May 4, 2015
New York

Wind company to make changes to save endangered bat

By Julia Botero | WRVO Public Media | May 4, 2015 | wrvo.org

Wind farms have been popping up in rural areas of Northern New York. Wind energy doesn’t burn fossil fuels or emit greenhouse gases. But while wind farms may be a positive step for the environment in one way, they also can kill birds and bats. Now, the company behind a wind farm in Copenhagen is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine how to prevent deaths of these winged creatures before they occur.

The collaboration between OWNenergy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started when the energy company said they were planning to install a bunch of wind turbines on the turf of the Indiana bat. This tiny bat has been on the endangered species list since 1967.

Recently, the deadly bat disease White-nose syndrome shot down any chance the population would make a recovery. It’s technically illegal to kill an endangered animal. So, OwnEngery was required by law to come up with a conservation plan.

“Bats can be injured by direct contact with turbines as they’re flying and they can also have internal hemorrhaging called barotrauma that happens when the pressure drops right in the area of the wind turbines,” said Megan Racey, a spokesperson with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Construction on the windfarm won’t start till next year, but the company is already in the first stages of figuring out what they’ll need to do to minimize how many bats die.

“Less than one bat per year is really what we are talking about,” said P.J. Saliterman of OwnEnergy.

Saliterman says so far the ideas floating around for how to save bats include slowing or shutting down turbines when bats are feeding at dusk and in the fall when they’re migrating.

Megan Racey says the Indiana bat isn’t the only wildlife that will benefit from these adjustments.

“But also other bat species like big brown bats, little brown bats, eastern road bats and other species,” said Racey.

The windfarm in Copenhagen will have close to 50 turbines. OwnEnergy plans to have it up and running by fall of next year.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/05/04/wind-company-to-make-changes-to-save-endangered-bat/