USGS Science at the Wind Wildlife Research Meeting XIII

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The biennial conference is focused on understanding the risk of wind energy to wildlife and developing solutions to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts.  

To help address negative effects to wildlife from wind energy development, USGS scientists have developed, over the years, expertise in this applied research area. They are developing, in collaboration with partners and the renewable energy industry, robust approaches to better understand the level of impact to wildlife species from energy development, and solutions to reduce barriers to energy development while protecting vulnerable species and supporting conservation efforts.  

This year, USGS scientists are presenting new research that advances the current knowledge of animal behavior at or near wind energy facilities, information which can be used to improve the design and operations of facilities to make them safer for birds, bats and other species. Scientists are also developing tools to assess the potential risk to birds and bats before facilities are constructed, a strategy that can assist wind energy developers in planning, siting and operating facilities in ways that can avoid or minimize risks to wildlife.

USGS scientists have been invited to participate in live session and panels, and are sharing new research in pre-recorded “on demand” presentations and posters available online to conference registrants.   

The meeting is hosted by the National Wind Energy Coordinating Collaborative and the American Wind Wildlife Institute (AWWI). Following the meeting, AWWI will post presentations on their website.  

To learn more about USGS research on energy and wildlife click here   

 

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USGS SCIENTISTS SPEAKING ON PANELS  

Wind Energy and Wildlife: Grand Challenges and Opportunities 

• Todd Katzner, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystems Science Center 
• Jay Diffendorfer, USGS Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center 

Relevant tools and papers: 

• United States Wind Turbine Database (USWTDB) 
• Wind energy: An ecological challenge 
• Assessing population‐level consequences of anthropogenic stressors for terrestrial wildlife. 
• Limitations, lack of standardization, and recommended best practices in studies of renewable energy effects on birds and bats 
• Issues in ecology: Impacts to wildlife of wind energy siting and operation in the United States 

 

Eagle Behavior and Wind Energy Siting and Operations 

• Robert Fisher, USGS Western Ecological Science Center 

Relevant research papers:  

• Topographic drivers of flight altitude over large spatial and temporal scales 
• Relevance of individual and environmental drivers of movement of Golden Eagles 

 

Novel Approaches to Risk Assessment and Mitigation of Habitat-Based Impacts of Wind Energy 

• Jill Shaffer, USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center 

Relevant research paper:  

• Estimating offsets for avian displacement effects of anthropogenic impacts 

 
 

ON DEMAND PRESENTATIONS 

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Advances in Bird Behavior Research and Risk Assessment Approaches to Inform Land-based and Offshore Wind Energy Development 

Improved Behavioral Classification of Flight Behavior Informs Risk Modelling of Bald Eagles at Wind Facilities in Iowa 

Presenting Author: Silas Bergen, Winona State University; USGS co-authors: Manuela Huso and Todd Katzner, FRESC 

 
Flight Behavior of Golden Eagles In Wyoming: Implications for Wind Power  

Presenting Author: Tricia Miller, Conservation Science Global; USGS co-author: Todd Katzner, FRESC 

 
High-Fidelity Modeling of Eagle Soaring Habitats Near Wind Plants in Complex Terrain  

Presenting Author: Regis Thedin, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; USGS co-author: Todd Katzner, FRESC 

 

Development of a Meteorological Data Set to Support Research of Volant Species  

Presenting Author: Caroline Draxl, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; USGS co-author: Todd Katzner, FRESC 
 

Quantifying Turbine-Level Risk to Golden Eagles Using a High-Fidelity Updraft Model and a Stochastic Behavioral Model  

Presenting Author: Rimple Sandhu, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; USGS co-author: Todd Katzner, FRESC 

 

Leveraging Machine Learning to Identify Marine Birds and Mammals Encountered in Digital Photographic Aerial Surveys of the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf Off Central and Southern California, USA   

Presenting Author: Cheryl Horton, U.S. Geological Survey, WERC  

• Related Research: Aerial Seabird and Marine Mammal Surveys 

 

Migratory Bird Twilight Ascent and Descent Rates Along the Southwestern Shoreline of Lake Erie   

Presenting Author: Michael Wellik, U.S. Geological Survey, UMESC  

 

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Advances in Bat Behavior Research and Impacts Reduction Solutions 

 

Keeping the Lights On: First Attempt at Year-Round Nighttime Ultraviolet Illumination of Wind Turbines for Deterring Bats  

Presenting Author: Paul Cryan, U.S. Geological Survey, FORT  

 

Hawaiian Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) Behavior at Wind Turbines on Maui   

Presenting Author: P. Marcos Gorresen, Hawai‘i Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, PIERC; USGS co-author Paul Cryan, FORT 

 

Behavioral Patterns of Bats at a Wind Turbine Confirm Seasonality of Fatality Risk  

Presenting Author: Shifra Goldenberg, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; USGS Coauthors: Paul Cryan, FORT  

 

A Machine Learning Based Intelligent Thermal Camera Vision System for Detecting, Identifying, and Tracking Biological Targets in and Around Wind Turbines  

Presenting Author: John Yarbrough, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; USGS co-authors: Paul Cryan, Bethany Straw, FORT 

 

Factors that Influence the Efficacy of Operational Minimization Revealed by Quantitative Meta-Analysis 

Presenting Author: Michael Whitby, Bat Conversation International; USGS co-author: Manuela Huso, FRESC 

 

Autumnal Movement by "Tree" Bats of the Mid-Atlantic Coast: Evidence from the Motus Wildlife Tracking Systems and Stationary Acoustics   

Presenting Author: Michael True, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, U.S. Geological Survey,  VA CRU 

 

Wildlife Impacts and Mortality Studies at Land-based Wind and Other Energy Facilities 

 

Assessing Population-Level Consequences of Wind Energy on Birds  

Presenting Author: Todd Katzner, U.S. Geological Survey, FRESC  

 

Demographic Impact of Avian Fatalities at Wind Energy Facilities   

Presenting Author: Tara Conkling, U.S. Geological Survey, FRESC  

 

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Effect of Repowering on Mortality Depends on Energy Production not Turbine Size   

Presenting Author: Manuela Huso, U.S. Geological Survey, FRESC  

 

Performance of the GenEst Mortality Estimator Compared to the Huso and Shoenfeld Estimators 

Presenting Author: Manuela Huso, U.S. Geological Survey, FRESC 

 

Towards a Comprehensive View of Energy Development Impacts to Fish and Wildlife   

Presenting Author: Mona Khalil, U.S. Geological Survey, EMA Energy & Wildlife  

 

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Effects of Wind Energy Development on Pronghorn Habitat Selection   

Presenting Author: Megan Milligan, U. S. Geological Survey, NOROCK  

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Conference Website: https://www.nationalwind.org/meetings/wind-wildlife-research-meeting-13/  
• Online Schedule: https://www.nationalwind.org/meetings/wind-wildlife-research-meeting-13/schedule/