Posted on 06/14/2011 10:26:37 PM PDT by RC one
ALTAMONT, Calif., June 6 (UPI) -- Wind power turbines have been blamed for the deaths of scores of protected golden eagles in California's Bay Area, wildlife experts say.
The death count of more than 60 birds a year during the last three decades worries field biologists because the turbines in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area -- which have been providing thousands of homes with emissions-free electricity since the 1980s -- are situated in a region of rolling grasslands and canyons containing one of the highest densities of nesting golden eagles in the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
"It would take 167 pairs of local nesting golden eagles to produce enough young to compensate for their mortality rate related to wind energy production," biologist Doug Bell, manager of the East Bay Regional Park District's wildlife program, said. "We only have 60 pairs."
The Fish and Wildlife Service says about 440,000 birds are killed at wind farms across the country each year.
So far, no wind energy company has been prosecuted by federal wildlife authorities in the death of protected birds, the Times reported. Environmentalists have had some success -- often through litigation -- requiring the energy industry and federal authorities to modify the size, shape and placement of wind turbines, the newspaper said.
That doesn’t make any sense.
Sadly, it makes perfect sense.
Somebody should point this hypocrisy out to Governor Perry.
So a machine created by tree huggers to save the planet...end up killing precious animals that tree huggers want to save...
Sweet.
May a Golden eagle fly over and crap on Al Gore’s pointed little head.
I’m going to need some more evidence before I just believe this out of hand. Birds, and raptors especially, are pretty good at the whole “flight” thing. They duck and dodge much quicker things than windmills on a pretty routine basis. I have a hard time believing that they’re being killed by windmills in any appreciable numbers.
I drive through the Altamount Pass quite frequently and don’t think I’ve ever seen a golden eagle(s).
Hmmmmmm.......
When it comes to Obama's green agenda, windmills scarring the land and killing birds is "what matters." Formerly beautiful drives are now littered with rows upon rows of ugly windmills. This from the enviro-nazis who supposedly are protecting our nation's lands. Once they've destroyed the golden eagles, they'll go after American windmill manufacturers and put them out of business, then they'll order them from China. It's just what liberals do.
So much ado when it came to the spotted owl or that two inch minnow devastating the California farming industry. The enviro-nazis carefully pick and choose the fish/animals/birds they consider worthy of saving. Homan jobs and keeping America's lands pristine - not so much.
I think we need to start a petition to shut those wind mills down until the safety of golden eagles, bats, and other birds can be guaranteed. This is absolutely unacceptable.
Make that “human” jobs please.
eagles do not duck and dodge, they ride the wind and that puts them in the path of wind mills; furthermore, when they are tracking prey, they develop what is known as a “predatory search image” which makes them blind to pretty much everything but their quarry. We aren’t talking about one pass through a single wind mill either, we’re talking about navigating a gauntlet of thousands of spinning blades located right in their nesting grounds. This is happening.
Which would be never. And it wouldn’t hurt my feelings. They say we can’t use nuclear because it is impossible to make it 100% safe. I see no reason to not apply the same standard to windmills.
If this is such a problem, why not make them put a cage (like the ones around your floor/desk fans) on the damned things?
The confused, handwringing liberal Democrats of California will remain locked in their bedrooms playing with themselves - - er, “meditating” - - without a care in the world. Do not try to figure out their “thought processes” because it will only make your own head explode. I recommend that normal people simply mind their own business and stay away from that place.
Save the planet. Shoot an environmentalist.
I happen to love birds, even including vultures, and I feel really bad about that vulture in the video getting smacked out of the sky.
To my knowledge (the video you linked notwithstanding) no one has ever produced video of scores or hundreds of birds, much less 440,000 birds, being smacked by turbine blades. Nor have they produced hundreds, much less thousands, of bird skeletons. It's still pretty much "he said - she said" with regard to the high numbers, as far as I can tell. SO here's a thought.
Consider: Most of the birds folks are worried about are diurnal (active during daytime).
So, that makes me think.... the typical big wind turbine cost is a couple million dollars per unit. A video camera setup with a small solar panel and wireless transmission to a central access point is a couple hundred bucks -- nothing compared to the overall cost. Disk space is cheap at the central point, and one video signal processor can identify moving dots (birds) and note them in a timed log for later human viewing and assessment.
Instead of trying to outlaw wind power generation, why don't we require that every big turbine be video'ed during daylight hours? We would find out quickly enough whether the Great Bird Slaughter is happening or not.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.