The Whooping Crane Threatened by Turbines
Tulsa World reports every year the rare and endangered whooping crane, totaling 266 in population, migrate from Canada to Texas. The growth of the wind energy industry has placed them in danger again. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife estimated 40,000 turbines will be placed as an obstacle to the 200 mile corridor the cranes pass through in Canada, Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. They state not only do the turbines pose threat to killing the birds, but turbines, power lines, transmission towers, and roads are invading their habitat. The American Wind Energy Association has no intentions to harm the birds, but doesn’t feel regulations of their turbine sites should apply.