Bird and Bat Mortality and Wind Farms Across Great Lakes Landscapes: A Case Study

Popular belief holds that wind farms located in close proximity to the Great Lakes shorelines will have greater bird mortality than wind farms located further from the shorelines; however, comparisons of recent mortality data... [ view full abstract ]

Popular belief holds that wind farms located in close proximity to the Great Lakes shorelines will have greater bird mortality than wind farms located further from the shorelines; however, comparisons of recent mortality data from operating wind farms parsed by distance from the Great Lakes shoreline are lacking. Akios (2011) examined this based on the rather limited available data in 2011.
Ongoing research along the Great Lakes, including USFWS radar studies and TNC migratory bird stopover habitat mapping along the Great Lakes (2011, 2012) elucidates use by migratory birds near the Great Lakes shorelines. Findings from these and other studies drive the assumption that a positive correlation exists between bird usage and bird mortality at wind farms in proximity to the Great Lakes. In this case study, available mortality data from Great Lakes States and Provinces will be gathered and assessed to investigate the impacts associated with wind farms both within and outside five miles of lake shores (nearshore vs. inland). Bat mortality results will also be reviewed to investigate any differences or trends based on proximity to the lake shores.
Preliminary results of this case study suggest impacts associated with birds and wind farms near the Great Lakes shorelines are comparable to or slightly higher than those at inland sites, based on available mortality data. Results are also within the range of mortality rates experienced throughout the U.S. and Canada. Research into this subject area may reveal that heavily focused and intensive pre-construction and post-construction studies at lakeshore wind sites, relative to inland wind site locations, may not be rationalized based solely on proximity to the Great Lakes.