Posted on 06/16/2005 5:21:30 AM PDT by Born Conservative
Fears that proposed wind turbines in Bear Creek could kill bats has prompted researchers to launch a $300,000 study into bat mortality.
East Stroudsburg University will conduct the study on the site of the proposed 34-turbine Penobscot Mountain Wind Farm in Bear Creek Township. The study will begin in July and continue for two years.
"During the last couple of years, biologists discovered significant bat kills associated with wind turbines, especially in forested upland areas similar to the Penobscot Mountain site," said Dr. Howard Whidden, assistant professor of biology at East Stroudsburg University.
The study is being funded by $153,000 in federal money allocated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bat Conservation International, Energy Unlimited and ESU supplied matching funds.
Energy Unlimited of West Conshohocken is the developer of the wind farm.
Jerry Feaser, spokesman for the game commission, said the $153,000 is part of the federal government's State Wildlife Grants Program to study endangered, threatened or at-risk species.
The Indiana bat is listed as an endangered species in Pennsylvania, and Whidden said the species has been found 12 miles from Penobscot Mountain.
"It's possible the Indiana bat is there," he said. "We'll be looking at all the bat species at the site."
Researchers will assess the bat population before and after construction of the turbine project, which is still awaiting township approval. If the facility is built, Whidden said they will monitor bat mortality associated with the turbines.
"It's only been a couple of years since we realized wind turbines can impact bats," he said. "It's a particular concern because bats live quite long and have a low reproductive rate. A new mortality factor can really impact populations."
The North Branch Land Trust and the Northeastern Group of the Sierra Club have opposed the wind farm due to environmental concerns.
Rick Koval, a land protection specialist with the land trust, said the Penobscot Mountain site has large insect populations and a number of bogs and swamps, making for ideal bat habitat.
He commended the study as a "pro-active" approach, but questioned the merits of the wind farm.
"If there is more mortality or a high bat kill, is the project worth the risk?" Koval said.
Whidden agreed with Koval's assessment of the habitat, which he classified as a forested upland area. He said the presence of Crystal Lake in the middle of the property is an attractant for bats.
Dr. Henry Smith, a board member with Defend Our Watershed, has been a vocal critic of the planned wind farm, which he said would have a "deleterious effect on bird and bat populations in the area."
"These turbines will be largely located in and around wetlands, which attract waterfowl, birds and bats," Smith said.
If the wind farm is constructed, Koval hoped the study would provide data to lessen the impact on wildlife by future wind turbine facilities.
"If they learn ways to prevent bird and bat mortality, some good will come out of it," he said.
[Donning tin-foil hat] This announcement comes just a day after the release of "Batman Begins". Coincidence? Or part of a devious marketing strategy??
I believe I can spend my money more wisely than the government.
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a bat's azz.... especially when they are wasting taxpayer's dollars to fund this kinda crap!
as a kid I threw lots of rocks at bats and always missed....they have radar.
We learned that a tactic of throwing one rock to attract the bat and then following up with a second yielded better results.
Bats will know not to fly into wind turbines.
I wanna know if the endangered Indiana ball is also included in this study!
Send me the $300,000, I will personally sit under the wind generator and count all the bats that hit it.
When bats hit a turbine they die. Can I have my $300k now?
Why don't they just put up pictures of Wind Turbines in the Bat caves with a red circle and a line drawn through it. This is an International Symbol that the bats should recognize already. If they don't ! Who gives a bats ass!
My experience with bat caves in Texas is that one cave can house millions of bats. When these people say there are 'significant' bat deaths, what are they talking about in actual numbers? Does anyone have a clue?
On the lighter side, isn't this a good outcome in the evolutionary process, protecting the bat gene pool from bats with defective sonar capabilities from procreating?.
Windmills kill bats.
Paypal?
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