Wind Energy-related Wildlife Impacts: Analysis and Potential Implications for Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species of Birds and Bats in Texas Metadata

Title

• Main Title Wind Energy-related Wildlife Impacts: Analysis and Potential Implications for Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species of Birds and Bats in Texas

Creator

• Author: Graham, Tara L.
  Creator Type: Personal

Contributor

• Chair: Hudak, Paul F.
  Contributor Type: Personal
  Contributor Info: Major Professor
• Committee Member: Oppong, Joseph R.
  Contributor Type: Personal
  Contributor Info: Minor Professor
• Committee Member: Smith, Julie
  Contributor Type: Personal

Publisher

• Name: University of North Texas
  Place of Publication: Denton, Texas

Date

• Creation: 2010-08

Language

• English

Description

• Content Description: Texas currently maintains the highest installed nameplate capacity and does not require publicly available post-construction monitoring studies that examine the impacts of wind energy production on surrounding fauna. This thesis examines potential wind energy impacts on avian and bat species in Texas through a three-part objective. The first two objectives synthesize literature on variables attractive to species within wind development areas and estimate impacted ranges outside of Texas, based on studies examining wind energy's environmental impacts. The third objective focuses on Texas wind development potential for interaction with rare, threatened and endangered species of birds and bats using GIS analysis with a potential hazard index (PHI) model, which addresses broad-spectrum, high risk variables examined within the first two objectives. Assuming areas with higher wind speeds have potential for wind development, PHI values were calculated for 31 avian and ten bat species, based on an analysis of species range data obtained from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and wind data obtained from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Results indicate one avian species, Tympanuchus pallidicinctus, is at high risk for wind development interaction on an annual basis, with 20 species of birds and nine species of bats at higher risk during the spring season. This macro-scale approach for identifying high risk species in Texas could be used as a model to apply to other conterminous states' preliminary evaluation of wind energy impacts.
• Physical Description: vii, 153 p. : ill., maps

Subject

• Keyword: Wind Energy
• Keyword: Texas avifauna
• Keyword: environmental impacts
• Library of Congress Subject Headings: Wind power -- Environmental aspects -- Texas.
• Library of Congress Subject Headings: Wind turbines -- Texas -- Environmental aspects.
• Library of Congress Subject Headings: Birds -- Conservation -- Texas.
• Library of Congress Subject Headings: Bats -- Conservation -- Texas.
• Library of Congress Subject Headings: Endangered species -- Texas.

Collection

• Name: UNT Theses and Dissertations
  Code: UNTETD

Institution

• Name: UNT Libraries
  Code: UNT

Rights

• Rights Access: public
• Rights License: copyright
• Rights Holder: Graham, Tara L.
• Rights Statement: Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Resource Type

• Thesis or Dissertation

Format

• Text

Identifier

• OCLC: 697791003
• UNT Catalog No.: b3911379
• Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metadc30459

Degree

• Degree Name: Master of Science
• Degree Level: Master's
• Degree Discipline: Environmental Science
• Academic Department: Department of Biological Sciences
• Degree Grantor: University of North Texas

Note