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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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, [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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 [...]

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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

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