Decapitated eagle head.Photo courtesy Marc Duchamp Save-The-Eagles
The first thing I’d like you to do is to view the slideshow. Look at the pictures. Really look at them.
This is the ugly, dirty secret of the powerful prop-turbine wind industry. It’s the sorry story that you won’t see on the ‘feel-good’ TV commercials or read about in industry-sponsored ads and skewed ‘research’ papers. The employees at wind farms have been instructed to not talk about the staggering numbers of dismembered bodies accumulating at the bases of these turbines. There is big money invested here, and big profits. When people have large investments they do what they need to in order to justify and protect that investment.
Even if it’s wrong.
Still alive; flying the gauntlet. Photo courtesy Marc Duchamp, Save-The-Eagles.
“The towers in these images are Prop Turbines and when the wind is blowing, their blade tips spin at over 200 miles per hour,” explains Jim Wiegand, graduate Berkley University in California, where wind farms are being built with terrifying speed. “If you were an Eagle or an Owl hunting for a meal or any bird trying to fly over the hill, imagine having to navigate these spinning blades every day. This is just one of hundreds of Wind farms planned for America. It has been running for over 25 years. During that time over 30,000 birds of prey have died trying to fly through this gauntlet of spinning blades. Some estimate the mortality higher at 40,000. Over 1000 of these fatalities have been Golden Eagles“
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Photos courtesy Marc Duchamp, Save-The-Eagles
Bear in mind that wildlife is not killed only by the spinning blades. High tension power lines, new access roads, habitat destroyed by construction of the farms and increased human presence all combine to transform what is touted as an ‘ecologically friendly’ new energy technology into the biggest deception ever perpetrated upon the public.
Photos courtesy Marc Duchamp, Save-The-Eagles
As is the case so often with powerful political/business lobbies (think tobacco industry), they have the money and influence to buy allies to perpetuate their party line.
The list of slaughtered species includes eagles, kites, hawks, cranes, bats, ducks, swifts, swans, geese, gulls, bustards, vultures, owls, grouse and more. Bear in mind reported losses don’t include carcasses claimed by scavenging animals before being recorded, nor bodies either too small or too mangled to be recognizable or even to leave enough remains to be found at all.
Don’t think for a moment that this is a problem restricted to the United States. There is a rising international outcry against these ugly, noisy eyesores that are spreading like cancers across fragile habitats and scenic open spaces around the globe. They’re not just endangering wildlife; they’re also destroying tourism, lowering property values and the quality of life for nearby residents.
I implore readers to click on and actually read the links I’ve provided. The statistics are truly alarming.
Take a look at this OPEN LETTER TO SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE (SNH), co-signed by Professor David Bellamy and Mark Duchamp. According to the preface, “This letter offers a good example of how governments cynically sacrifice our avian biodiversity (and much more) to help wind farm developers. Cheating with science, manipulating mortality predictions, covering up bird & bat-kill statistics; these are current practices in Scotland and most European countries. “
The letter states, “Based on the Koops study, it was estimated that high tension lines in the US could be killing 150 million birds a year, (emphasis: author), according to Mick Sagrillo of the American Wind Energy Association (2003). The same figure is also reported in Avian Collisions with Wind Turbines, a Summary of Existing Studies and Comparisons to Other Sources of Avian Collision Mortality in the United States - Western EcoSystems Technology Inc. (2001).
“Eagles don’t avoid wind turbines : they are attracted to them. In California, Dr Smallwood has observed that golden eagles fly twice as often near wind turbines than they would by chance. This explains why so many collide with the blades, which travel at up to 300 km/h at the tip. Two thousand three hundred golden eagles have been killed that way in California, and you know that : an official report confirms it.”
The letter goes on to say “Bird reserves are not even spared from this destruction. On the Isle of Lewis, for instance, a wind farm is to be built in a designated Important Bird Area ( Park UK224 ), and another in the Lewis Peatlands Special Protection Area (the Pentland Road road windfarm project.)
“How many more eagles and other protected birds will die on Skye and across Scotland on account of new transmission lines built to accommodate wind farms?” the letter asks.
Besides the predictable slaughter of eagles, swans, geese and other birds protected by EU and UK legislations, the Eisgein wind farm may have a detrimental effect on a National Scenic Area, and even possibly on other important tourist attractions such as the Callanish Stones and a unique cultural event : the "Birth of the Moon".
Why is the building of farms being permitted in ecologically sensitive areas such as these?
Photo courtesy Marc Duchamp, Save-The-Eagles
It seems that the best locations for profitable wind farms are the same open, windswept scenic areas needed by wildlife. In this case, why doesn’t the wind industry just come out and say that this is NOT an ecologically friendly alternative, but they think it’s important enough/produces enough energy, to be worth sacrificing our wildlife and wild lands for?
Because, truly, they would not be able to justify or support this claim with facts.
Mr. Wiegand continues, “Many, including myself, have been claiming an industry wide conspiracy exists to cover-up the staggering number of birds that are killed at wind farms each year. A good illustration of this can be found in this statement I recently pulled off the internet from Wikipeda ‘Danger to birds and bats has been a concern in some locations. However, studies show that the number of birds killed by wind turbines is negligible compared to the number that die as a result of other human activities, and especially the environmental impacts of using non-clean power sources’. . . .”
What’s wrong with this logic? First, through false reporting, they downplay the astronomical numbers of birds and bats killed by wind turbine farms. Second, the convoluted rationale they use is like saying, since so many children die in car wrecks anyway, we don’t need to worry too much about how many children drown in pools. Their statement merely diverts the mortality problem away from the prop turbines.
Jim goes on to say, “What this statement is really saying is that human activity kills a lot of birds so a few more won’t matter. The truth is that the only human activity that targets and chops up a protected species like the Golden Eagle is the prop style wind turbine. Did Wikpedia take this false information from one of the bogus studies put out by the wind industry? YES.”
According to the logic of this professor (the source of the Wikipedia statement, which is read by, and influences, millions of people), “If birds of prey can survive acid rain, nuclear power, mercury poisoning, polluted water and climate change then it is not so bad if we pulverize some of the survivors with a prop wind turbine. This professor does not even talk about the direct impact of putting prop turbines into critical habitats and that by doing so prop turbines target rare and endangered bird species. It should be noted that this highly quoted professor also has no background in wildlife studies. (Emphasis: author). His background is energy policy,” Wiegand says.
Additional studies against wind farms cite:
“Bernd Koop, based on monitoring studies conducted in Holland by Winkelman, estimated there would be 60,000 to 100,000 bird collisions per 1,000 megawatt installed capacity in his country - annually (13) . . ..Applying his estimate to Germany´s 17,000 MW, we obtain: 1,020,000 to 1,700,000 bird collisions per annum. And the closer we are getting to territorial saturation, the lower the chances for migrating birds to find safe routes through the maze, especially if we add the deadly power lines.
Already, birds in Germany die in great numbers from collisions with 70,000 km of high-tension lines that criss-cross the country - 30 million birds per year is an extrapolation found in Hoerschelmann, Haack & Wohlgemuth, based on a study along 4.5 km of high tension lines - electrocutions excluded (14). - As windfarms need more power lines, this mortality will increase as well; there is already evidence of this : Windfarms - the bird massacre continues. (Please follow this link, photos must be seen; author.)
"The cumulative effect of existing power lines, plus tens of thousands of wind turbines, and yet more high-tension lines to connect the windfarms to the grid, will be severe. The effect on migrating birds will be felt in other European countries, as well as Africa.” (Text provided via private correspondence; Wiegand)
Don’t forget that many of the birds and bats slaughtered by this industry are federally Protected, ESA or CITES Appendix I (Critically Endangered) species. There is no justification for the killing of ANY of them, intentional or not.
If you or I killed any of these animals, we would be fined. In fact, it could be argued that prop-style wind farms should be held accountable for paying all the fines for every individual protected animal killed by their machines.
Why is protecting wildlife important, beyond intrinsic philosophical or altruistic reasons?
Bats pollinate food crops and eat mosquitoes and other insect pests; birds of prey keep rats, mice, venomous snakes and other potential ‘vermin’ in check, all without the use deadly chemicals, yet we are exterminating these beneficial creatures with frightening speed. We can’t afford to risk further jeopardizing our world’s natural balance with more greed-driven technology.
Photo courtesy Marc Duchamp, Save-The-Eagles
Complicating things still further is the little-publicized fact that wind power is NOT economical in terms of cost to output.
”For the record, here is what the RAE has to say about the true cost of wind power:
According to research carried out by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE), the cheapest electricity, costing just 2.3 pence per unit, will be generated from gas turbines and nuclear power stations, compared with 3.7p for onshore wind and 5.5p for offshore. The Academy also emphasized the need to provide backup for wind energy to cover periods when the wind doesn’t blow. The study assumed the need for about 65% backup from conventional sources, adding 1.7p to the cost of wind power, bringing its price up to two and a half times that of gas or nuclear power." (Emphasis: author.)
Yet, this very report by De Lucas, biased as it is, is the cornerstone of a drive to place windfarms on migration hotspots in the State of New York (Chautauqua and others). More on this worthless study: Windfarms and Birds - the Chautauqua scandal.” (Text provided via private correspondence; Wiegand.)
Safer and more efficient vertical-shaft wind turbine designs have been developed, but big business interests with large investments in the archaic and deadly prop-style designs are blocking their widespread use. There are even rumors that they may attempt to buy the patents in order to squelch such competing technologies. While still somewhat disruptive to the environment, the vertical-shaft design does not include deadly, spinning blades that are invisible to flying animals, employing, instead, a rotating cylinder that is not only visible and easily avoidable by wildlife, but can even be enclosed in a protective cage without diminishing its efficiency. It also produces about twice the energy of prop-style turbines.
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Illustration: Environmental Technologies LLC
Why isn‘t government mandating the use of these more ecologically-friendly designs? Why isn’t there a response by the industry to the increasing public outcry against the prop-style machines?
“This whole issue typifies why this world is so screwed up. How can the corrupt leaders of industry get a conscience when one is not there? In this question lies the answer,” says Mr. Wiegand.
These wild lands and their fragile, irreplaceable wildlife belong to us all. Our children have a right to experience the sight of magnificent eagles soaring overhead, above a stunning, scenic wild landscape.
For more information or to get involved, visit: European Platform Against Windfarms , National Wind Watch, iberica2000.org or Marc Duchamp Save-The-Eagles
You might also find of interest:
Italy's birds of prey being lost to wind farms
‘Nosey’ bats finally figured out
Gone with the wind; wind farms are wrong answer for wildlife
Border fence is two-edged sword for wildlife
Animals shouldn’t suffer human politics
Wind energy CAN work for wildlife
Comments
I didn't wanna look...
makes one wonder about the morality, ethics and conscience of the segment of the human population that not only condones this activity, but profits from it..... I've about come to the conclusion that they are not victims of ignorance, stupidity or mis-education.... they are raping out planet for personal gain.. why is the government not prosecuting these selfish monsters.....OH silly me, I forgot.. these are the same kinds of folks who have the health insurance industry around the 'neck' and who care not one wit about the people they pretend to be 'assisting'.... these people have one commandment.. "screw the world for the sake of the dollar, yen, euromark"... long as they make money it concerns them not what a vile battlefield littered with death they leave behind .!! A very scarey, uncomfortable story to read.. (can't imagine how painful it was to research and then write it!") So glad 'birdpond' that you were able to expose the abuse that is going on! thank you!
Why isnt this being covered on NBC CBS or ABC?
dancer36, if you use electric YOU TOO ARE RESPONSIBLE. Don't be foolish.
Stop using electric and this will go away!
Build more nuke plants.
One might ask,” Why does the news media look the other way while the wind industry is concealing astounding bird mortality figures caused by prop turbines?” The answer lies in their silence, they are either making millions off the green energy ads showing these prop turbines to ignorant viewers or are they are owned outright by the industry. The connection to Wall Street and investors is the reason this story is not covered. For example NBC is owned by GE which in turn makes these killer prop turbines. It is all just one big investor oriented fraud on society. Mainstream media has contributed to this fraud because they know about it and they are not covering this. In legal terms it is called "silent fraud". In the meantime virtually every fragile ecosystem on the planet is being invaded by these prop turbine killers. The news media may never tell the truth but this wind industry fraud is spreading across the world via the internet.
hey BS zone... not everyone in this country uses wind generated power ... where i live, we get our power from natural resources like the activity of Niagra Falls and the great and powerful rivers. I must say though BS that I DO think your name is very appropriate.. when I see it, I see visions of 'outhouses' I thank god i'm up wind of you & don't have to endure the 'aroma'!
frank griffink... your question is right on! Why are the big commercial broadcasting companies NOT covering this? EASY
just watch the commercials.. how many utility companies are running commercials??/ In the commerical world, the publisher never wants to offend a sponsor and possibly lose the millions of advertsing dollars they drop into their pockets each year. the journalist DOES NOT HAVE FREEDOM OF THE "PRESS. there are editors, publishers, and legal depts that ensure the financial well being of the network by not alienating their clients..... AGAIN it's the DOLLAR that speaks loudest....sad isn't it~!
Dancer36, you're right. I think we've all see Boone Pickens in TV commercials, selling his prop-turbine farms to the world.
Too bad the commercials make this deadly industry look so serene and peaceful.
Maybe the wind industry should be required to read disclaimers during the commercial, the same as the pharmaceutical companies?
I am Hindu and I have lost 3 homes due to termite infestation. In my religion, we are not permitted to kill even the smallest insect. My friends think I am crazy because I won't even venture outside for fear of stepping on a bug. I won't go to doctors as their antibiotics kill living bacteria and I feel guilty when my immune system kills those splendid germs. Likewise, I have been suppressing flatus for years to minimize my carbon footprint. I worry that that footprint might kill one of god's living creatures.
I work for one of the largest Wind Companies in the world and I work in Sweetwater, Texas. I have never been told not to talk about the death of birds on a site..you enviromentalist just want something to bitch about..if you guys are so against the turbines, then quit using electricity....if you are really committed to the cause, turn off your pc's and quit charging your iphones and go off the grid....keep filling up your 12mpg cars and bitching about the birds......keep putting money in the hands of terrorist....but dont start bitching when the next round of attacks from al-qadea hit.....
WindTech, if we turn off your expensive, inefficient, wildlife slaughtering windfarms the grid won't even notice.
I have come to the conclusion that wind farms are currently fashionable because they're highly VISIBLE (although apparently not to birds). When they're scattered all over the landscape it LOOKS like the Government and Big Business are 'doing something' about legitimate environmental concerns. In fact all they're really doing is making profits for wind farm manufacturers.
I have noticed that thousands of birds are killed daily flying into man made structures such as building. I personally have witnessed a bird fly directly into my sliding glass door and fall to the ground. I actually attempted CPR on the sparrow using the "breath of life" technique. In the beautiful creature's dying words, (s)he implored me to tear down these edifices and make the windows less transparent. I have done my part by abetting termites in the destruction of my homes and they have thanked me for providing them nourishment from our rainforests. Now, it is your turn to "tear down those walls" Mr Environmentalist.
Windtech - You work for a wind farm. Everybody that works for them has a bias. They give you beer money. That is also why the biologists produce fraudulent EIR'S for them during the permit process. I am a wildlife biologist and I have seen this. There is a huge problem with the prop turbines killing birds of preys, birds and bats. It is grossly irresponsible to dismiss this problem and your words are a reflection of your Texas size ignorance.
Respectfully, Mr Wiegand, do you not possess a biased perspective as well?
I am paid by no one for any of this. My perspective is from my decades of experience with wildlife as well as my dealing with the corrupt entities in our society. I want to see a stop to the destructive nature of this industry. I would like to see a world wide conversion to Vertical Shaft wind turbines. They can produce far more electricity per unit and the birds fly around them because they see them as a solid object. My bias is to see the unnecessary killing stop and I make no excuses for that. I look ahead and see that Wind farms are now planned for the critical habitats of every rare and endangered bird species in America. Great strides were made in the 1970’s to protect rare and endangered birds in America. The impact of the prop wind industry will undo all of this and much more. Several hundred thousand turbines are planned for America. The impact will be enormous. By the way put a few decals on your window. The one shaped like a falcon works very well.
Dr. Weigand,
I realize that your bias is pure. In my home country of India we hold all creatures sacred. Having said that, there are many kinds of bias, statistical and social. To summarily dismiss, insult and reject someone, like Windtech, as ignorant because of his place of residence demonstrates a profound degree of prejudice or bias. This is eerily similar to racism which is in my opinion is an ignorant world view. In my land we favor open mindedness, tolerance, humility and kindness. God bless you my friend.
Jim Wiegand---Texas sized ignoarnce? You make me laugh with comments like "They give you beer money. That is also why the biologists produce fraudulent EIR'S for them during the permit process"..I work 65 hours a week for something far bigger and better than beer money.Again you greenies manufacture a lot of hype with comments like "staggering numbers of dismembered bodies" and "wind farms massacre birds of prey".......I see dead birds and bats from time to time down tower, but i certainly wouldnt call it a massacre. I hit a bird on the highway the other day, should we quit driving? All people like you want to do is bitch about anything and everything and not offer any solution to the problem, the wind industry on the other hand is looking into ways to help reduce the number of birds killed by blades.So keep complaining, call people ignorant and do nothing while we resolve the problem.
Wind Tech, did you actually take time to follow the links and read the reports? I did.
Do you think all those different organizations from around the world want to disrupt a workable energy alternative just 'for fun'?
I take offense to references like 'you environmentalists' and 'people like you' when referring to those who are concerned about not doing more harm to our planet. If a technology works for humans AND the environment it will be embraced! After all, isn't that what 'green' and 'environmentally friendly' technology is supposed to be about? If we find there's a fatal flaw there, we would be hypocrites to not point it out and look for alternatives.
Despite your claim, this story DOES list alternatives, like the vertical shaft design. Please slow down and think before you defend yourself so vehemently. Or perhaps you feel exposed by it?
logicalintuitive--please show me a 1mw VAWT in production and in use in the field. Cant find one? Thats becasue there are none.I am sure its is beacuse of the evil wind companies buying the patents and locking them away....just like mobil did with the 100mpg carburetor back in the 80's ...This problem will be addressed over time and the designs may change in the future to help produce the greenest of green energy. Technology takes time to develop and implement.IT wont happen overnight.
Jim Wiegand- "My artwork is currently on display in many fine homes, legal and medical offices, restaurants, as well as resorts and vacation retreats"....in resorts? are those the same resorts that bulldoze acre after acre of land, trees and natural habitat for your birds? I guess as long as you are making money off of it its ok? i would think taking money from resorts would be against your green-eco-friendly lifestyle, maybe you need it to pay for your beer?
Windtech - My business is not artwork and I stand by my original comments. "You work for a wind farm. Everybody that works for them has a bias. They give you beer money. That is also why the biologists produce fraudulent EIR'S for them during the permit process. I am a wildlife biologist and I have seen this. There is a huge problem with the prop turbines killing birds of preys, birds and bats. It is grossly irresponsible to dismiss this problem and your words are a reflection of your Texas size ignorance".
Ok Jim, sure you dont....
"A native Californian, Jim grew up and was educated in the Bay area. He graduated in 1976 from U.C. Berkley with a degree in Wildlife Biology. Jim developed an early interest in falconry which led to a study in birds of prey and their relationships to their environment. In 1977 Jim began to develop his artistic skills and moved to Fall River Mills which had the setting for his wildlife interests."
"I am an expert on Birds of Prey and most of my comments will be restricted to my knowledge and field experience that I have had with theses species. During the late 1970s and early 1980s I had a major influence on the recovery of the Peregrine Falcon on the west coast. The most successful private breeding facility on the west coast was started with 4 peregrine falcons. Three of them were my birds. Most of the offspring went to the University of California, at Santa Cruz and were released into the wild under the direction of Brian Walton. I lived in the area of the proposed Hatchet Ridge Wind Project for 16 years and spent a great deal of time in the outdoors studying the wildlife in region. I also have a degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of California, Berkeley."
Windtech My business is not Artwork. Instead of trying to kill the messenger take a long look at the prop wind industry that is killing millions of birds worldwide. Many of the dead are rare, endangered, or protected. Read over the fraudulent EIR's. Look at the dead and mangled bodies and get motivated to help change the industry to the much more efficient and non-lethal vertical shaft turbines. And always remember, Altamont Pass was the beginning of this industry. Tens of thousands of birds of prey have died there. It was built on many layers of lies, fraud, and corruption. This is the legacy and foundation of the industry you work for.
your exactly right, its a big cover up we pay illegals to pick up the dead birds and we put them in a big pile, then once a week at night we light a fire and dance around it like wild indians and celebrate the genocide. I am off to grill some chicken...prairie chicken.....have fun you douchebag
WindTech Do some research. The legacy of Altamont Pass is well documented. I even did several years of research on birds of prey in a 200 square mile area around and including the site where this wind farm sits. Call me any name you like it does not change the fact that that prop wind turbines are hell on birds of prey.
well as soon as birds pay taxes.....
Wind Tech, I'm not sure what you're railing against. No one is saying give up on wind power, just the prop design. What's wrong with designing a machine that is safer for wildlife??
I just found this extemely humorous... good comment dave
"Dave Bishop says:
I have come to the conclusion that wind farms are currently fashionable because they're highly VISIBLE (although apparently not to birds). When they're scattered all over the landscape it LOOKS like the Government and Big Business are 'doing something' about legitimate environmental concerns. In fact all they're really doing is making profits for wind farm manufacturers."
Should we stop driving considering how many animals, including birds, are run over by cars each day?
Gwen, that's a strange attitude. Since so many people are hit by cars does that mean we shouldn't bother putting lights at crosswalks?
No one is claiming to be against the idea of wind energy, just the design of THIS PARTICULAR type of wind turbine. Isn't it worth switching to a design that is better at producing energy and is less likely to kill birds or bats?
We NEED birds and bats to keep pests down and pollinate our crops. Why not do everything we can to protect them, especially when safer technologies are already available?
Cathy Taibbi
so we need to spend 5.5 billion to replace all of these turbines in west texas? another 10 billion to replace and bury all of the OTL's? So another bailout by the government for birds? To label it a massacre and genocide is a flat out lie. I walked 13 towers today and didnt see a single dead bird within a 100 yard radius. No genocide. No massacre. If VAWT technology is cheaper, produces more energy and costs less to maintain dont you think owner/operators of wind farms would be ordering them? Dont you ETC would be announcing major orders through press releases?
WindTech, how about just not building any more of the old design and phasing out the existing ones as they break down, collapse and burst into flames as the gear boxes overheat and catch fire? Please look it up. These are some of the OTHER flaws with the prop style turbines. Would you want one to explode over YOUR house? Or is it just too expensive to be worth worrying about?
Wind Tech - So you walked 13 towers today and didn't see a single dead bird within a 100 yard radius. Were you sober? There are 30,000 prop turbines in America. You still have 29,987 more to check. You better get moving.
Are you the Jim Wiegand who worked for CDFG around 2001-2003? Please let me know. Good work!
I do not think I am your guy although I have always given my wildlife expertise/critiques to the California DFG whether they wanted to hear from me or not. In the past I had lot of contact with them at the upper levels. The one contribution they did like hearing from me was my idea to use DNA analysis in wildlife poaching investigations. This concept was presented to the DFG after I found five poached Elk in Dec 1991. The poachers were made aware of the DNA connection and ended up confessing, making the expensive tests unnecessary. The first conviction using DNA came more than a year later. A very large buck was killed on Clint Eastwood's Rising River Ranch a few miles from my house. The DNA from the gut pile was a match to the remains in the possession of a local hunter. Back in the early 1980s another connection to the DFG involved many of the released captive bred Peregrine Falcons. They came from my falcons.
seems to be all sorts of silly comments in response to this possibly supporting the alternative & wind energy advocates - ie you might as well count the birds killed by HV power lines or by Exxon-valdez & as someone above mentioned an infinite variety of road-kill ..
I believe that if making vertical turbines doesn't make the power level diminish and it keeps our eagles and hawks in the air then that is what should be done. I don't disagree with any previous statements i am just stating what i think could help. I also know that if the turbines are killing an endangered species that we should do somthing
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