Wind Energy Company To Breed California Condors, Replace Those Killed by Turbines

Preserving endangered species and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy are two of California environmentalists' top priorities.

However, renewable energy and habitat restoration tend to be heading for a catastrophic clash in the blustery sky above Kern County's Tehachapi Mountains, where towering wind turbines churn with hypnotic rhythm.

Government officials warn the critically endangered birds are now at risk of being killed by spinning rotor blades after a decades-long attempt to save them from extinction.

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Condors in Captivity

Approximately 100 captive-bred condors soar over the rocky range that divides the Mojave Desert from the lush Central Valley. While there is yet to be a reported case of a wind turbine hurting or killing a condor, the US Fish and Wildlife Service expects condor accidents as the population increases.

Condor kills are becoming more frequent, which has worried not only government authorities but also activists and power plant officials. Investors could face litigation, felony prosecution, and a lot of negative press if they invest in a wind farm. Condor deaths could also jeopardize one of the Interior Department's top priorities: producing and distributing green energy.

Today, federal wildlife conservation authorities are taking the unusual and contentious step of aiding a renewable energy firm in breeding the scavenger raptors in captivity to replace any birds killed by the enormous wind turbines.

Plan

A draft plan for Avangrid Renewables' Manzana Wind Power Project involves "working with a captive breeding facility to finance the breeding of additional condors for release into the wild," according to Scott Sobiech, field supervisor for the wildlife service's Carlsbad and Palm Springs offices.

According to him, as the condor population in the wild rises, so does the likelihood of condor presence near wind energy facilities. "Conservation strategies provide wind energy firms a means to control condor impacts and assist in the rehabilitation of this federally endangered species."

Condor Conservation

The plight of the California condor, North America's largest flying land bird, exemplifies the thorny challenges that wildlife organizations, private corporations, and regulators face as they encourage wind energy production along the Tehachapis and around the world. It also raises the importance of measures to make the system better for animals such as eagles, hawks, and bats destroyed by wind turbines in significant numbers every year.

"Our aim is to minimize the chance of mortalities," Amy Parsons, operations wildlife compliance manager at Avangrid Renewables in Portland, Oregon, said. This is a victory for condors, in our opinion."

Environmentalists cautiously support the idea.

The American Bird Conservancy's Joel Merriman said, "Having a discussion about raising condors - a poster child of the Endangered Species Act - to kill them is a hard pill to take." "However, finding a better solution is difficult."

"If wind energy and the condor population rehabilitation can't get along, we're not going to get too far in staving off drastic climate change or protecting this majestic species from extinction," said Garry George, renewable energy chief at the National Audubon Society.

California condors actually total 518, with 181 in captivity and 337 flying over Ventura and Kern counties, the Sierra Nevada foothills, the Grand Canyon, and Baja California, Mexico. Condors are nesting near Yosemite National Park for the first time in 50 years.

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