High numbers of birds and bat fatalities at some wind-power facilities have raised concerns about the potential environmental effects of this rapidly expanding industry. Good estimates of fatality are challenging because the relationship between the number of observed carcasses and the number of animals that were killed is not direct. USGS and EcoStats researchers published software and a user’s guide designed to provide accurate and unbiased estimates of wildlife fatality at wind facilities. The fatality-estimator software uses carcass counts and detection-rate information provided by the user. More importantly, the software provides measures of uncertainty in these estimates. The estimates are critical to predicting potential fatality prior to construction, developing techniques to reduce fatalities, and assessing cumulative effects on wildlife populations. A technical announcement by the USGS accompanied publication of the user's guide and software.
Huso, M.M., Som, N., Ladd, L., 2012, Fatality estimator user’s guide (ver. 1.1, December 2015): U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 729, p. 22.
