Renewable energy vs. wildlife conservation - Solar, Wind and Land: Conflicts in Renewable Energy Development - page 83

Estimating a proposed wind farm's potential impacts on birds
Because of the hazards that wind farms can sometimes create for statutorily
protected bird species, cooperation with government wildlife agencies is an
essential task item in any wind energy development plan. Within the United
States, the FWS is the primary federal regulatory body that administers
wildlife protection statutes relating to onshore wind farms. According to
the agency's published guidelines, wind energy developers should initiate
discussions with the FWS regarding possible “species of concern” during its
preliminary site evaluation of any project site. 65 That initial contact with the
FWS typically commences a back-and-forth site evaluation process specifi-
cally designed to identify the project's potential threats to wildlife, assess
the severity of such threats, and formulate plans for addressing them. This
“suggested communications protocol” requires a developer to assess such
things as the project's potential to create habitat fragmentation and the
presence of plant species and “congregation areas” critical to the animal's
habitat. 66
To assist in the information-gathering process, the FWS or similar
agencies may even require that biologists make “reconnaissance level
site visit[s]” to gather and confirm data on a project's potential habitat
impacts. 67 Among other things, biologists may conduct “point counts” or
other observational studies to help them better estimate the prevalence of
birds within a proposed project area. 68 They may also search for raptor
nests in the vicinity of proposed turbines or transmission facilities. 69
Mitigating bird impacts in wind energy development
Once the information-gathering process is complete and wildlife agency
officials have a solid grasp of the wildlife risks associated with a proposed
wind energy project, agency officials next focus their attention on identi-
fying how a developer might reduce those risks through various mitigation
strategies.
The most obvious mitigation strategy for wildlife protection in the wind
energy context is the siting of the project itself. Critical habitat areas of
highly endangered birds such as the California condor may be wholly unfit
for wind or solar energy projects, let alone any development. No amount of
offsite or onsite mitigation may be adequate to address the risks associated
with development in these sorts of highly sensitive areas. Fortunately,
such high-risk areas are relatively few and far between. In most situations,
renewable energy development can subsist with wildlife through careful
pre-construction planning and routine monitoring of projects throughout
their years of operation.
At wind farm sites where risks to birds are manageable, developers can
employ a wide range of practices to help to mitigate bird impacts. One
common practice is to simply avoid sensitive locations within the project