bat deaths in West Virginia

List by species of 476 bats found during a mortality survey at a 44turbine wind farm near Davis, WV. The mortality survey occured once a week from April to November, 2003. The carcasses were identifications by Craig
Stihler, WV DNR.

Red 198
Hoary 89
Eastern Pipistrelle 87
Little Brown 60
Big Brown 2
Long-earred 6
Silver-haired 28
Myotis sp 2
Unknown 2
Live but injured 1 (species unknown)

Total carcasses found 475 (plus one injured but unidentified bat)

The number of fatalities is only a fraction of the total number of bats likely killed this year at this WV windplant covering over 4 miles atop Backbone Mountain (aka -Mountaineer Wind Energy Center). A study of the
number of carcasses removed by scavengers in between weekly mortality searches revealed that ~ 50% of the carcasses were removed. A study of the efficiency of the searchers in finding carcasses in the grass and brush
near the turbines found that ~ 25% of test carcasses laid out were found. With these figures of searcher efficiency and scavenging factored in, the total number of bats killed by these wind turbines would likely exceed 3000
during 2003. However, both the scavenging and searcher efficiency studies were carried out with birds and not bats. Not sure how this would effect the estimated numbers but it is pretty clear that a heck of a lot of bats
were killed. In fact, it is being called the largest bat kill ever documented at a wind farm anywhere in the world.

This kill suggests that bats may be using the long ridgelines in the Alleghenies as migration corridors. Another larger wind farm (200 turbines) has been permited by the WV Public Service Commission on the Allegheny
Front. another prominent long ridglein, east of Mount Storm, WV stretching down toward the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. The issue of bat mortality at wind turbines is fast coming on the front burner for wind farm developers. The primary mitigation ideas they have discussed so far center on finding ultrasonic bat repellants that could be mounted on the turbines. Not sure if this will work but I hope someone comes up with something because we are on track for tens of thousand of wind turbines to be built in the Appalachians in coming decades. Bat populations in eastern NA could take a big hit especially given their generally low reproductive rates - many species only produce one offspring per year.

Thanks Mark, quite a story. Boy we need both bats and wind energy. Hopefully a noise or something can be used to redirect the bats around the turbines. Who would have thought?

Same thing is happening with raptors in California. There needs to be a solution for this.

Darn it! It doesn't seem like the turbines are turning that fast. But they are.