Hundreds of wind turbines have been built in the Oklahoma panhandle area to help meet the nation’s growing demand for renewable energy. Many people believe that wind turbines are environmentally friendly because there is no burning of fossil fuels or nuclear waste as a result. However, wind turbines have an enormous impact on the environment.
Although few scientific studies have been done to determine the true effects, simple observation shows a major impact on migratory and ground nesting birds, such as Lesser Prairie Chickens.
Areas where only months before had been prime country for wildlife all of a sudden show little signs of any animal activity once the turbines were built. Even without major studies, these observations tell us a lot of things.
Is it really “green” if wind turbines are built without any regard to the impact on wildlife?
Wind energy is an important resource and should be explored, but not at the cost of negatively impacting the wildlife near and around the turbines.
As Aldo Leopold said, “Land is a community to which we belong, not a commodity belonging to us.” We have responsibilities to keep this land for our children and for many generations to come.
Nop, I have to agree with your sentiments regarding wind-turbines and wind farms. I asked this question of a mutual friend of ours, another nature photographer/cinematographer, and his answer was that no studies so far have shown any ill environmental effects of wind farms, but caveated this with, of course, all the studies done to date have been by vested-interest, wind industry people.
I wonder about the inaudible, extremely long-wave frequencies, which may interfere with the lesser prairie chicken’s ability to react quickly enough to its predator species of falcon and hawk.