Councillors 'disgusted' by Navitus Bay windfarm over concerns about migratory birds

COUNCILLORS say they are “disgusted” by the controversial Navitus Bay Wind Farm plans because of the potentially destructive impact on migratory birds.

If approved, the Navitus Bay project will result in a maximum of 218 wind turbines up to 650ft high within an area that incorporates four Sites of Special Scientific Interest and three sites for protected birds.

An assessment carried out by Navitus concluded that construction at the Avon Valley Special Protection Area would have a “significant” impact on 76 bird species.

Deputy Mayor Phil Stanley Watts stressed the need to have a complete wildlife impact study and said the current report is “flawed, incomplete and lacking in information”.

He said: “I am disgusted that nobody has really picked up the colossal potential damage to the wildlife, especially the many endangered species of birds. “The giant wind turbines will slaughter huge numbers and I feel Navitus Bay have not done their duty to the wildlife. I would like to see the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds voice a strong objection.”

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Draft report studies impacts of Texas launch site

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN, Associated Press

Updated 2:33 pm, Tuesday, April 16, 2013

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — A proposed rocket site in South Texas won't significantly disrupt endangered species if officials take precautions such as avoiding launches during times the animals are most active, according to a federal study.

The draft environmental impact statement released Monday by the Federal Aviation Administration is an important factor in California-based SpaceX's pursuit of the site near where the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The final report is a necessary precursor to the FAA issuing licenses allowing SpaceX to launch rockets there, but not a guarantee they will issue them. Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico also are competing for the site.

The Texas site is less than three miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and is bordered on three sides by state park land that's managed by the federal government as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. It's just a short sandy walk to Boca Chica Beach.

SpaceX, run by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, currently launches most of its rockets from Florida's Cape Canaveral, but it's looking for additional launch capacity. Without space shuttles, NASA is relying on private companies such as SpaceX, whose Dragon capsule made its second successful trip to the International Space Station last month.

Gilbert Salinas, vice president for the Brownsville Economic Development Council, which has been courting the project, said he "anticipated some very good, positive feedback with some small risks to the project that could be mitigated."

aplomado falcon

A public meeting to take input on the draft report is scheduled for May 7 in Brownsville.

The report acknowledged the project likely will "adversely affect" some endangered species, including the piping plover, northern aplomado falcon, jaguarundi, ocelot, and sea turtles. But it lists several steps SpaceX could take to lessen those damages.

Among them are conducting pre- and post-launch surveys for the birds and avoiding launches at dusk and dawn, the most active times for the cats. It also suggests avoiding night launches during turtle nesting season.

The report said development for the launch site would occur within 20 acres of the 56-acre site.

"It's important to note that SpaceX is very experienced in ensuring that our sites have a minimal environmental impact," said Christina Ra, SpaceX's Director of Communications, in an email last month. "Almost all launch sites (including SpaceX's launch sites at Vandenberg Air Force Base and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station) are on environmental preserves or habitats. This provides general isolation for both the launch site and the preserve."

Salinas repeated the common comparison to NASA's Florida launch facility at Cape Canaveral, where rockets and wildlife have coexisted for decades. Cape Canaveral is overlaid with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

But there are significant differences.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Draft-report-studies-impacts-of-Texas-launch-site-4438198.php#ixzz2QjLWpPEG

Exurban Residences Impact Bird Communities Up to 200 Meters Away, Study Finds

Feb. 25, 2013 — According to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), impacts to bird communities from a single rural, "exurban" residence can extend up to 200 meters into the surrounding forest. The study also determined that sensitive bird species such as the hermit thrush and scarlet tanager prefer unbroken forests with no houses. Others, like the blue jay and black-capped chickadee, seem to like having, and often thrive with, human neighbors.

As part of the study, scientists sampled the presence of 20 species of birds both near and far from 30 rural residences in the Adirondack Park. Calculating their occurrence at increasing distances from the residences, they determined that "human-adapted" species are 36 percent more likely to occur near the homes than in the surrounding mixed hardwood-conifer forests, and that "human-sensitive" species were 26 percent less likely. Beyond 200 meters, occupancy rates were similar to the surrounding forest.

The report appears in the current online edition of the Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning. Authors of the study are Drs. Michale Glennon and Heidi Kretser of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225131535.htm