Actions for Cape Blanco Wind Energy Feasibility Study : Technical Report, No. 11. Terrestrial Ecology

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Cape Blanco Wind Energy Feasibility Study : Technical Report, No. 11. Terrestrial Ecology

Corporate Author
United States. Bonneville Power Administration
Published
United States : [publisher not identified], 1986
Springfield, Va.: National Technical Information Service, [approximately 1986]
Physical Description
microfiche : negative ; 11 x 15 cm

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Summary
The project site is a series of grassland bench terraces on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean. Because the site has a long history of use for sheep grazing, the vegetation is mainly pasture grasses (64 percent of the site), with patches of mixed forest cover (26 percent), and wetlands (10 percent) in the ravine dividing the site. Because of the open nature of the site, the proposed arrangement of the wind turbines and relatively little need for site modification, there are few environmental concerns. The main concerns are the potential for bird collisions with the turbines and associated apparatus and threatened and endangered bird species. The expected impacts of the project on vegetation, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish have been determined to be minor. A series of calculations were made using formulas from the literature to estimate bird kills from collisions with the wind turbines and associated apparatus. Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the vulnerable migrating bird population was determined to be subject to death by collision. Thus, impacts to birds were also determined to be insignificant. The other major concern is the potential impacts of the project on five species of birds from the area that are recognized as threatened or endangered. The site provides no unique or especially important habitat for any of the five species. The likelihood of project impacts to any of them is low. Impacts of the three alternative are compared and conclusions are drawn on the significance of the impacts. Since none of the alternatives appear to have significant impacts, mitigation measures are discussed more in terms of practices or actions which could or would reduce impacts.
Report Numbers
DE86012923; DOE/BP-11191-11
Other Subject(s)
Collection
NTIS collection.
Note
DOE contract number: AC79-83BP11191
OSTI Identifier 5665841
Research organization: Portland General Electric Co., OR (USA).
View MARC record | catkey: 47367622