Photo credit:
Xavier Fargas/iStock/Thinkstock
(August 27, 2015) Collisions
with wind turbines kill about 100 golden eagles a year in some locations, but a
new study that maps both potential wind-power sites and nesting patterns of the
birds reveals sweet spots, where potential for wind power is greatest with a
lower threat to nesting eagles.
Brad Fedy, a professor in the Faculty of Environment at the
University of Waterloo, and Jason Tack, a PhD student at Colorado State
University, took nesting data from a variety of areas across Wyoming, and
created models using a suite of environmental variables and referenced those
against areas with wind-development potential. The results of their research
appear in PLOS ONE.
Increased mortalities threaten the future of long-lived
species and, when a large bird like a golden eagle is killed by wind
development, the turbine stops, causes temporary slowdowns and can result in
fines to operators.
“We can’t endanger animals and their habitats in making
renewable energy projects happen,” said Professor Fedy, a researcher in
Waterloo’s Department of Environment and Resource Studies. “Our work shows that
it’s possible to guide development of sustainable energy projects, while having
the least impact on wildlife populations.”
Golden eagles are large-ranging predators of conservation
concern in the United States. With the right data, stakeholders can use the
modelling techniques the researchers employed to reconcile other sustainable
energy projects with ecological concerns.