Wind Energy & Wildlife

  • Wildlife in Nebraska are found in habitats ranging from marshes, streams, prairies, forests, and in your backyard.
     
  • Over 95% or approximately 450 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians are not hunted in Nebraska but provide aesthetic, cultural, and economic value to Nebraskans.
     
  • Every spring and fall millions of waterfowl, cranes, shorebirds, and more stop in Nebraska during their migration.
     
  • More than 30 wildlife species are listed as threatened or endangered in Nebraska and are protected by state and federal laws.
     
  • Forty Biologically Unique Landscapes have been designated in Nebraska as well as species that may be at-risk of extinction or extirpation from the state.
     
  • Nebraska has a wide variety of public conservation lands that are important for wildlife conservation and recreation.
     
  • 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.
     
  • Tools have been developed to reduce the potential impacts to wildlife and the environment by wind energy development.
Screech owl. Photo by Katherine Patrick.

Screech owl. Photo by Katherine Patrick.