construction will effectively remove the nightjar from 725 acres of critical habitat.
— Because there are multiple viable alternatives like campaigning to stop the wasteful power consumption on the island, to promote the power efficiency, to choose an alternate location that has previously been developed or of poor ecological value,an example of which is a property abandoned by the petrochemical industry which sits less than 5 miles from the current proposed location and to stimulate through a “net metering” program citizen acquisition of solar energy equipment.
— Because the negative effects caused by the construction,operation and maintenance of this Wind Energy Complex on the forest and critically endangered species cannot be compensated by its possible benefits. The leading companies of Wind Energy in Denmark and Germany already describe their poor performance in terms of offsetting fossil fuel burning and there is no reason to think that in Puerto Rico it is going to be different.
— Because of the environmental violations which the proponent has incurred already, clearing 2,000 trees of critical dry forest habitat under its direct supervision as he admitted to one of the main newspapers of the country.
— Because the Wind Energy Complex threatens the health and tranquillity of the residents of the communities of Faro, Indio and Boca of the municipality of Guayanilla. All within 1 mile of the proposed location for the wind energy project.
— To support communitarian groups of Guayanilla and its Mayor who have publicly expressed themselves against this project and who favor the acquisition of these lands by the government to integrate the property to the MAB Biosphere Reserve.
Sincerely,
Eng. Luis Silvestre, PE
SOPI (Sociedad Ornitologica Puertorriqueña-Puertorican Ornithological Society) Spokesperson
PR Nightjar [1]
UNESCO-MAB: Guanica Biosphere Reserve [2]
Puertorican Ornithological Society [3]
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/alerts/2007/04/05/protect-puerto-rican-nightjar/
URLs in this post:
[1] PR Nightjar: https://web.archive.org/web/20120716224456/http://audubon2.org/watchlist/viewSpecies.jsp?id=167
[2] UNESCO-MAB: Guanica Biosphere Reserve: http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?code=USA+35&mode=all
[3] Puertorican Ornithological Society: http://www.avesdepuertorico.org
[4] Sign the petition: https://www.wind-watch.org/alerts http://www.petitiononline.com/nightjar