DEADLINE April 12
To Western Area Power Administration.
Email: NEPA@wapa.gov
Be sure to put SWAN LAKE WIND COMMENT in subject line.
INCLUDE Your Name and Address.
Concerns: TWO Unique factors that affect our area more than others.
- Bats 2. Geese feeding
DETAILS to cite.
Winifred Frick, a chief scientist at Bat Conservation International, ““You put these turbines up and it starts raining bats.”
The death count suggests many bat species could become endangered in the next few years, Frick said. A study from 2021 found the hoary bat population in North America could be cut in half by 2028
USGS: https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/why-are-bats-importantv
From United States Geological Survey:
Why are bats important?
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year.
This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber. It also doesn’t take into account the critical importance of bats as plant and crop pollinators. So the actual monetary worth of bats is far greater than 3.7 billion dollars per year.
MOSQUITOES; rainfall amounts, humidity in our Yankton County and Turner County area are conducive to large populations, especially in late Spring during bat migrations.
What effect will bat depopulation from these wind turbines have on prevalence of West Nile Disease in our Southeast South Dakota area?
GEESE: Migratory Route
AND
FEEDING AREA in Spring.
This is near the Missouri River. This is a Corn Production area. Thousands of geese feed in these fields. .
Here is the letter I wrote:
Re: South Dakota Swan Lake Wind Project Comment
1) What effect will bat depopulation from these wind turbines have on the prevalence of West Nile Disease in our Southeast South Dakota area?
The conditions from rainfall and humidity in our specific area produce a large mosquito population.
Winifred Frick, a chief scientist at Bat Conservation International, states, “You put these turbines up and it starts raining bats.”
The bat death count suggests many bat species could become endangered in the next few years, Frick said. A study from 2021 found the hoary bat population in North America could be cut in half by 2028.
2) And then there is the fact this project is in a major flyway for migratory birds. Additionally, this is a corn production area which makes it a major feeding ground for tens of thousands of geese in Spring, being just a few miles from the Missouri River.
All of the above are in addition to the other concerns about sound, infrasound, decline of housing prices, and the visual pollution. As one book title describes it, “Paradise Destroyed” and all for NOTHING.
CO2 is NOT a climate control knob. This project will have No effect on climate. Net Zero is an INSANE program for politicians to continue to funnel our tax dollars to grifters through Big Government agencies.
As a fifth generation, family farmer, I strongly object to this harmful boondoggle in our backyard.
Michael Snow