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News Brief -
News: Nature
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Monday, 08 February 2010 18:04 |
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Fowler, Ind. — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the owners of the Fowler Ridge I Wind Farm in Benton County, Ind., have announced they are working together to develop a plan to reduce the potential impacts of wind power generation on bats. The effort follows the discovery of a dead Indiana bat at the wind facility.
The bat was discovered late last year. After a preliminary identification, the facility operator, BP Wind Energy, reported the discovery to the Fish and Wildlife Service. Subsequent examination by the service and genetic tests at independent labs confirmed the species as an Indiana bat, a federally endangered species.
“We commend the wind farm owners for taking a proactive approach to work with the Service,” said Lynn Lewis, the service’s Midwest assistant regional director. “With wind power playing an increasing role in meeting the country’s energy needs, we embrace opportunities to partner with companies providing renewable energy while reducing the impact to wildlife.”
The wind facility, located in west central Indiana, is owned by BP Wind Energy and Dominion.
In securing permitting for the wind facility, the owners of wind farm conducted due diligence wildlife surveys and consulted with all necessary state and federal wildlife agencies. Through these efforts it was concluded that development of the wind farm represented a very low risk for bats in general and the Indiana bat in particular. The wind farm is located in an area where Indiana bats were not knownto roost during the summer or hibernate during winter. Based on the timing of the discovery, it appears the bat was migrating.
The Indiana bat ranges through most of the eastern United States, hibernating in groups in caves and mines during the winter. About half of all Indiana bats hibernate in caves in southern Indiana. Females form maternity colonies under the bark of large trees during the summer, where they raise their young. Like most bats in the eastern United States, Indiana bats are significant consumers of insects, including agricultural pests.
With this new information the service will work with wind facilities within the range of the Indiana bat with a goal to minimize the impact on the mammals during the summer maternity period, near hibernation sites and during migration while facilitating the production of wind energy.
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