Jim Wiegand, wildlife biologist — East County Magazine — September 28, 2013

While Altamont Pass operators have been hiding most of their wind turbine mortality with search intervals of 30-90 days, the rest of North American wind farms hide mortality by using search areas that are far too small. By using only 50 meter search areas for their huge new turbines, the wind facility operators can easily hide over 90% of fatalities caused from turbine blade strikes.

The motive is obvious. The more avian bloodshed, the more public outcry. The more outcry, the less money for wind industry players. The more they hide the ecological devastation, the more they mute the outcry and maintain the flow of subsidies for wind power.

The horrendous impacts on bird and bat populations across North America are of little concern to these special interests.

Wind turbine mortality facts

Studies I have examined make it…