Wind Power Symposium Summary

The wildlife and wind power symposium was a collaborative partnership between the Wildlife Management Institute, The Wildlife Society, and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. It was originally planned with the intent of engaging state fish and wildlife agencies in a discussion on wind energy development and wildlife interactions. Since only a few agencies had previously been involved with this topic, this session sought to bring together a variety of participants to share information, identify gaps in knowledge, and discuss directions for the future.

The symposium was well attended with a diverse audience representing state and federal agencies, NGO's, research institutions, and the wind power industry. The speakers were representative of diverse interests and the talks proved to be informative and useful. Information was presented on the current state of wind energy technology, the sequential steps typically implemented in wind–energy development, and the best available wildlife science on this topic.

Following the presentations, discussion focused on the opportunities and challenges facing state agencies. In general, participants identified the need for:

• Effective planning up front as well as cumulative impact analysis

• More detailed scientific documentation of wildlife impacts associated with wind facilities, including contributing factors and ways to effectively reduce adverse impacts by site selection and operational measures.

• Information on causes and effects of direct mortality events, extent and importance of habitat fragmentation, metapopulation implications, and implications for population and genetic dynamics, is generally lacking.

• The need for a common set of questions and regional level studies that can be applied to the decision making processes affecting facility siting.

• Need to establish and sustain dialogue between utilities, utility commissions, and state fish and wildlife agencies.