13. Mitigating Avian and Bat Mortality at Wolfe Island’s Wind Facility

This research focuses on exploring existing mitigation and modification options in order to develop appropriate recommendations to aid TransAlta Corporation in curbing bird and bat mortalities on Wolfe Island. Since the construction and operation of the Wolfe Island wind facility in Frontenac County, Ontario began in 2008, it has contributed to the deaths of many local and migratory birds and bats. While official tallies of avian and bat mortalities to date vary across reports, environmentalist groups and residents alike have expressed concerns for the safety of these species citing the facility’s position on a migratory route along the eastern end of Lake Ontario as a key point of contention (Bazillauskas, A. & Yatchew, A., 2011; Blackwell, R., 2012; Dierschke, J et al., 2006). In response, the power company behind the project, TransAlta Corporation, has begun conducting its own investigation into the issue and producing bi-annual monitoring reports of mortalities but has made no significant alterations to their turbines (TransAlta Corporation, 2012). As part of an effort to reduce the direct and indirect effects of the Wolfe Island wind facility on migrating bird and bat species, this report aims to assess the suitability for TransAlta corporation of certain mitigation options such as running turbines on a rotating schedule to account for the high traffic periods throughout the year when species are likely to be most at risk and avoiding the continuous lighting which attracts nocturnal species to the towers.

2. Blown Away: the Impact of the Wolfe Island Wind Turbines on Local Bat Populations

This study was undertaken in order to explore the extent of migratory bat fatalities and assess the ecological impact stemming from the Wolfe Island wind facility near Kingston, Ontario. As the Wolfe Island wind project is the second largest wind farm in Canada, our research and proposed solutions may bridge the gap between local interests in reducing bat mortality and maximizing energy production. Additionally, bat populations are critical to local agriculture; increased mortality could lead to significant agricultural losses as well as potential impacts on components of the bats’ food web. First, information will be gathered, through the use of peer-reviewed journal articles and news items to support our project focus, to assess the magnitude of local bat population change following the construction of wind turbines on Wolfe Island. Further, we will explore the consequences of bat population decline on the local Kingston area ecosystem. Lastly, possible realistic solutions will be investigated in order to lessen the environmental impact of the existing wind turbines, and possibly to alter future policy regarding turbine construction and location. Preliminary results will be presented and discussed with the appropriate representatives from local and provincial bodies relevant to wind energy, environmental policy and conservation efforts.

Genetic diversity in migratory bats: Results from RADseq data for three tree bat species at an Ohio windfarm

Genetic analyses can identify the scale at which wildlife species are impacted by human activities, and provide demographic information useful for management. Here, we use thousands of nuclear DNA genetic loci to assess whether genetic structure occurs withinLasiurus cinereus(Hoary Bat),L. borealis(Red Bat), andLasionycteris noctivagans(Silver-Haired Bat) bats found at a wind turbine site in Ohio, and to also estimate demographic parameters in each of these three groups. Our specific goals are to: 1) demonstrate the feasibility of isolating RADseq loci from these tree bat species, 2) test for genetic structure within each species, including any structure that may be associated with time (migration period), and 3) use coalescent-based modeling approaches to estimate genetically-effective population sizes and patterns of population size changes over evolutionary timescales. Thousands of loci were successfully genotyped for each species, demonstrating the value of RADseq for generating polymorphic loci for population genetic analyses in these bats. There was no evidence for genetic differentiation between groups of samples collected at different times throughout spring and fall migration, suggesting that individuals from each species found at the wind facility are from single panmictic populations. Estimates of present-day effective population sizes varied across species, but were consistently large, on the order of 105–106. All populations show evidence of expansions that date to the Pleistocene. These results, along with recent work also suggesting limited genetic structure in bats across North America, argue that additional biomarker systems such as stable-isotopes or trace elements should be investigated as alternative and/or complementary approaches to genetics for sourcing individuals collected at single wind farm sites.

Survey of Bat Mortalities at a Wind-Energy Facility in North Dakota

In recent years, the wind-energy industry has rapidly expanded around the world, and studies assessing potential wildlife impacts have documented that bats are especially susceptible to injury and mortality near wind turbines. The rapid construction of many wind facilities in North Dakota, one of the states with the highest wind-energy potential, is of concern because little is known about the distribution and ecology of bats in North Dakota, and no research has assessed turbine-related impacts in the state. The objective of this research was to make preliminary assessments of bat fatalities at a wind facility in North Dakota. Six surveys were conducted at 12 turbines within an operational wind facility in South-central North Dakota from 25 July to 12 September 2010. In total, we discovered nine bat carcasses from two species. Although our data do not assess fatality rates, these findings do point to a need for future research on the impacts of the growing wind-energy industry in North Dakota.