HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix_O_-_Proposed_Work_Plan_for_Bird_and_Bat_Preconstruction_Stu.pdf Proposed Work Plan for Bird and Bat Preconstruction Studies for the Black Oak Wind Farm – Town of Enfield, Tompkins County, NY March 2011 Prepared for: Enfield Energy P.O. Box 547 Ithaca, NY 14851 Prepared by: Old Bird, Inc. 605 W. State St. Ithaca, NY 14850
1. Project Description The project would consist of the construction and operation of up to 20 wind turbines and associated operational facilities (transmission lines, roads, etc.) in western Tompkins County NY, about ten miles west of Ithaca, NY (Fig. 1).1 The project site is roughly midway between the southern ends of Cayuga and Seneca Lakes at the northern edge of the Appalachian/Alleghany Plateau. The altitudes within the project area ran ge between ~530-600 m above sea level (asl). The land to the north slopes gradually lower to Lake Ontario. The land immediately to the south is generally higher terrain (up to 640 m asl) of the Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area (CHWMA). Further south is similar high country strewn with valleys. This altitudinal situation is similar to the site of the Maple Ridge Wind Project near Lowville, NY. The Black Oak Wind Farm project area contains open fields, some agricultural lands, and mixed deciduous woods with scattered evergreen plantations. The NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has classified the stream that drains the property to the west, which enters a ravine and becomes a tributary of Cayuga Inlet. The NY Natural Heritage Program does not list any rare plants, rare animals, state registered wetlands or significant natural communities as residing in the immediate area or in the adjoining forests, according to the present data base. The project is subject to review under the State Environmental Quality Revie w Act (SEQRA), 6 NYCRR Part 617, and the commencement of this project is based on the completion of the SEQRA process. It is anticipated that construction could begin as early as 2012. Fig. 1. Black Oak Wind Farm proposed turbine layout. 1 Tentatively 2.5 MW tubines , 85 m hub height, and 90 m blade diameter.
2. Study Objectives The bird and bat work plan for this wind project intends to closely follow the “standard” wildlife impact assessment protocol noted in the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s Guidelines for Conducting Bird and Bat Studies at Commercial Wind Energy Projects (NYDEC, August 2009). The bird and bat surveys carried out would provide a selection of baseline data on the breeding and migratory species present, their abundance, and their in-flight characteristics for evaluation of potential mortality or disturbance from the wind energy project. 3. Tasks & Methods Tasks 1 & 2: Raptor migration surveys One complete spring and fall raptor migration survey would be carried out following DEC guidelines for standard preconstruction raptor surveys. Observations would be carried out on days of favorable migration weather during March 1 to end of May and August 15 to December 1. On days with anticipated and observed steady raptor movement, surveys would be carried out for the majority of the day, aiming to begin by 9AM and continue until at least two hours before sunset. On days when there is uncertainty whether a substantial raptor migration might occur, daily survey sample periods would be reduced in length if no raptor flight materializes. Fig. 2 shows the locations of the spring and fall raptor migration observation sites for the project area. The primary spring watch site is at the south-central edge of the project site and provides good viewing of raptors approaching the project from most directions. A site at the northeast corner of the project area will also be used to supplement information on the raptor flight through the project area. Fig. 2. Black & white rectangular areas show raptor observation sites for the project.
A synopsis of the raptor migration observations would be put in context with data from regional raptor watches (e.g., Tussey Mtn , PA; Braddock Bay, NY; Derby Hill, NY, Franklin Mtn., NY). Fig. 3 illustrates the topography that may play a role in concentrating raptor movements through the project region. Fig. 3. Blue square shows Black Oak Wind Farm project area with respect to regional topography. The green valley to the left contains Seneca Lake; that to the right Cayuga Lake. The broad, east -west running valley to the south contains the Chemung and Susquehanna Rivers. Fig. 4 shows a closer view of the local topography with respect to the project site. Based on topographical analysis, the project site is likely to have relatively low numbers of migrant raptors. The project site is not located along a ridgeline, and ridgelines in the vicinity appear like they would steer ridge-moving raptors away from the project area. With regard to fall migration, the project site is underneath Lake Ontario and the prevailing northwesterly migration winds in fall tend to direct the major flow of migrant raptors well to the east of the project site. While many raptors track in a southwesterly direction during fall migration across central NY, and tend to cut back under Lake Ontario, the densest vectors of such flights are likely to occur along various ridgelines 5-10 miles east of the project site (Cortland to Ithaca). This perspective is the general consensus of birders in and around the Ithaca, NY area for the past 20 years. A raptor watch was begun near Ithaca (~ 5 miles east; Mt. Pleasant) in the early 1990s and the site has had regular coverage since then, though not
in any standardized way. A synopsis of the data from the Mount Pleasant raptor watch site will be presented in the avian risk assessment for this project. Fig. 4. Blue rectangle shows Black Oak Wind Farm project area with respect to local topography. Spring migration of raptors across central New York is likely to be generally more of a broad front nature than fall. The project’s location on the north side of the CHWMA suggests that any low altitude raptor migration may be steered to the east by the ridgeline on the southeastern portion of the CHWMA. Task 2: Diurnal bird movement survey The Black Oak Wind Farm lies directly south of substantial waterfowl and landbird staging areas in southeastern Lake Ontario and the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR ). The project site is about 10 miles south of the Loon watch at Taughannock Falls St. Park on Cayuga Lake, which has documented the largest inland migration vector of Common Loons in North America. The morning flight of waterfowl and some species of landbirds in the project region is anticipated to be larger than many other regions of interior New York. During mornings with northerly winds from mid-October through early December, morning flight of waterfowl and landbirds would be documented in order to characterize the species composition, numbers, and flight altitude of diurnal avian migrants through the Black Oak wind farm project area.
Task 3: Bat acoustic survey Bat acoustic activity was monitored near the crossroads of Black Oak Road and Cayutaville Road (lower hawk watch site in Fig. 2) from August 24, 2009 until October 9, 2009. A report summarizing the data is available. Task 4: Breeding Bird Survey Old Bird, Inc. would conduct a breeding bird survey during June – July 2011 in accordance with USFWS Breeding Bird Survey techniques for point count surveys. Surveys would document the presence of all breeding birds heard or visually identified. The field surveys would include three breeding bird surveys at each turbine site of the project: one in early June, one in mid -June, and one in early July. During each visit, two surveyors would carry out 10-minute point counts at all 20 proposed turbine sites and the met tower site during the hour before sunrise and the three hours after sunrise . All proposed turbine sites would have three point counts carried out during the 2011 breeding season. In addition, fiel d sites would be surveyed once in the third week of August for juvenile Northern Harriers. Task 5: Bird and bat study reports Reports summarizing the data obtained for each study described above would be produced within about one month after each study season. Each report will include study methods, summarized data, and a discussion section describing the results. Task 6: Avian & Bat Risk Assessment Conclusions on the potential avian and bat impact from the project will be incorporated into an avian & bat risk assessment report for the project in late 2011. 5. Schedule (2009-2011) Task # Activity Dates 1 Spring raptor migration study March 1 – May 30, 2011 2 Fall raptor study October 15 -November 30, 2010 ; August 15 -October 15, 2011 3 Targeted diurnal bird movement study October 15 -November 30, 2010 ; October 15 -November 30, 2011 4 Acoustic monitoring (bats) August 24 -October 9, 2009 5 Breeding bird survey June -August 2011 6 Study reports Acoustic monitoring for bats - complete Spring raptor study ~ July 1, 2011 Breeding bird survey ~ August 30 , 2011 Fall raptor study ~ December 1, 2011 Diurnal bird movement study ~ December 1, 2011 7 Avian & bat risk assessment ~ December 15, 2011