From: Sam Enfield [mailto:sam
WIND ENERGY DEVELOPER ATTEMPTS TO REWRITE HISTORY From: Sam Enfield - Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation Sent: Thu 2/12/2004 6:44 PM To: Jessica Almy, Humane Society, U.S. Subject: FW: FAQs about Bats and Wind Energy Turbines Sorry, just to be a little more precise that I was in my prior e-mail. Fish and Wildlife and WV DNR expressed interest in migrating raptors. As a result, we did daytime surveys only. From: Sam Enfield - Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2004 5:50 PM To: Jessica Almy, Humane Society, U.S. Subject: FAQs about Bats and Wind Energy Turbines Jessica, By way of introduction, I managed the development work on the Backbone Mountain Wind Project, now the Mountaineer Wind Energy Center, in West Virginia. Your FAQs about Bats and Wind Energy Turbines is good, although I just wanted to correct one statement about which I have specific knowledge [see: http://www.safewind.info/faq_bats.htm ]. The sentence: “Unfortunately, the developer of this facility never evaluated the risk to migratory bats despite being asked by US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 2000” is incorrect. We, myself and our consultant, met with Fish and Wildlife and West Virginia Department of Natural Resources staff in 2000, at the beginning of our development work, and described the proposed project. They asked us to survey on-site for Indiana Bat and Virginia Big-Eared Bat, Cheat Mountain Salamander, and Northern Virginia Flying Squirrel. They also asked us to survey for migratory birds. We performed all of those surveys, essentially on a voluntary basis, in response to their stated concerns and interest. They did not mention migratory bats, or nighttime migrating birds, as issues of concern to them. The project is now owned by FPL Energy, so I’m not in a position to provide current information. If you have further questions about development-related issues, don’t hesitate to contact me. Best regards. Sam Enfield Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation 22170 Dickerson School Road Dickerson, MD 20842 office: 301-407-0424 fax: 301-349-2393 mobile: 301-922-5032 [email protected] [Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation was acquired in late 2004 by PPM Energy, a division of ScottishPower, and is now called PPM Atlantic Renewable]
From: Sharon Young, Humane Society U.S. To: Sam Enfield - Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation CC: Jessica Almy, Humane Society, U.S. Subject: Safewind Bat FAQ Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 10:36:48 -0500 Dear Mr. Enfield, Thank you for contacting Safewind with your concerns about the accuracy of the FAQ regarding bats. Your query to Jessica Almy was forwarded to me. I work for the Humane Society of the U.S. and I am the author of the FAQ, though I also received assistance from a wildlife biologist who has been involved with a number of windplant operations. I have attached a letter that was sent in February of 2000 to your consultant, Paul Kerlinger, by the USFWS. I would like to call attention to page 2, paragraph 4 of this letter where it states: "The Service is concerned about bat collision with the rotors. During wind power tower mortality surveys in Wisconsin, many times more bats were found than birds. Towers that are lighted would attract moths and would possibly attract feeding bats. All West Virginia bat species are insectivorous. We would also appreciate your assessment of the likelihood of incidental take of listed bats and the other eleven West Virginia bat species due to operation of the turbines." This would seem to contradict your implication that the Service merely requested that you assess the habitat use by ESA listed wildlife species (specifically the Indiana Bat and Virginia Big-Eared Bat). In your e-mail, you also state that "they did not mention migratory bats, or nighttime migrating birds, as issues of concern to them." The attached letter states at the top of page 4 that the Service recommended "that spring and fall migration surveys be conducted" for birds on the ridge where the Mountaineer windplant was proposed in order "to determine potential impacts to NOCTURNAL and diurnal migrants" (emphasis added). Furthermore, the first full paragraph on page 4 provides recommendations for lighting the towers because of their concern that certain types of lights would "contribute to mortality of nocturnal migratory birds, particularly in inclement weather." While it is true that this does not specifically mention migratory bats, it clearly recommends surveys to help determine potential impacts on nocturnal migrants; and it is not only birds that migrate at night. Had the consultant for your company complied with this recommendation, and perhaps conducted night time radar monitoring, studies would likely have revealed significant nocturnal migratory activity (though radar would probably not have distinguished bats from birds)raising the possibility of the need for mitigation, and perhaps saving the lives of the bats. Because the letter to Dr. Kerlinger from the USFWS provides substantial documentation of the information provided in the bat FAQ, we plan no changes at this time. Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. Please feel free to contact me if I can address any additional concerns you may have. Regards Sharon Young
From: Sharon Young, Humane Society U.S. To: Sam Enfield - Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation CC: Jessica Almy, Humane Society, U.S. Subject: Safewind Bat FAQ Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 10:36:48 -0500 Dear Mr. Enfield, Thank you for contacting Safewind with your concerns about the accuracy of the FAQ regarding bats. Your query to Jessica Almy was forwarded to me. I work for the Humane Society of the U.S. and I am the author of the FAQ, though I also received assistance from a wildlife biologist who has been involved with a number of windplant operations. I have attached a letter that was sent in February of 2000 to your consultant, Paul Kerlinger, by the USFWS. I would like to call attention to page 2, paragraph 4 of this letter where it states: "The Service is concerned about bat collision with the rotors. During wind power tower mortality surveys in Wisconsin, many times more bats were found than birds. Towers that are lighted would attract moths and would possibly attract feeding bats. All West Virginia bat species are insectivorous. We would also appreciate your assessment of the likelihood of incidental take of listed bats and the other eleven West Virginia bat species due to operation of the turbines." This would seem to contradict your implication that the Service merely requested that you assess the habitat use by ESA listed wildlife species (specifically the Indiana Bat and Virginia Big-Eared Bat). In your e-mail, you also state that "they did not mention migratory bats, or nighttime migrating birds, as issues of concern to them." The attached letter states at the top of page 4 that the Service recommended "that spring and fall migration surveys be conducted" for birds on the ridge where the Mountaineer windplant was proposed in order "to determine potential impacts to NOCTURNAL and diurnal migrants" (emphasis added). Furthermore, the first full paragraph on page 4 provides recommendations for lighting the towers because of their concern that certain types of lights would "contribute to mortality of nocturnal migratory birds, particularly in inclement weather." While it is true that this does not specifically mention migratory bats, it clearly recommends surveys to help determine potential impacts on nocturnal migrants; and it is not only birds that migrate at night. Had the consultant for your company complied with this recommendation, and perhaps conducted night time radar monitoring, studies would likely have revealed significant nocturnal migratory activity (though radar would probably not have distinguished bats from birds)raising the possibility of the need for mitigation, and perhaps saving the lives of the bats. Because the letter to Dr. Kerlinger from the USFWS provides substantial documentation of the information provided in the bat FAQ, we plan no changes at this time. Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. Please feel free to contact me if I can address any additional concerns you may have. Regards Sharon Young
