August 3, 2011
Greenies love their wildlife, and go ga-ga over eagles. But they are willing to overlook horrific raptor carnage caused by windmills. According to Louis Sahagun at the L.A. Times, windmill farms have been decimating bird and bat populations nationwide for over a decade.
Nationwide, about 440,000 birds are killed at windfarms each year, according to the (Federal) Wildlife Service.Finally federal Fish and Wildlife Services authorities are investigating the deaths of golden eagles at the Pine Tree Wind Project in the Tehachapi Mountains outside Los Angeles. Unlike the logging industry in the Pacific Northwest, whose activities were seriously curtailed to protect the spotted owl, or the Alaskan oil pipeline, whose construction was delayed by the propaganda generated by the New York Times in the interest of protecting caribou herds, environmentalist wackos have remained silent about the slaughter of birds by dangerous and unproductive windmill farms.
Wind farms have been killing birds for decades and law enforcement has done nothing about it, so this investigation is long overdue (said Shawn Smallwood, an expert in on raptor ecology and wind farms.) Its going to ruffle wind industry feathers across the country.Golden eagles are big birds, weighing up to 40 pounds and their large size and wing speed make it difficult for them to navigate amongst wind turbine blades spinning at up to 200 mph, especially when in pursuit of prey. 6 golden eagle deaths have been reported at Pine Tree and an average of 67 golden eagle deaths annually are reported at the larger Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area in Northern California. All told, it is estimated that 1,595 birds die each year at the Pine Tree Wind Project.
Local authorities seem inclined to downplay or disregard the deaths as they seek to reach Los Angeles's goal of 35% of its energy generated by renewables by 2020. The American Wind Energy Association, flacks for the windmill brigade, would have us believe that
...far more birds are killed by collisions with radio towers, tall buildings,airplanes and vehicles and encounters with household cats (than with windmills.)I know I don't want any windmills in my neighborhood. They are unsightly and a preposterous excuse for energy generation. Then again, I don't think I am ready for neighbors with housecats that prey on golden eagles either.
Ralph Alter is a regular contributor to American Thinker.