Racine, WI & Ithaca, NY, July 23, 2009—Thirty top wildlife scientists have announced agreement on some of the highest research priorities to help America’s rapidly growing wind energy industry produce much-needed alternative energy—while also providing safe passage for birds and bats. This coalition of scientists from industry, government, nongovernmental organizations, and universities met recently in Racine, Wisconsin, to address unanswered questions about how continued wind energy development will affect migrating birds and bats. The meeting was hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the American Bird Conservancy, and The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread.

“We see great potential in wind energy for … reducing America’s reliance on fossil fuels,” said Dr. Michael Fry of the American Bird Conservancy. “It’s critical we act now to understand the interactions between wind energy installations and birds and bats.”

“Billions of birds migrate annually, taking advantage of the same wind currents that are most beneficial for producing wind energy,” said Dr. Andrew Farnsworth of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “We know that in some locations a small percentage of wind turbines may cause the majority of bird and bat deaths. For example, Altamont Pass, east of Oakland, California, is an extreme case: in an area used regularly by migrant and resident raptors, only a fraction of the 5,000 turbines are responsible for most of the raptor deaths annually. As wind power develops further, we need to know more about how placement, design, and operation impact birds and bats as well as how habitat and weather conditions affect potential hazards.” 

The scientists addressed the critical information that could be collected using cutting-edge tools such as weather surveillance radar, thermal imaging, and microphones directed skyward to map migrations by day and night. New research will build upon monitoring and research studies of birds and bats before and after construction of existing wind energy facilities as well as work done by other researchers. The coalition appointed working groups to move this new research agenda forward. Top research priorities identified by the coalition include:

• Studying bird and bat behaviors and more accurately estimating mortality at existing wind turbines

• Using current and newly-obtained information on bird and bat population numbers and distributions to focus research on critically important migratory routes and timing

• Documenting how interactions of birds and bats with turbines are affected by factors such as weather, topography, and their distribution within airspace swept by wind turbine blades

• Establish standardized methods for pre- and post-construction studies of bird and bat behavior at wind facilities

• Conduct research on the best methods for mitigating the impacts of wind energy development on birds and bats

“Conducting this research will help the wind industry make informed, science-based decisions about where future wind energy projects can be built, and how they can be operated to minimize the impact on migrating wildlife, while still providing much-needed alternative energy,” said Dr. John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “It will also help flesh out specific guidelines for wind farm construction being developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”

US FISH and WILDLIFE INFORMATION

There are 36 National Wildlife Refuges at risk from the BP Oil Spill. These precious national resources are home to dozens of threatened and endangered species, including West Indian manatees, whooping cranes, Mississippi sandhill cranes, wood storks and four species of sea turtles.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service are searching for oiled wildlife throughout the spill region, rescuing injured birds and animals, and assisting in the joint effort to ensure they are safely cleaned and released.

Many species of wildlife face grave risk from the spill.

Birds can be exposed to oil as they float on the water or dive for fish through oil-slicked water. Oiled birds can lose the ability to fly and can ingest the oil while preening.

Sea turtles such as loggerheads and leatherbacks can be impacted as they swim to shore for nesting activities. Turtle nest eggs may be damaged if an oiled adult lies on the nest.

Oil has the potential to persist in the environment long after a spill and have long-term impacts on fish and wildlife.

GULF OIL SPILL

Article published August 12, 2010
La. marshlands smothered by oil spill may be healing
New grass gives scientists hope

BARATARIA BAY, La. - Shoots of marsh grass and bushes of mangrove trees are starting to grow back in the bay where just months ago photographers shot startling images of dying pelicans coated in oil from the massive Gulf oil spill. More than a dozen scientists say the marsh here and along the Louisiana coast is healing, giving hope delicate wetlands might weather the worst offshore spill in U.S. history better than feared. Some marsh could be lost, but the amount appears small compared to what the coast loses yearly through development. Tuesday, a cruise through Barataria Bay's marsh revealed thin shoots growing up out of the oiled mass. Elsewhere, there were gray, dead mangrove shrubs, likely killed by the oil, but even there, new growth was coming up. "These are areas that were black with oil," said Matt Boasso, a temporary worker with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. As crude oil from a blown-out BP well oozed toward the marshes after the April explosion, experts feared it would kill roots in marsh grass, smother mangroves, and dissolve wetlands that plant life held together. State, federal, and BP cleanup efforts focused on preventing that from happening by burning and skimming the oil, blocking it with booms and sand berms, and breaking it up with dispersants. Whether it is a triumph of cleanup work, the marshes' resiliency, or both, scientists have found regrowth of grasses, black mangrove trees, and roseau cane, a lush cane found in the brackish waters at the Mississippi River's mouth.

Status

528 U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel are actively responding to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill.

Clean-up crews are working in Barataria Bay in Louisiana. A leaking wellhead was found on the Gulf side of East Timbalier Island in Louisiana. Crews are deploying hard boom at the mouth of Pass A Loutre, LA.

Hand crews and excavators continue to remove oil on the Perdue Unit of the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama.

St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge in Florida reports booms are in place at Indian Pass. Due to strong current, booms must be repositioned each morning.

Birds will be moved from the facility in Ft. Jackson, LA to Covington, LA. The move is scheduled for some time in mid to late July. The Mobile Command Center continues to need more teams to maintain a one-hour response time for the entire spill area.

Aerial missions are planned over Barataria Bay, Timbalier and Terrebonne Bay, South West Pass and Chandaleur Islands, Biloxi Marsh and Breton Sound
To volunteer in the generalrecovery effort: 866-448-5816. To report oiled wildlife 866-557-1401. Wildlife Paraprofessional volunteer info: http://www.nwrawildlife.org/page.asp?ID=285

National Audubon Effort

In early June, National Audubon launched the NATIONAL OIL SPILL VOLUNTEER RESPONSE CENTER. It will use the facility in Moss Point, Mississippi along with organizers deployed to affected areas in four states to contact, coordinate and mobilize more than 13,000 volunteers who signed up with Audubon in the first weeks of the disaster. That number is expected to grow.

Interested volunteers may register online at www.audubon.org and will be contacted shortly as opportunities arise.

Anticipated volunteer activities include:

• Volunteer Response Center Staff — scheduling volunteers, identifying and coordinating engagement with new projects, logistical support, arranging training, office management, etc.

• Coastal Bird Survey — collecting data and photos on bird resources and impacts across the coast according to specific scientific protocols.

• Wildlife Transport Facilitator —assisting USFWS and Tri-State Bird Rescue with volunteers scheduled in round-the-clock shifts in key locations for injured/oiled wildlife recovery and transport operations throughout the coastal region.

• Bird Capture and Rescue Materials — volunteers are needed to make nets, cages and other materials to assist trained professionals in oiled bird rescue efforts.

• Citizen Science Monitoring — submitting electronic information on birds sightings at Important Bird Areas, refuges or sanctuaries to assess population impacts, numbers of target species or species of concern

• Bird Hotline Operators –- providing on-site bird expertise for our Volunteer Response Center as well as possibly in field offices of BP, Tri-State Bird Rescue and others involved in response efforts to address issues related to bird sightings, handling, species identification, etc.

To track the sightings of birds by species along the coastline:
http://www.audubon.org/news/pressroom/gos/bird-tracker-map.html