By LAURIE KIEFABER
Indiana Correspondent

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), American Wind Energy Assoc. (AWEA) and wind developers are taking the first step in the Midwest to protect endangered species from wind turbines.
All three groups recently signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to work together on a conservation plan in the Midwest. The agreement includes Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The FWS has awarded a $3,362,364 Endangered Species Act grant to develop the plan, with 10 percent matching funds from the wind energy industry.

“It’s a really unique provision ... to allow this,” said Georgia Parham, FWS public affairs specialist. “Bats are pollinators and control insects. Efforts to make sure bats remain on the landscape are important to a lot of different kinds of people.”

All three entities will develop a wind energy habitat conservation plan, or HCP, for the FWS’ Midwest region, according to a FWS press release. The plan will outline what can be done to conserve threatened and endangered species which might be affected by wind energy facilities and their construction.
The timeline for this process will be dependent somewhat on the wind energy companies applying for an incidental take permit, Parham said. This permit “will exempt otherwise lawful activities (i.e. construction and operation of a wind energy facility) from the prohibition of take under the Endangered Species Act,” according to the FWS.

“Take” means harming, harassing or killing endangered or threatened species, according to the Act. Wind energy companies under the agreement will not need to worry about “take” during construction, but will need to formulate a long-term conservation plan, Parham said.

“(A company’s plan) can be very involved with technical advice,” Parham said. “The (FWS) goes through an environmental evaluation process, which can take time and goes out for public comment. Once the public process is over, the (FWS) will make a decision on whether to issue a permit. It can take a while.”
In the region under the agreement this means the Indiana bat, which ranges through the eastern half of the United States, Parham said. Bats are some of the great pollinators, along with birds, bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, lizards, lemurs and possums, according to the FWS’ website.
“(The above combined animals) help pollinate over 75 percent of our flowering plants, and nearly 75 percent of our crops,” it stated.

Agreements will need to consider migratory birds as well, Parham said. Much is known about migratory bird patterns, but not bat migration. Bats migrate when they are pregnant, to maternity colonies before hibernating for six months. These colonies can be wooded areas along a stream, under loose bark in old trees and caves.

The Indiana bat is a protected species, but not all animals will be protected under the agreement. Bald and golden eagles are federally protected, but bald eagles are no longer endangered, Parham said. All birds except sparrows and starlings will need to be considered under agreements.

Several industry experts were happy overall with the agreement.
“It is the industry’s expectation that development of the regional HCP will streamline the permitting process, allowing effective conservation of wildlife and easing the Service’s administrative burden, while also allowing for more wind energy to be deployed nationally,” said John Anderson, AWEA’s director of Siting Policy.

“This is a shining example of how industry, the Service, states and other stakeholders can work collaboratively to develop an overall conservation strategy that is in the best interest of the affected species.”

Tom Melius, FWS Midwest regional director, also was pleased. “I believe this positive step will help the Service proceed on a scientifically sound basis to pursue the conservation of endangered species and facilitate the development of a renewable energy source at the same time,” he said.

“This is a good opportunity for Indiana and other states to be part of the solution when it comes to making wind energy development work effectively and efficiently for all involved – natural resources, the economy and energy users,” said Robert E. Carter Jr., Indiana Department of Natural Resources director.

Wind energy applicants will start the selection process for the ESA technical contractor and work with the FWS and states to develop the HCP in the next few months, according to the release. The Conservation Fund, an environmental nonprofit, will lead the strategic conservation work accompanying the HCP.