Wind turbines
Prop-style wind turbines are killing birds at an alarming rate. Some biologists believe that even these numbers are under reported.
It has recently been estimated that the 13,000 wind turbines operating in Spain are killing nearly 2,000 Griffon vultures every year.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) has caused a severe environmental impact to raptor populations due to wind turbines.
The APWRA has the highest numbers and rates of raptor kills of any wind facility in the world. The bird kill fiasco at Altamont Pass is a result of poor planning that allowed wind turbines to be built along a major raptor migration corridor in an area with high wintering concentrations of raptors and in the heart of the highest concentration of golden eagles in North America. Wind turbines at Altamont Pass kill an estimated 880 to 1,300 birds of prey each year, including up to 116 golden eagles, 300 red-tailed hawks, 380 burrowing owls, and additional hundreds of other raptors including kestrels, falcons, vultures, and other owl species. The APWRA is an ecological sink for golden eagles and other raptor species and may be having significant impacts on populations of birds that are rare and reproduce infrequently.
Biologist Jim Wiegand believes that several dozen missing captive-bred California condors have perished due to the Tehachapi Pass wind farm where 5,000 wind turbines are situated.
And according to Wiegand, wind projects are planned for property owned by Tejon Ranch Company.
It is called the PdV Wind Energy Project. A few miles away another new wind farm, the Alta Oak wind project is in front of the same planning department in Kern County that approved the PDV Wind farm. It too will kill free flying Condors. Several more undisclosed prop wind farms are also being planned for the southern slopes Tehachapi Mountains on land owned by Tejon Ranch Company.
Appendix C of the Tejon Ranch California Condor Conservation and Management Plan prepared for Tejon Mountain Village LLC and TRC by Bloom Biological does mention wind turbines.
No wind farms will be constructed anywhere on the Covered Lands (and TRC agrees to expand the ban to all Ranch lands). However, individual wind turbines, which have the primary purpose to serve electrical generation needs on site, may be constructed if, after review and approval by the FWS, such turbines are of a design and in a location that would not pose a threat to condors.
Jim Wiegand – who supports the development of vertical shaft turbine wind power – says that Tejon Ranch is sitting on one of the very best wind resource areas in California. The area reportedly has two to three times the wind speed and is more than 20 times the size of Altamont Pass.
Are we supposed to believe that TRC is just going to sit there on this potential gold mine of wind energy and do nothing with it?
How will TRC explain such waste their shareholders?
The loophole lurks in the “review and approval by the FWS.”
Wind farm location image provided by Jim Wiegand.
About Rhishja Cota-Larson
A sickening abuse of power. When will America finally understand that second rate actors make second rate politicians?
Projects like this on the surface will not help the condor. Of course more details woulkd be appreciated.
Speaking of surface…what is the area footprint of the impacted area (building support roads)versus the set aside area on the private property in acres? Also has the developer granted conservation easements to the public good for these acres?
Regardless of the answer….a poorly located project can damge the condor’s recovery.
tks Fv
de area to be On articles like this I always like to see These things alwa
Get a life! When are you people going to start thinking about humans before vultures? Not all species are meant to live forever.
“Take” under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act can mean more than just killing an individual of a species (in this case, a condor). For the HCP, the obtained “take” permit is to allow the “harassment,” i.e., incidental interaction between human and condor that causes nest abandonment, and only allows 3 “takes” over about 30 years. The “take” permit explicitly does not allow the killing of an individual condor.
TMV does not have wind farms, and there are no wind farms on Tejon Ranch Company property. The wind farms are already in existance in the Tehachapis, so that is a moot point for the HCP. There is an agreement in the HCP that specifically forbids wind farms as part of TMV or any other endeavor on the Ranch in the future.
Just want your readers to have the full story.
Projects like this on the surface will not help the condor. Of course more details woulkd be appreciated.
Speaking of surface…what is the area footprint of the impacted area (building support roads)versus the set aside area on the private property in acres? Also has the developer granted conservation easements to the public good for these acres?
Regardless of the answer….a poorly located project can damge the condor’s recovery.
tks Fv
de area to be On articles like this I always like to see These things alwa
From the author:
Thank you for your comments.
Fair Trade – I agree with you on both points.
Fv – Tejon Ranch Company’s PR site is located at http://www.tejonpreserve.com/index.php … the “Historic Agreement” spin machine is prominently displayed. Pretty clever, eh?
crankpin – the topic of wind farms vs. individual wind turbines is already addressed in the article. Individual wind turbines will be allowed as part of the project – therein lies the loophole.
crankpin – We have done our homework. The first condors that will die on Tejon Ranch from prop turbines will probably be from the new PDV Wind Farm. Tejon Ranch owns some of the land in upper expanse of this project. Prop turbines will be soon spinning on the ranch. Tejon Ranch has entered into the Prop wind turbine wind business and few are aware of it.
Fair Trade said on October 2nd, 2009 at 10:09 am..
“A sickening abuse of power.
When will America finally understand that second
rate actors make second rate politicians?”
GOOD ONE, Fair Trade !!!
O..soooo RIGHT !!!
CHEERS