Thursday, December 23, 2010

Maryland Windfarm Project Blocked by Conservationists over Bats

Some conservationists have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block the startup of Maryland's first industrial wind farm because it allegedly threatens federally protected Indiana bats.
The complaint filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt seeks to stop Baltimore-based Constellation Energy Group Inc. from beginning operation of its 28 turbines on Backbone Mountain in Garrett County unless the company first obtains an "incidental take permit" from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for any Indiana bats that might be hit or injured by the spinning blades.


Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/nation/2010/12/conservation-groups-sue-block-md-wind-farm#ixzz19093WNO5
Comment from the blog writer:
I was always told that bats fly by sonar. They emit a high pitched sound that echoes back to highly senstive ears that can detect a bug in the air or a branch in the way. Why would they fly into whirling fan blades if they do not blindly crash into blowing tree branches? It doesn't make sense! I saw one fly between cage bars that were only an inch wider then the bat when he turned sideways. He knew exactly when to get sideways too.

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