Alternative Energy Draft EA - NASA Visitor Center at Wallops Flight ...

Environmental Consequences
the exception of two sites, data included in this analysis were from 31 sites with turbine heights
between 30 and 94 meters (98 to 308 feet) tall. Two sites were included that have turbines less
than 24.4 meters (80 feet) tall (San Gorgonio wind farm and Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area
[APWRA], both in California). However, these projects are not appropriate for assessing risk to
birds in Virginia, as discussed at the end of this section.
While there is a general lack of data for these smaller turbines in the peer reviewed literature,
two relevant projects were identified for which there are avian monitoring data. Projects at
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and Presque Isle State Park were recently built
and have a number of similarities to the WFF project. Both projects are described below. The
USFWS is also considering installation of 7.52-meter (24.7-foot) vertical axis turbines at
Izembek NWR in Alaska. The USFWS indicated in their Draft Environmental Assessment
(USFWS, date not available; final EA is due April 2010) that there would be “little or no impact
to existing bird use” based on a qualitative assessment; pre-construction avian monitoring has
not been conducted. Post-construction surveys are planned.
In 2002, Eastern Neck NWR near Rock Hall, MD installed a single 18-meter (60-foot) tall,
unguyed 10 kW wind turbine (7 meter [23-foot] radius blades) about 40 meters (130 feet) from
the former refuge office. The turbine site has a number of similarities to the proposed 2.4 kW
turbine sites at WFF including the following: the turbine at Eastern Neck NWR is in a coastal
location (Chesapeake Bay), sited on elevated land that is regularly maintained, is an important
stopover location in the Atlantic Flyway, and is adjacent to the building the generated electricity
is meant to primarily serve. The woodland fringing the turbine at Eastern Neck NWR is more
than 100 meters (330 feet) away, which may be slightly farther than woodland areas from the 2.4
kW turbines at WFF. The Eastern Neck NWR supports saltmarsh, forest, and agricultural fields,
and the bird community is similar to that occurring at WFF and includes passerines, waterfowl,
raptors, waterbirds, and shorebirds. A Bald Eagle nest is approximately 0.4 kilometer (0.25 mile)
from the Eastern Neck NWR wind turbine.
Pre- and post-construction monitoring activities for birds were conducted for 3.5 years at Eastern
Neck NWR to determine local bird community and use, determine scavenger species and rate,
evaluate carcass searcher efficiency, and document mortality (Willis, no date). The turbine site
was visited 478 times over 3.5 years (average of approximately one visit per 3 days); fewer visits
occurred during the summer months when the turbine was less likely to be operational due to
light winds. There were no more than 7 days between visits. The results of the survey indicated
that 20 bird carcasses were recovered in the search area beneath the turbine. Seventeen of these
carcasses were European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) which nested in the cowling of the turbine.
The Starlings returned to nest in the cowling even after routine maintenance activities were
conducted to remove the nesting material and were observed flying into the nest even when the
blades were turning. A Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) and a Gray Catbird (Dumtella
carolinensis) were two additional carcasses recovered. The third bird was scavenged prior to
confirming species. Over the course of the study period, Willis (no date) reported the corrected
mortality rate as 18.4 birds per year. Given that nesting European Starlings comprised a majority
of the observed mortality, the mortality rate drops to 2.8 birds per year. This is lower than the
rate of seven/turbine/year for the eastern United States (Kerlinger et al., 2009) and is lower than
the rate reported for the WFF’s utility-scale turbines’ pre-construction study.
In 2007, Presque Isle State Park near Erie, PA installed a single 36-meter (118-foot) tall,
unguyed 10 kW wind turbine 11 meters (35 feet) from the Tom Ridge Environmental Center
116