Wind Energy & Wildlife Tools

Overview

• Potential impacts to wildlife and the environment from wind energy development can be through direct impacts on individual animals and through indirect impacts that cause loss or degradation of habitat.
   
• Through impact avoidance, minimization, and mitigation, impacts to wildlife and the environment by wind energy development can be reduced.
   
• Several tools have been developed to help assess and minimize impacts to wildlife and the environment that could result from development of wind energy facilities in Nebraska.
   
• These tools include:
   
• • The Wildlife Consultation Process
     
  • Nebraska's Biodiversity and Wind Energy Siting and Mitigation Map
     
  • Guidelines for Avoiding, Minimizing, and Mitigating Impacts of Wind Energy on Biodiversity in Nebraska
     
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines
     
  • Nebraska's Wildlife: Avian Assessment Guidance for Wind Energy Facilities
     
  • Bat Assessment Guidance for Wind Energy Facilities in Nebraska
     
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Eagle Conservation Plan Guidance
     
  • Whooping Crane Operational Contingency Plan
     
  • Estimating Fatalities
     
  • And more...

Dickcissel. USFWS image.