More than you ever wanted to know about eagle take permits at wind energy installations.
Big Wyoming Wind Project Closing in on Federal Eagle Permit
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/big-wyoming-wind-project-closing-federal-eagle-permit-44068973
Updates: Fish And Wildlife Service Recommends Eagle Take Permit For Chokecherry Wind Farm
http://wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/fish-and-wildlife-service-recommends-eagle-take-permit-chokecherry-wind-farmFinal EIS on eagle for Power Company of Wyoming released
http://www.wyomingbusinessreport.com/newsletter_pm/final-eis-on-eagle-for-power-company-of-wyoming-released/article_1408f418-be58-11e6-b467-4f795f8e4e01.html
Putting wind to work for Carbon County:
http://www.powercompanyofwyoming.com/
Bald, Golden Eagle Protection and Permitting:
https://www.fws.gov/cno/conservation/MigratoryBirds/EaglePermits.html
Friday, September 11, 2009, Part II, Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 50 CFR Parts 13 and 22,
Eagle Permits; Take Necessary To Protect Interests in Particular Localities; Final Rules
https://www.fws.gov/northeast/EcologicalServices/pdf/FinalDisturbanceRule9Sept2009.pdfEIS for Eagle Take Permits for the Chokecherry Sierra Madre Phase I Project
https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/wind/ChokecherrySierraMadre/index.php
Selected Highlights:
"The estimated annual take for the 120-meter-diameter turbine would be 2 bald eagles and 14 golden eagles. The estimated annual take for the 103-meter-diameter turbine would be 1 bald eagle and 10 golden eagles."
The permit "would cover disturbance take of 2 bald eagles at one nest and 8 golden
eagles at four nests on an annual basis until project construction is completed. Disturbance
take would include injury to eagles at these nests, any reduction of productivity at these
nests, or abandonment of these nests."
"...the number of power pole retrofits that would be needed to offset the take of golden eagles
from the CCSM Phase I Project would be between 1,492 and 3,778, depending on the turbine
blade diameter and the number of years for which the retrofit would prevent loss of eagles."
"Passerines are expected to experience the highest fatality rates,
but raptors, waterbirds, and waterfowl may also experience high rates of collision fatalities.
The continuation of impacts from habitat loss, alteration, and fragmentation from
construction would persist for the long-term. Raptors, passerines, and some shorebirds are
particularly susceptible to the indirect and habitat-based impacts of habitat loss,
fragmentation, displacement, and disruption. Special status bird species would experience
impacts similar to those on more common species, but these impacts could be amplified due
to smaller populations, stringent habitat requirements, and restricted ranges."
"Power pole retrofits are a credible, quantifiable, and USFWS-approved form of
compensatory mitigation. However, we would consider other forms of mitigation if their
benefits to golden eagles were proven credible and quantifiable, and could achieve no-net-loss of golden eagles."
"Impacts on birds (other than eagles) could include injury or fatality from collision with wind
turbines, overhead power lines, meteorological or communication towers, buildings, or
vehicles, as well as electrocution by power lines. Habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation,
disturbance, and displacement could also occur as a result of construction and operation of
wind facilities, which could result in various detrimental impacts on the bird community.
Many of the impacts could be compounded by the cumulative impacts from past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable future development in addition to other land uses and regional - or global-scale environmental changes."
"Based on our Final EA for the eagle take permit rule, the combined take threshold for the Rocky Mountain and Rocky Mountains and Plains is 44 bald eagles. The estimated take of 3.4 bald eagles per year leaves 40.6 bald eagles per year that
could still be taken from Region 6."
"Based on our Final EA for the eagle take permit rule, the combined take threshold for golden eagles is zero; therefore, any predicted golden eagle take would need to be mitigated."
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