Duke Energy Corporation, in Blair and Cambria counties, Pennsylvania, has taken steps to ensure its windmills are safer for bats. In September, the US Fish and Wildlife Service was contacted by Duke Energy’s North Allegheny Wind facility to report that a dead Indiana bat (an endangered species) was found among the 35 wind turbines. Duke Energy has been voluntarily monitoring its facility to help protect indigenous bat species.
To protect the bats from further mortalities, Duke Energy stopped its night-time wind farm operations during the duration of the Indiana bat’s migration. Turbines resume 24 hour operation beginning in mid-November to April 1, which is when bats are in hibernation. During the rest of the year, the turbines are turned off 30 minutes before sunset, and 30 minutes after sunrise.
Interested in teaching your students more about Ecology? Check out SSR's Vol 41 DVD, episode Ecology – Bats: Creatures of the Night. If your school would like to receive this free resource, visit http://www.ssrvideo.com/nhcmsp.html.
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