If you’ve been following this issue, you know that the Altamont Pass wind energy farm has long been a black eye on the alternative energy industry because of the massive numbers of birds that are killed in the turbines. The fight against this outrage has been led by Golden Gate Audubon and a coalition of [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Alternative energy'
Bird deaths on the decline at Altamont
January 30th, 2013 · by gfrost
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · Audubon Chapters · Bird conservation · S.F. Bay · Wind power
Imperial Valley agricultural fields becoming increasingly important for rare Mountain Plover
January 15th, 2013 · by gfrost
A rare and secretive grassland bird that migrates between the Great Plains and California’s grassy valleys is increasingly turning up in Imperial Valley agricultural fields (south of the Salton Sea in southern California), according to a recent survey organized by Audubon California. If this trend continues, the Mountain Plover’s shifting habitat could have implications for [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · Bird Habitat
Audubon reaches across country to make a wind project better for birds
August 22nd, 2012 · by gfrost
This is a great story of a wind energy developer working with conservation groups to find a solution that meets both our needs for alternative energy and wildlife protection. But there’s a little more to the story. Montana Audubon initially reached out to Garry George, Audubon California’s renewable energy project director, with its concerns about [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Bird Habitat
Audubon joins other conservation groups to help craft vision for solar energy on public lands
July 27th, 2012 · by gfrost
For the last several years, Audubon and other conservation groups have watched alternative energy development in the West with mixed emotions. On the one hand, we well understand that climate change presents a serious through to wildlife and habitat. But on the other hand, it’s difficult to get behind projects that tear up prime swaths [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · Bird Habitat · National Audubon Society · Pacific Flyway
Condor sighting expected to rise in the Tehachapis
July 5th, 2012 · by gfrost
More and more we’re seeing California Condors pushing into their historical range, including the Tehachapi Mountains. While it’s great to see the population expanding its range, this expansion comes with some worries. First, there’s the increased interaction with humans, which never seems to be a good thing for the endangered species. But then there’s the [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · California Condor · Endangered Species Act
Fears over possible condor loss prompt wind farms to search for ways to avoid bird collisions
May 29th, 2012 · by gfrost
According to the Los Angeles Times, wind energy developers in the Tehachapi Mountains are looking to science to avoid what would be a catastrophic collision between an endangered California Condor and a wind turbine. The issue is more critical than ever as the California Condor continues to expand further into its historical range, which includes [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · California Condor · Endangered Species Act
Audubon California joins other groups in supporting Imperial Valley solar project
April 3rd, 2012 · by dogden
Four major conservation groups today announced their support for a set of proposed large-scale solar power projects in Imperial County, Calif., because of the project meets the need to promote well-located clean energy development, demonstrate the care taken to address wildlife concerns, and create good union jobs. The Sierra Club, Audubon California, Defenders of Wildlife [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California
Watch out, Swainson’s Hawks
March 27th, 2012 · by gfrost
Couldn’t help but flag this listserv post the East Bay Birds board last night from Dominik Mosur: “While driving back from a morning of birding San Joaquin County I spotted a Dark-morph SWAINSON’S HAWK flying over HWY 580 just west of the sign for Altamont Pass. This was around 1:45 p.m. Nice to see one in [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon Chapters · Bird conservation · Birding · Pacific Flyway · Pacific Migration · spring migration
Spring migration and wind turbines
March 19th, 2012 · by gfrost
If you follow bird conservation, particularly out West, you have undoubtedly heard about the controversy involving bird deaths due to wind power turbines. There certainly isn’t room in this post to discuss the issue at length, but we do want to highlight it as an important consideration related to spring migration. According to most research, [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · Pacific Flyway · Pacific Migration · spring migration
Oregon wind development will mark an important turning point for wind power and bird conservation
February 17th, 2012 · by gfrost
Today, Audubon and the Portland Audubon Society submitted comments on an application for a permit that would allow the death or disturbance of Golden Eagles at a proposed new wind development near Bend, Oregon. The issuance of this permit potentially represents a major turning point in the development of alternative energy and its impacts on [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · Audubon Chapters · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · National Audubon Society
Two more Golden Eagles found dead at Tahachapi wind farm
February 16th, 2012 · by gfrost
The Los Angeles Times reports today that two more Golden Eagles have been found dead at the Pine Tree wind development in the Tehachapi Mountains, bringing the total number of eagles found there to eight. Given that it is illegal to kill Golden Eagles, this could present a profound legal problem for the operators of [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat
Getting alternative energy right
January 12th, 2012 · by gfrost
To the untrained eye, California’s Mojave and Colorado deserts might appear like barren, lifeless places. It would seem like an ideal location for hundreds of square miles of solar arrays and transmission lines – power plants for alternative energy that will reduce the impacts of climate change on our planet. “The reality is that these [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon Chapters · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · State Policy
Condor vs. wind?
January 3rd, 2012 · by gfrost
Interesting article posted on the Forbes website today about the potential conflict between the resurgent California Condor and increased wind energy development in the Tehachapi Mountains. As the endangered bird slowly begins to recover more of its historical range, representatives from both the wind energy industry and environmental advocates acknowledge that a condor death from [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Audubon California · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat · California Condor · Endangered Species Act · Federal Policy
Wind energy co. pulls plug on its own project out of concern for local birds
November 25th, 2011 · by gfrost
Now this is interesting. Pattern Energy Group last week announced that it was abandoning plans for a large-scale wind energy project near Winters, California, out of fear that the project would harm local bird populations. The company said it decided to stop building on its accord because mitigation efforts available for the local bird species do not meet [...]
Tags: Alternative energy · Bird conservation · Bird Habitat
WA wind project killed over concerns about endangered bird
November 18th, 2011 · by gfrost
A major wind power development in Washington State has been nixed because of potential impacts to the endangered Marbled Murrelet. (photo of Marbled Murrelet by USFWS) Share on Facebook
Tags: Alternative energy · Bird Habitat · Endangered Species Act · Federal Policy · seabirds