Windmills Take Toll on Wildlife

Los Angeles Times ^ | December 8, 2003 | Rone Tempest

[Willie Green]

ALTAMONT PASS, Calif. — When the giant Altamont wind farm sprouted here two decades ago, the only major objections were aesthetic. Local residents didn't appreciate the forest of 7,000 ungainly wind towers cluttering their view.

No one, apparently, thought about the birds.

Since the phalanx of giant windmills began churning in the air above the Altamont Pass east of San Francisco Bay, an estimated 22,000 birds have died, including hundreds of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrels and other raptors, after flying into the spinning blades of the wind turbines.

Now, some environmental groups that routinely supported wind power as a clean, alternative source of electric power are opposing the renewal of permits for the wind farm until steps are taken to reduce the bird deaths.

[Willie Green]

ping

[finnman69]

If only they could combine this with a nuke plant, they could simulateously catch, pluck, slice and microwave fresh fowl!

[EggsAckley]

Ya can't win fer losin'.

[DoctorHydrocal]

I detect an opportunity to make millions of dollars selling and installing giant fan guards.

[RightWhale]

Wind power is a darned silly idea. What worked for a lone farm on the prairie in the 20s is nothing but a feel-good gesture now. It's also not fair to the raptors, who after all, are just trying to scavange the guts of crushed songbirds off the giant blades when they themselves get whacked.

[camle]

only show's ta go ya that no matter what you do, the libs will NOT be satisfied until we revert to the pre-industrial rev days.

[AgThorn]

22,000 birds? including 100's of Golden Eagles? And they are expecting a "moratorium" on more windmills to come up with a solution?

What are they thinking? a giant net over northern California?

Face it, you environmental wacko's, windmills kill birds!, Now either continue your rant to return civilization to the stone age or get behind the clean applications of nuclear and fossil fuels.

[rock58seg]

If this were true, we would be inundated with pictures of dead birds at the bottom of the windmills. They are trying the same story with wireless antennas. Fortunately, BS does not fly well, no matter how hard it is thrown by the environmentalist Luddites.

[Red Boots]

We visited a big wind farm up in SW Minnesota- they claimed that they lost many more bats than birds, and, think of all the bugs!! Nobody even counts them ! Sob !

[rock58seg]

So how many dead bats did you see?

[Roughneck]

>>Wind power is a darned silly idea<<

I a lot of places, sure. Out here in West Texas, the wind is always blowing, nothing but desert grasslands, and the developement of wind farms...good investment unless the environits wourk their way out here and jabber-jaw about some grackle gettin' hurt...

[Z-28]

Nuclear fusion.

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[hosepipe]

Don't believe it... even remotely believe it..

Sounds like bull to me...

[Maelstrom]

A Mighty Wind BLOWS

[rock58seg]

As a kid, we used to shoot at bats with our bb guns. (Lived behind our chimney.) They could tell the difference between bb's and insects. They were able to swerve and make us miss. Somehow I think they would notice the approach of a windmill blade.

[looscnnn]

"a giant net over northern California?"

That would never fly, then the birds would not be able to land and make nests, etc.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It has been known for years that windmills are cuisinarts for birds. It's amazing how flexible the greens can be when one of their pet projects collides with an endangered species.

[bootless]

Well, the Lawrence Livermore Lab isn't too far away!