The placement of utility scale wind turbine farms in the region is a relatively new land use development. While the Conservancy advocates renewable sources of energy, the siting and placement of wind farms raises critical questions about impacting some of the last remaining untilled landscapes and the wildlife that survive there.

Biodiversity threats preliminary research indicates that possible negative impacts on wildlife can be expected from industrial wind farms. Grassland species like the Lesser Prairie Chicken need large, unfragmented landscapes to carry out their life cycles. The precise location of land areas showing high wind energy production potential appear to correlate closely with some of the last remaining reproduction grounds of this bird, a candidate for the Federal Endangered Species list. The potential to impact this species and other grassland wildlife is real.

What the Conservancy is doing now will attempt to strike a balance between the needs of wildlife and wind energy producers, while respecting private property rights. Conservancy staff continue to meet with wind energy producers and wildlife managers to address wildlife concerns early and attempt to find a workable solution for both.

The Conservancy and other wildlife managers will be working to better define impacts of wind energy development on wildlife, and advocate the need to avoid siting wind farms in sensitive wildlife areas within the region. Establishing siting guidelines for producers and creating incentives for wind energy producers to avoid critical wildlife habitat (for species such as prairie chickens) will be a focus in the months ahead.

The Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative (OWPI) investigates and promotes wind energy resources in our state.

Nature picture credits: Photo © Jay Pruett/TNC (Wind Farm)