by Chris Clarke
on January 30, 2013 2:03 PM
A years-long campaign to reduce bird mortality
at the Altamont Pass wind turbine area has cut deaths of eagles and three other
bird of prey species by about 50 percent since 2005, according to a study
completed in November that's just starting to attract some notice. A
combination of junking obsolete turbines and paying closer attention to siting
seems to have reduced the number of bird deaths at the site.
The study,
conducted by the consulting firm ICF International for the Alameda County Community
Development Agency, was delivered to the county in November.
According to a recent blog post on the website
of the Golden Gate chapter of the National Audubon Society, deaths of four key
raptor species dropped significantly from 2005 to 2010:
The estimated number of Golden Eagles killed by
turbines each year fell from 58 to 33, Burrowing Owls from 543 to 233, American
Kestrels from 415 to 268, and Red-tailed Hawks from 196 to 85.
Golden Gate Audubon's Mike Lynes offers some
caveats about the data:
These figures are rough estimates: It's
exceedingly difficult to track exact numbers of bird deaths on the sprawling
Altamont Pass. And while the data indicate a decline in risks to birds, we know
bird injuries and deaths are likely to always result from wind turbine
operations.
No comments:
Post a Comment