This research theme informs adaptive management and siting decsions in relation to bats at wind and solar power-generation facilities.
Research projects are focused on minimizing negative impacts to wildlife from wind and solar energy siting, development, and operation. Our research develops, tests, and implements research and monitoring strategies to better assess the multi-scaled influence of resource development on ecosystems and to provide statistically sound information to land managers for mitigation and adaptive management.
The goals are to:
- Develop tools, technologies, and capabilities to inform resource management decisions
- Apply science to enhance strategies for management, conservation, and restoration
Click on the News tab to learn about our current projects and recent publications.
Click here to return to FRESC Wind Energy and Wildlife Team page.
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 16
Classifying behavior from short-interval biologging data: An example with GPS tracking of birds
Recent advances in digital data collection have spurred accumulation of immense quantities of data that have potential to lead to remarkable ecological insight, but that also present analytic challenges. In the case of biologging data from birds, common analytical approaches to classifying movement behaviors are largely inappropriate for these massive data sets.We apply a framework for using K-mea
Relative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities
Reduction in wildlife mortality is often cited as a potential advantage to repowering wind facilities, that is, replacing smaller, lower capacity, closely spaced turbines, with larger, higher capacity ones, more widely spaced. Wildlife mortality rates, however, are affected by more than just size and spacing of turbines, varying with turbine operation, seasonal and daily weather and habitat, all o
Performance of the GenEst Mortality Estimator Compared to The Huso and Shoenfeld Estimators
The impacts of wind power development on bat and bird populations are commonly assessed by estimating the number of fatalities at wind power facilities through post-construction monitoring (PCM) studies. Standard methodology involves periodic carcass searches on plots beneath turbines (Strickland et al. 2011, US Fish and Wildlife Service 2012). The resulting counts are adjusted to compensate for b
Comparing methods to estimate the proportion of turbine-induced bird and bat mortality in the search area under a road and pad search protocol
Estimating bird and bat mortality at wind facilities typically involves searching for carcasses on the ground near turbines. Some fraction of carcasses inevitably lie outside the search plots, and accurate mortality estimation requires accounting for those carcasses using models to extrapolate from searched to unsearched areas. Such models should account for variation in carcass density with dista
Some approaches to accounting for incidental carcass discoveries in non-monitored years using the Evidence of Absence model
Executive SummaryWe evaluate three approaches to accounting for incidental carcasses when estimating an upper bound on total mortality (𝑀) as 𝑀∗ using the Evidence of Absence model (EoA; Dalthorp and others, 2017) to assess compliance with an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) (Dalthorp & Huso, 2015) under a monitoring protocol that includes formal, dedicated carcass surveys that achieve an overall dete
Estimating population size with imperfect detection using a parametric bootstrap
We develop a novel method of estimating population size from imperfectly detected counts of individuals and a separate estimate of detection probability. Observed counts are separated into classes within which detection probability is assumed constant. Within a detection class, counts are modeled as a single binomial observation X with success probability p where the goal is to estimate index N. W
Impacts to wildlife of wind energy siting and operation in the United States
Electricity from wind energy is a major contributor to the strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use and thus reduce the negative impacts of climate change. Wind energy, like all power sources, can have adverse impacts on wildlife. After nearly 25 years of focused research, these impacts are much better understood, although uncertainty remains. In this report, we summarize p
Wildlife mortality at wind facilities: How we know what we know how we might mislead ourselves, and how we set our future course
To accurately estimate per turbine – or per megawatt – annual wildlife mortality at wind facilities, the raw counts of carcasses found must be adjusted for four major sources of imperfect detection: (1) fatalities that occur outside the monitoring period; (2) carcasses that land outside the monitored area; (3) carcasses that are removed by scavengers or deteriorate beyond recognition prior to dete
Raptor interactions with wind energy: Case studies from around the world
The global potential for wind power generation is vast, and the number of installations is increasing rapidly. We review case studies from around the world of the effects on raptors of wind-energy development. Collision mortality, displacement, and habitat loss have the potential to cause population-level effects, especially for species that are rare or endangered. The impact on raptors has much t
Wind energy development: Methods to assess bird and bat fatality rates post-construction
Monitoring fatalities at wind energy facilities after they have been constructed can provide valuable information regarding impacts of wind power development on wildlife. The objective of this monitoring is to estimate abundance of a super-population of carcasses that entered the area within a designated period of time. By definition, the population is not closed and carcasses can enter as they ar
Behavior of bats at wind turbines
Wind turbines are causing unprecedented numbers of bat fatalities. Many fatalities involve tree-roosting bats, but reasons for this higher susceptibility remain unknown. To better understand behaviors associated with risk, we monitored bats at three experimentally manipulated wind turbines in Indiana, United States, from July 29 to October 1, 2012, using thermal cameras and other methods. We obser
Below are news stories associated with this project.
- Overview
This research theme informs adaptive management and siting decsions in relation to bats at wind and solar power-generation facilities.
Research projects are focused on minimizing negative impacts to wildlife from wind and solar energy siting, development, and operation. Our research develops, tests, and implements research and monitoring strategies to better assess the multi-scaled influence of resource development on ecosystems and to provide statistically sound information to land managers for mitigation and adaptive management.
The goals are to:
- Develop tools, technologies, and capabilities to inform resource management decisions
- Apply science to enhance strategies for management, conservation, and restoration
Click on the News tab to learn about our current projects and recent publications.
Click here to return to FRESC Wind Energy and Wildlife Team page.
- Publications
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 16Classifying behavior from short-interval biologging data: An example with GPS tracking of birds
Recent advances in digital data collection have spurred accumulation of immense quantities of data that have potential to lead to remarkable ecological insight, but that also present analytic challenges. In the case of biologging data from birds, common analytical approaches to classifying movement behaviors are largely inappropriate for these massive data sets.We apply a framework for using K-meaRelative energy production determines effect of repowering on wildlife mortality at wind energy facilities
Reduction in wildlife mortality is often cited as a potential advantage to repowering wind facilities, that is, replacing smaller, lower capacity, closely spaced turbines, with larger, higher capacity ones, more widely spaced. Wildlife mortality rates, however, are affected by more than just size and spacing of turbines, varying with turbine operation, seasonal and daily weather and habitat, all oPerformance of the GenEst Mortality Estimator Compared to The Huso and Shoenfeld Estimators
The impacts of wind power development on bat and bird populations are commonly assessed by estimating the number of fatalities at wind power facilities through post-construction monitoring (PCM) studies. Standard methodology involves periodic carcass searches on plots beneath turbines (Strickland et al. 2011, US Fish and Wildlife Service 2012). The resulting counts are adjusted to compensate for bComparing methods to estimate the proportion of turbine-induced bird and bat mortality in the search area under a road and pad search protocol
Estimating bird and bat mortality at wind facilities typically involves searching for carcasses on the ground near turbines. Some fraction of carcasses inevitably lie outside the search plots, and accurate mortality estimation requires accounting for those carcasses using models to extrapolate from searched to unsearched areas. Such models should account for variation in carcass density with distaSome approaches to accounting for incidental carcass discoveries in non-monitored years using the Evidence of Absence model
Executive SummaryWe evaluate three approaches to accounting for incidental carcasses when estimating an upper bound on total mortality (𝑀) as 𝑀∗ using the Evidence of Absence model (EoA; Dalthorp and others, 2017) to assess compliance with an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) (Dalthorp & Huso, 2015) under a monitoring protocol that includes formal, dedicated carcass surveys that achieve an overall deteEstimating population size with imperfect detection using a parametric bootstrap
We develop a novel method of estimating population size from imperfectly detected counts of individuals and a separate estimate of detection probability. Observed counts are separated into classes within which detection probability is assumed constant. Within a detection class, counts are modeled as a single binomial observation X with success probability p where the goal is to estimate index N. WImpacts to wildlife of wind energy siting and operation in the United States
Electricity from wind energy is a major contributor to the strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use and thus reduce the negative impacts of climate change. Wind energy, like all power sources, can have adverse impacts on wildlife. After nearly 25 years of focused research, these impacts are much better understood, although uncertainty remains. In this report, we summarize pWildlife mortality at wind facilities: How we know what we know how we might mislead ourselves, and how we set our future course
To accurately estimate per turbine – or per megawatt – annual wildlife mortality at wind facilities, the raw counts of carcasses found must be adjusted for four major sources of imperfect detection: (1) fatalities that occur outside the monitoring period; (2) carcasses that land outside the monitored area; (3) carcasses that are removed by scavengers or deteriorate beyond recognition prior to deteRaptor interactions with wind energy: Case studies from around the world
The global potential for wind power generation is vast, and the number of installations is increasing rapidly. We review case studies from around the world of the effects on raptors of wind-energy development. Collision mortality, displacement, and habitat loss have the potential to cause population-level effects, especially for species that are rare or endangered. The impact on raptors has much tWind energy development: Methods to assess bird and bat fatality rates post-construction
Monitoring fatalities at wind energy facilities after they have been constructed can provide valuable information regarding impacts of wind power development on wildlife. The objective of this monitoring is to estimate abundance of a super-population of carcasses that entered the area within a designated period of time. By definition, the population is not closed and carcasses can enter as they arBehavior of bats at wind turbines
Wind turbines are causing unprecedented numbers of bat fatalities. Many fatalities involve tree-roosting bats, but reasons for this higher susceptibility remain unknown. To better understand behaviors associated with risk, we monitored bats at three experimentally manipulated wind turbines in Indiana, United States, from July 29 to October 1, 2012, using thermal cameras and other methods. We obser
- News
Below are news stories associated with this project.