Bird deaths causing concern about true value of wind farm

Houston Chronicle ^ | 12-21-2003 | Rone Tempest

[buffyt]

When the giant Altamont wind farm sprouted here two decades ago, the only major objections were aesthetic. Local residents didn't appreciate the forest of 7,000 ungainly wind towers cluttering their view.

No one, apparently, thought about the birds.

Since the phalanx of giant windmills began churning the air above the Altamont Pass east of San Francisco Bay, an estimated 22,000 birds have died, including hundreds of golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrels and other raptors, after flying into the spinning blades of the wind turbines.

Now, some environmental groups that routinely supported wind power as a clean, alternative source of electric power are opposing the renewal of permits for the wind farm, the largest in the world in number of turbines, until steps are taken to reduce the bird deaths.

"Renewing these permits without addressing the cumulative impacts of wind energy on migratory birds, especially raptor species, will give a black eye to wind power," said Michael Boyd, president of Californians for Renewable Energy, a Santa Cruz-based organization that generally supports alternative energy sources such as wind power. Joining in the effort is the Center for Biological Diversity, a national nonprofit group known for its litigious approach to wildlife protection.

The two organizations have asked the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to reverse a recent decision by a local zoning board granting permit renewals to some of the wind power operators. Quoting from recent research for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the California Energy Commission, they estimate that over the past 20 years, 22,000 birds have died in the Altamont windmills.

"When you turn on your lights you kill something, no matter what the source of electricity," said Paul Kerlinger.

[alloysteel]

Well, the disclosure of the bird deaths from the windmills simply allows the enviro-whackos to return to their original position, "Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anybody, Stupid" or BANANAS. The efforts of mankind to modify the face of the planet to make the existence of humanity a little more comfortable are only at the expense of the poor, the ignorant, and the defenseless, which pretty well sums up the whackos' opinion of nonhuman life forms.

A wealthy society, created as a result of the ingenuity and innovation of its members, has the necessary means to adequately fund the preservation of those species endangered by progress. Many of those species that were thought to be possibly affected, have in fact prospered and grown abundant with the spread of cultivation and development of land. Others have been adversely affected, but in ways not anticipated, as in forest fires vastly more devastating in "protected" tree stands, than the mere harvest of trees could cause. In really hot and fast fires, far greater numbers of creatures are destroyed along with the habitat than smaller and self-extinguishing fires would cause.

[scouse]

Are there any birds in the Netherlands?

I think a better question is: "If the windmills on the wind farms moved as slo-o-o-o-w as the dutch windmills, how many birds would be saved"?

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Birds fly into things. This is something that every homeowner knows. So who was the genius who came up with the idea of sticking a few thousand Cuisnart's for them to run in to?

This is one of the reasons I am against so called "green energy" It does a lot more harm then good.

[gitmo]

Why are the Dutch windmills considered picturesque and the US windmills an eyesore?

[reg45]

I've always thought that wind power was for the birds!

[aomagrat]

This is nothing compared to the amount of bugs killed by the windshield and grill of my car.

[hoot2]

"Is there some kind of STUPID PERSON award we can give to this person??????????????????????? "

yes.
two come to mind:
give him "the bird"
or
"the flying fickle finger of fate" award

[al baby]

This is nothing compared to the amount of bugs killed by the windshield and grill of my car.

I just killed all the ants in my shower im in big do do now

also cant we make safer bullets

[baltodog]

Wouldn't the acceptable comprimise to everyone's issues be to simply create some type of machine that would squeeze the guts through cheesecloth so the feathers could be re-used?

This sounds like a great elementary school science fair project!

[al baby]

Bird flu suspected nationwide

[verity]

Solution: Attach a dedicated environmentalist to each of the blades and they can wave off the incoming birds.

[hoot2]

"But even environmentalists are turning against wind power because of the ``avian mortality'' problem"

so now the kennedys n their hineys-port neighbors are "environmentalists"???
or...
they don't want that "eyesore" in their backyard

[hoot2]

"Are there any birds in the Netherlands? "

yes; bats.
they only fly @night, when the lights are out

[Mike Darancette]

"If the windmills on the wind farms moved as slo-o-o-o-w as the dutch windmills, how many birds would be saved"?

If the windmills on wind farms moved as slo-o-o-o-w as Dutch windmills they would have to be hugh to generate as much power. Energy is directly proportional to the mass and to the square of the velocity.

[wita]

Horror of horrors, birds are killed by age, weather, airplanes, disease, accidents, power lines, guns, cars, people, and a thousand other things. Life, is filled with the ever potential, and sure death. It has been so since Adam's transgression brought death into the world. Get a life you animal and bird activists, and be grateful it isn't you being sucked into the maelstrom. Much more of this crap and you never know?

[scouse]

Why are the Dutch windmills considered picturesque and the US windmills an eyesore?

As soon as Barbara Streisand pays a couple of hundred thou" for an oil painting of a US windmill, they will become picturesque.

[DeepDish]

"Pass the candles."

As long as the candles are not made from the rendered fat tissue of our poor exploited animal friends. The candles must be made from paraffin, oops, paraffin is bad bad bad. It is made from oil. Well let's use processed vegetable oil, oops again, to get vegetable oil, virgin prairie must be tilled, and we cannot have that. Guess we'll just have to sit in the dark.

[al baby]

What no sense of humor come on