Commentary of Hawaii Birds Killed by Wind Turbines

Courtesy of Jim Weigand. A PDF listing the turbine fatalities was included in the email received, but is not included here.

Last week a story broke from Hawaii that has exposed this wind industry secret. The wind turbines in Hawaii have been killing endangered species since 2006-2007. In fact a list was published showing 50 endangered species having been killed by wind turbines. For seven years this has been kept from the public and as I have found out from years of researching this industry's bogus documents, there are many other dark secrets pertaining to this industry.

Making matters worse I have read over some of the studies used at these turbine sites. The studies from Hawaii have been rigged to hide mortality. My estimates are that 300-500 endangered species have been killed by the 200 MW of wind power in Hawaii. Most of these deaths have been recent because of this wind energy was not in production in 2006 and 40 of the 50 reported endangered species carcasses were reported after 2011.

The availability of carcasses to be found in any mortality study depends on the scientific methodology, search intervals, search plot size, crippling bias, searcher efficiency, and scavenging rates. All wind industry mortality studies are severely flawed and far from being scientific. When taking into account the severely flawed study methodology used for Hawaii's wind turbine studies, it is very obvious that the real death toll of endangered species killed by Hawaii's turbines is in the hundreds.

The Kaheawa Pastures wind energy facility (First Wind) on the island of Maui wind turbines were built in the nesting habitat of the world's rarest goose, the Nene. This wind energy facility has reported 18 Nene killed by the Kaheawa Pastures turbines with ridiculously small search areas for 300 ft tall turbines. Of these 18 reported Nene fatalities, 11 were recorded during their Aug-April nesting season. This species lays 3-5 eggs and during their nesting cycle, the death of an adult will likely lead to a complete nest failure or the death of their offspring. So not only are the fatality numbers of Nene being under reported, their offspring are being
killed by these turbines.

On top of this entire charade, the fatality data in the mortality studies is being processed with bogus calculations and a Huso program that further reduce the estimated mortality taking place by this wind project.

What has taken place in Hawaii this is an eye opening example of the character of this industry and the extinction of species coming to the world from wind turbines. Hawaii has plans to install thousands of MW of wind power. If this takes place most of the endangered species being killed by their wind turbines will not survive.

Extinction of species is neither renewable nor green.

---

These are some additional details provided by Mr. Weigand.

On the list I sent there are 50 total that have been reported. These 50 represent 4 species and 40 of the 50 have been killed since 2011. Below are some of my notes from the Kaheawa Pastures wind energy facility. These are as rigged as they get and it is very obvious to me wind crews are pre-scanning ahead of formal searches. They even petitioned to get search areas reduced to 48 meters for their 325 ft tall turbines. They have been using 73 meter search areas..

At KWP they are only using a 73 meter radius search area. This is equal to 16733 sq meters. Proper search areas for these turbines should be at least 150 meters out from turbine bases. This is an area of 70650 square meters or an area 4.22 times larger. A more accurate search area of 175 meters would be an area of 96162 sq meters or an area 5.7 times larger. This factor alone is proof that far more endangered species are being killed by these turbines.

But with any honest study all carcasses or cripples seen no matter how far they are from turbines should be reported and included in the data. It should also be a felony for not reporting or concealing the carcass of an endangered species. Presently because of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service voluntary regulations there are no penalties for this behavior at wind farms

Wind turbines and geese found far beyond 73 meters...

These are some pertinent links available at WindAction.org

¶ Geese slaughter: two eyewitness accounts

¶ Dead geese seen on roads near turbines

¶ Wind turbines a risk for waterfowl, expert tells audience

¶ Species-rich Hawaii poses unique challenges for wind power industry

Hawaiian Feather Cloaks Repaired by Textile Students

Intricate repair work on three culturally significant Hawaiian feather cloaks has made them ready for public display later this summer.

Under the supervision of Valerie Free, Museum Conservator of the Bishop Museum at Honolulu, Hawaii, two graduate student interns, Aimee Ducey, from New York University, and Elizabeth Nunan, from Buffalo State College, completed treatment and mounting of three feather cloaks.

The project was supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

"Known as ‘ahu ‘ula, the cloaks were worn by male members of the Hawaiian ali’i, the chiefly or royal class in traditional Hawaiian society," according to a project profile on the IMLS website. " Each magnificent cloak, one of which dates back to the mid-18th century, is made of bundles of tiny red and yellow feathers of now-extinct birds secured to a net foundation. The cloaks, are eight feet wide and weigh 20 to 30 pounds each.

"The cloaks were cleaned, broken netting repaired, loose feather bundles reattached, holes stabilized, and fragile sections reinforced with support materials. The treatments for the cloaks and the development and construction of the cloak mounting system were fully documented in written reports and extensive digital photo documentation."

An article "The Conservation of Three Hawaiian Feather Cloaks," coauthored with Elizabeth Nunan, and published in the journal of the Textile Society of America, "describes in detail the manufacture of the cloaks," said Ducey. "In brief, they were constructed from netted supports made from a local plant. Tiny bundles of feathers were then tied to the netting in overlapping rows to create the richly colored patterns of the surface. The techniques that the Hawaiians used to make the cloaks can be taught today, but few people have the skill to make such finely knotted nets. Also, the significance of the different patterns on the cloaks is not known today which is a great loss to our understanding of this culture. The cloaks are therefore vivid but enigmatic symbols of the people and place that produced them."

"At the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts (NYU) I studied objects conservation, the grouping that we use in the field to differentiate this type of conservation from the paper and paintings specialties," said Aimee Ducey, currently studying objects conservation specializing in modern, contemporary, and ethnographic art as a graduate student at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU. "As a result, I was exposed to the properties of a variety of materials, including feathers. Based on this broad range of experience, artifacts that employ feathers are particularly fragile and difficult to conserve. Damage and deterioration of feathers is almost impossible to reverse or to repair."

Aimee Ducey, removing accretion from the Chapman feathered cloak. Image courtesy of IMLS, and used via a link to their website.

"The project to conserve the Hawaiian Ahu'ula was a unique opportunity, and the sacred nature of the cloaks to Hawaiian culture was always present in my mind as we worked on them," Ducey said. "The fact that the feathers also come from birds that are now extinct is also an important part of their history and how they are interpreted in the present. It is a sign of the impact of colonization on the Hawaiian Islands, and the difference in value systems between the native population and the newcomers."

"The most commonly used feathers in the ahu’ula are from the o’o, the mamo, and the i’iwi birds. The brilliant yellow tufts of the Hawaiian o’o were plucked from beneath the wings and rump of the bird," according to the journal article. "The color is described as lemony-yellow, and the barbs of the feather are long and wispy. The o’o was over a foot in length including its long tail, and though some accounts tell of the feathers being plucked and then the bird being set free, others mention that it was eaten as a delicacy. The o’o was virtually extinct in Hawai`i by the 1920’s. The Hawaiian mamo was already extremely rare by 1888, with the last sighting in 1898. As compared to the o’o, the mamo feather is warmer and described as crocus-yellow. The feather shape is shorter and more elliptical than the o’o. The i’iwi is a honeycreeper that is still found in the forests of Hawai`i, with the females being of a deeper red color than the males. The downy feathers of the head and chest were used in the cloaks, allowing more feathers to be collected per bird as compared to the yellow o’o and mamo."

"The feathers are very fragile. Although the preservation of the cloaks involved repairing the netting material to which the feathers are attached, handling of these large and heavy garments must be carefully undertaken in order not to damage the feather surface."

Both students were recruited for the project, and once accepted, were flown to Hawaii, provided with stipends for living expenses, housing and bus transportation for the internship period during June-August 2007. As part of their internship, they both attended workshops on related topics, and went on field trips to pertinent cultural sites.

"It was an honor to be given the opportunity to conserve such finely constructed artifacts and because of their powerful meaning within Hawaiian culture," Ducey said. "The highlight was of course at the end of the summer, when the repaired cloaks were placed on the museum mounts designed to display them. The project was an important step in preserving the cloaks."

The repaired cloaks will be displayed at the Bishop Museum when it reopens the renovated Hawaiian Hall in August.

Wetlands Acquisition and Restoration Initiative on the Island of Kauai

Funding awarded through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) will allow protection and restoration of imperiled wetland habitats on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

View of the lower Kilauea River. Courtesy photo.

The "project will acquire and conserve portions of a coastal estuarine wetland ecosystem," according to the grant details, "to prevent losses of two nationally declining wetland types, and one regionally declining habitat type, and will restore wetland acreage on public lands that will be protected in perpetuity”.

The following conservation goals have been identified for this project, which will acquire 12 acres and restore 128 acres of vitally important wildlife habitat.

1) Restore 23 acres of palustrine emergent wetland within the Huleia Unit of the Kauai National Wildlife Refuge complex. "The Huleia Unit of the Kauai NWR is designated as a core wetland area, which is essential for the recovery of Hawaii's endangered waterbirds." Wetland restoration will directly benefit the wetlands-associated migratory and resident birds which inhabit and frequent the Huleia Unit.

2) Acquire 12 acres within the Kilauea Coastal Preserve, a contiguous protected habitat area adjacent to the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (KPNWR), reducing habitat fragmentation for the endangered species that utilize the area. The KPNWR is a nesting and resting site for thousands of Hawaiian seabirds and the endangered Hawaiian goose. "The Kilauea Coastal Preserve is part of a patchwork quilt of managed areas being developed to protect rare and endangered species in the Kilauea River Watershed. State and county managed lands, a National Wildlife Refuge, and private land partners, combine to create contiguous habitat for wildlife.

3) Restore 105 acres of palustrine emergent wetland and upland coastal dune and strand habitat within Mana Plain State Wildlife Sanctuary. Restoration actions will support increased populations of migratory, wintering, and endemic waterbirds.

Picture of a pair of Koloa taken on Kauai. This species is expected to "benefit tremendously from this project, as Kauai is one of the last strong holds for this species." Photo courtesy of the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

The project was awarded $1 million dollars in funding from NAWCA, with additional match and funding sources of $2 million provided by the Kauai Public Land Trust, Ducks Unlimited and the Atherton Foundation. Additional partners in the initiative are The Nature Conservancy, Pacific Coast Joint Venture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Coastal Wetland and Pacific Islands Coastal Programs, U.S.D.A. Natural Resource Conservation Service Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and the Kilauea Point Natural History Association.

"Although wetlands cover less than 3% of Hawaii's surface area, they are extremely important because they support both plant and animal species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands," according to information in the NAWCA grant summary. "Protection and restoration of Hawaii's remaining wetlands is essential for the recovery of the endemic waterbirds, as well as to the survival of migrant waterfowl and shorebirds that visit the islands. Kauai is considered the last strong hold for the endangered Hawaiian Duck and Hawaiian Goose due to the lack of the Indian mongoose, an invasive mammalian predator."

Hawaii's wetlands function as valuable resources from several points of view, said Christina Ryder, a biologist with Ducks Unlimited. The land tracts involved in this project are important waterfowl habitats and refuges that "support rare and endangered Hawaiian waterbirds including the Hawaiian coot, stilt, gallinule, duck (Koloa maoli) and goose (Nene). They also serve as productive resource systems and nursery areas, supporting an abundance of fish and other aquatic organisms as well as providing recreational opportunities and acting as aesthetically pleasing natural landmarks.

"Better control and access to water is critical to restoring the Huleia and Mana wetlands," Ryder said. "Due to agricultural modifications at both sites the ecological function of these wetlands has been severely impacted. Better access to water to flood and dry fields is crucial to providing improved forage and nesting habitat for endangered waterbirds. By installing wells and adding piping infrastructure wetland managers will have access to water for wetland management, this will increase invertebrate forage, nesting sites and loafing areas for migratory and endangered endemic waterbird populations.

Map of the Mana project region. U.S. Geological Service map.

These projects could not come soon enough as there have been dramatic declines in wetland habitats in the Hawaiian Islands over the last 50 years. "The US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there were 22,487 acres of wetlands within coastal plains of Hawaii circa 1780." In 1990, an estimated 15,481 acres remained, a decrease of 31%. The agency also reported that logging, agriculture, grazing, military use, fire, and urban and residential development have claimed more than half of Hawaii's native habitats.

The importance of having different project partners is essential, Ryder added. "Partnerships between state, local and federal agencies allow a diversity of experts to collaborate on a project, as well as the ability to leverage additional resources that an individual agency may not be able to provide. By bringing together the State of Hawaii, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kauai Public Land Trust, this project is able to restore two key habitat areas and purchase additional habitats important for endangered species."

"Partnerships are the most effective way to create long term sustainable projects," Ryder suggested. "The more stake holders involved in a project means the more people who want to see the project succeed, and the more people that learn about wetlands and their importance to wildlife and the environment."

Public benefits expected for this initiative include "increased wildlife habitat and opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreation and environmental education, improved water quality, and increased shoreline protection, all of which will benefit the residents of Kauai.

Hawaiian Refuge to Build Fence to Restore Habitat

Construction of a fence to restore habitats on the big Island of Hawaii by excluding unwanted livestock is pending, following the release of the final environmental assessment. Plans call for 88,500 feet of fence to protect 5,300 acres at the Kona Forest Unit of Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.

The selected alternative calls for “pig and cattle-proof fences (5-foot tall)” to be constructed “around the two lower units and pig, cattle and sheep-proof fences (7-foot tall)” to be “constructed around the upper unit,” according to a Fish and Wildlife Service news release.

The selected alternative would provide “a 15-foot wide, bulldozed access corridor along the entire fenceline.”

“Fence construction supports the management plan approved in 1997 when the Kona Forest Unit was established,” when a portion of the private Kai Malino Ranch was purchased. “Management is focused on endangered species recovery actions including biological research and monitoring, prevention and suppression of wildfires, and habitat restoration through feral ungulate control, non-native predator control, invasive plant control, and reforestation.”

“The Kona Forest Unit is located in the South Kona District, Island of Hawai‘i on the leeward slope of Mauna Loa at elevations between 2,000 and 6,000 feet,” the news release said.

View of the Kona Forest. Image courtesy of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Forest types represented in the tract include a “mixture of introduced and native trees, shrubs, and grasses”; a mixture of koa (Acacia koa) and ‘ohi‘a trees and an understory of native shrubs and hapu‘u”; and a “mamane-sandalwood community” at higher elevations.

This forest “supports four species of endangered forest birds, the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat, and a high diversity of native plant species, of which several are threatened or endangered. Until 2002, the Kona Forest Unit also supported the last wild ‘alala or Hawaiian crow,” the news release said.

“The Kona Forest Unit also offers protected areas for other endangered faunal species, including the Hawai‘i ‘Akepa (Loxops coccineus), Hawai‘i Creeper (Oreomystis mana),‘Akiapola‘au (Hemignathus munroi), Hawaiian Hawk or ‘Io (Buteo solitarius), the Hawaiian hoary bat or ‘ope‘ape‘a (Lasiurus cinereus semotus) and an endangered picture wing fly (Drosophila heteroneura).”

Additional representative bird species, according to the environmental assessment, include: “several species of endemic forest birds including the native flycatcher ‘Elepaio (Chasiempis sandwichensis), and several Hawaiian honeycreepers including ‘I‘iwi (Vestiaria coccinea), Hawai‘i ‘Amakihi (Hemignathus virens), and ‘Apapane (Himatione sanguinea).

Although the Hawaiian thrush or ‘Oma‘o (Myadestes obscurus) has been extirpated from Kona, proposed habitat improvements in the project area could allow its future reintroduction onto the Kona Forest Unit. Pacific Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis fulva) occur as migratory winter visitors...”

Letters of support for the project were submitted by the State of Hawai‘i, local residents, and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.

“The cost of the fence will be determined through a competitive bidding process that will take place after the fence corridor is cleared”, says James Glynn, acting Refuge Manager for the Big Island NWR Complex which includes Kona Forest and Hakalau Forest Units. “Once the fence corridor clearing project, scheduled to begin in 2008, is completed, the fence construction project will be started, likely in 2009.”

“Once the fence is constructed, and the feral ungulates removed, in 5-10 years, we should expect to see a dramatic increase in native understory plants and canopy density,” says Jack Jeffrey, Refuge Biologist. “The refuge will also be out-planting endangered native plant species that have been eliminated from the area by 100 or more years of ungulate presence. With the increased forest canopy density, native forest birds will find a safe haven to live. It is also likely that ‘Alala will also be re-introduced, but there needs to be many years of forest recovery before that happens,” Jeffrey said.