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Wind Power News: Wildlife: ''
Migrating parrot a torchbearer for all species under threat
The orange-bellied parrot has a history as colourful as its feathers. It has been an unlikely player in some controversial debates, its presence famously halting the construction of a major wind farm. It is also one of Australia’s most endangered birds, listed as ”critically endangered” – one step above ”extinct”. There are fewer than 50 in the wild. Every summer the birds breed in south-west Tasmania. There they are met by a recovery team which monitors them, provides feed and . . . Complete story »
Feds decide Goodhue County wind project’s eagle toll is OK
A bitterly contested wind farm proposed for Goodhue County got the go-ahead Wednesday to pursue a permit that would allow it to legally kill or injure eagles, in what could be the first case of federal authorities issuing a license to kill the protected national symbol. The 48-turbine project would kill at most eight to 15 eagles a year, a number that would not harm the local population, federal officials said in a letter to state regulators. The U.S. Fish . . . Complete story »
Save the Whales director warns seismic testing link to deaths is ‘very possible’
The executive director of Save The Whales says it is ”very possible” that whale deaths in the North Sea are linked to windfarm surveys. Maris Sidenstecker, executive director of the international marine conservation organisation based in California, said there was evidence in the United States of marine mammals – including whales – being killed as a result of seismic and sonar testing in the oil and gas industry. She said: ”Seismic testing and sonar testing are different and we are fighting planned . . . Complete story »
Conservation effort focuses on bats and wind turbines
Federal wildlife officials are asking for public input on protecting endangered bat and bird species from being harmed by wind turbines. The Fish and Wildlife Service has begun to work with Wisconsin and seven other Midwest states on a habitat conservation plan. The service says the aim is to promote the development of clean energy, while helping federally endangered species known to be at risk from wind farms. Those include the Indiana bat, the gray bat and the Kirtland’s Warbler. . . . Complete story »
Eagle count critical for Red Wing wind farm permit
There are 10 active eagle nests and many more of the protected birds flying through the neighborhood of a controversial wind farm proposed for Goodhue County, according to a new count that may prove critical to the project’s future. The number of birds could determine whether the developer, AWA Goodhue Wind, will be one of the nation’s first wind farms to get a federal “incidental take” license to legally kill or injure a specified number of eagles. Such permits are . . . Complete story »
