Alternative Energy

[Copperfield]

Hitting the fan: Wind farm could spoil bats' habitat
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wauk/jun04/239429.asp

By SCOTT WILLIAMS
[e-mail]
Last Updated: June 26, 2004
A cash cow or an environmental nightmare?

That question faces a Dodge County community where a We Energies contractor wants to build a power-generating wind farm near a major site for hibernating bats.

Midwest Wind Energy LLC of Chicago is offering to pay more than $200,000 a year to the Town of Herman and Dodge County if the wind farm, capable of powering 20,000 homes, is permitted.

But environmentalists fear that the operation's rotating turbine blades would endanger thousands of bats that congregate nearby in what is regarded as one of North America's largest bat hibernation sites.

Located about an hour northwest of Milwaukee, the site is a former iron ore mine whose four miles of underground tunnels have become a favorite hangout for bats. By some estimates, up to 500,000 of the winged, mouse-like creatures flock there from throughout the Midwest to hibernate each winter.

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The state Department of Natural Resources calls it one of Wisconsin's most crucial wildlife preserves.

David Redell, a wildlife researcher for the University of Wisconsin, which owns the property, said he was shocked to learn that private industry planned a nearby wind farm, with turbine blades chopping through the air some 400 feet off the ground.

"Of all the places, that's not the place I would choose. It could have a significant impact on the population," he said.

Rick James, a spokesman for Milwaukee-based We Energies, said his company did not have a hand in choosing the Dodge County location and sought only proposals from wind farm developers.

We Energies has signed a contract with Midwest Wind to purchase power generated by the proposed 54-megawatt operation.

"We care deeply about the environment. Certainly we are concerned about the potential impact," James said.

Wind farm details unclear
The precise layout of the wind farm has not been divulged, although officials say 33 to 36 turbines will be scattered across perhaps hundreds of acres and will come within 2 miles of the former mine, officially known as the Neda mine.

Midwest Wind President Stefan Noe said his firm will conduct detailed studies of the bat hibernation patterns. If necessary, the project will be redesigned to protect bats from the turbine blades, each measuring more than 250 feet in diameter.

Noe, however, said relocating the project is not an option.

"All of the necessary components come together at this site," he said. "It is essentially a very suitable location for a wind farm."

This is not the first time We Energies has run into trouble trying to expand wind farm technology as an alternative energy source in Wisconsin.

In Fond du Lac County, residents filed a lawsuit this year to block a proposed project by another developer that residents contend will hurt property values, create excessive noise and threaten health.

Dodge County residents have initiated a recall campaign to oust Town of Herman supervisors who are backing Midwest Wind Energy. The Town Board must sign a licensing agreement for the wind farm, but it already has approved a permit for the project.

Kevin Gehring, one of the recall organizers, said town officials are concerned only with collecting fees, not with the project's long-term effects on the rural community of about 1,500 people.

"This project will bring no good to this town," Gehring said.

If the wind farm is built, the developer has committed to pay the county $126,000 a year and the town $90,000 a year.

Town Supervisor Ronald Schellinger agreed that the prospect of $90,000 a year in new revenue is appealing in a town with an annual budget of only $145,000. Townsfolk have urged local government to control property tax increases, Schellinger said, calling this an ideal opportunity.

Official sees exaggeration
He added that the threat to the flocks of migrating bats likely has been exaggerated.

"I believe they can control themselves. They know what's out there," he said.

Concerns about the potential for widespread bat deaths at the wind farm have come from officials at the state Department of Natural Resources, as well as private conservation groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A DNR wildlife specialist said bats could potentially get killed by a wind farm.

Instead of using their eyes to find their way when they fly at night, bats emit a high-pitched sound to navigate their way. The sound bounces off obstacles and lets the bats know they should move around them, said Bill Volkert, a wildlife educator and naturalist for the DNR at Horicon Marsh.

However, that frequency could miss the turbine blades as they rotate, leading the bats to believe there's no obstacle in their way, he said.

"If you have a rather narrow field where you're sensing motion and you have an obstacle that's rotating, there may be a problem," Volkert said.

No state or federal agency has authority to block the wind farm, however, because it does not threaten an endangered species or any known area of wetlands. And Wisconsin utility regulations apply to wind farms only of 100 megawatts or more - nearly twice the size of this one.

David Siebert, acting director of the DNR's office of energy, said he believes the threshold should be lowered to give the state more control.

Dave Sheeley of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story.