HARRISBURG – A nearly two-year independent study has concluded a wind turbine poses no overt threat to bird and bat life while it generates supplemental power and serves as an educational aid at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park in Erie.
“Undertaken by a scientific team from fall 2006 to spring 2008, this intense bird and bat mortality study supports the Bureau of State Parks’ decision to install small-scale wind turbines at Presque Isle and five other state parks,” said Bureau Director John W. Norbeck. “Because of evidence of bird and bat kills at some sites with much larger generating turbines, DCNR wanted to know if there was reason to be concerned about erecting smaller units.”
The TREC study was overseen by Kenneth W. Andersen, Ph. D., interim associate dean, Morosky College of Health Professions & Sciences, and director, Science in Motion, Gannon University. Assistants included Gannon University biology students and Presque Isle State Park managers and other employees.
“Evidence from this study suggests that the probability of bird and bat mortalities being caused by collisions with small monopod wind turbines is low,” Dr. Andersen said in his report. “At the TREC site, a diversity of songbirds are using the area daily without turbine-related casualties, and the same is apparent with bats that are active nightly during their seasonal occurrence.”
Dr. Andersen and his research teams conducted two types of bird surveys: direct observations with identifications made by either sight or song recognition; and recording of night flight calls of migrating birds through the use of microphones mounted on the roof of TREC. Presence of bats was determined at night by recording their ultrasound calls.
Meanwhile, searches for bird and bat carcasses was initiated on May 25, 2007, and continued on a nearly daily basis through July 7, 2008, when the study ended. One bird, a common grackle, was found dead in the search area on July 2, 2008, and sent to the Pennsylvania Game Commission for evaluation. Cause of death was undetermined, but no external injuries were noted, and no other bird or bat carcasses were noted throughout this study.
Complete study methodology and findings can be found at www.dcnr.state.pa.us by clicking on “Wind Energy and Wildlife” under “Hot Topics.”
“Besides monitoring for carcasses of birds and bats in the vicinity of the tower, the study determined what species of birds and bats occurred in the immediate area and evidence of their activity near the tower,” Dr. Andersen said in his report. “This report provides an overview of the study and its results, while specific investigations on bird and bat activities at the site continue to be analyzed for subsequent publication.”
Erected in May 2007, the 120-foot wind turbine at Presque Isle generates approximately 10,000 kilowatt hours annually in supplemental power to the education center. Similar turbines were installed at the following state parks: Prince Gallitzin, Cambria County; Pymatuning, Crawford County; Tuscarora, Schuylkill County; Yellow Creek, Indiana County; and Promised Land, Pike County.
Ongoing monitoring at these five state park sites is being conducted by park personnel. Funded by a DCNR grant to the Regional Science Consortium, the TREC turbine was selected for independent study because of the proximity of research facilities and the wealth of area bird life. Presque Isle is noted for bird migration, with more than 3,000 species in its ecosystem, including 130 that are threatened, endangered or rare.
Hailed as the gateway to Presque Isle, TREC is dedicated to teaching visitors about Presque Isle and the many different forms of life that inhabit this unique, sandy peninsula jutting into Lake Erie. Officially dedicated in May 2006, the facility serves as a center for research, contributing to conservation efforts and promoting environmental awareness. For more TREC information, visit www.trecpi.org.
Presque Isle State Park currently averages 4 million visitors a year, with peak visitation between June and September. DCNR manages TREC and the park, a 3,200-acre sand peninsula attached to the mainland, four miles west of downtown Erie.