NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/736554
50 NEBRASKAland • NOVEMBER 2016 turbines, therefore suggesting wind farms may actually be a safer place for prairie chickens to mate and nest? On the other hand, could mammalian predators be attracted to wind farms? "If a crow flies into a turbine blade, it dies and drops below. So would a scavenger be more prone to look for food near the turbine because of the potential for carrion?" Powell said. Most people naturally assume that relations between the research team and NPPD might have been contentious. But that wasn't the case at all. "They have a whole team of environmental experts who are interested in how their infrastructure affects the environment around them. We approached them with a 'We don't know what's going to happen' attitude. We had some thoughts on what we would find, but we went into it with a very open mind," Powell said. And as far as the ranchers, "the nice thing about this project was that many of the landowners like prairie chickens. Most hunt them," he said. "The most interested ranchers up there asked questions. 'So where is this one today?' 'Where is this one nesting on my land?' So there was a shared enthusiasm for the project." Smith and the field team enjoyed working with the landowners immensely. "I just really enjoyed talking to the landowners about what they do. It was a pleasure," Smith said. "We understand that the land is their livelihood, but it was also really important for them to understand what we were doing as well. Renewable energy is great, but we've got to work out the best way forward in terms of energy production for the human population. At the same time, we have to think about how decisions affect wildlife. There has to be a balance." Findings In November 2015, Larkin and his team of researchers presented their findings to the Nebraska Wind and Solar Conference. For the wind-energy industry in Nebraska, their presentation provided some relief, though not without reservations. Overall, the data showed that the NPPD wind farm had little effect on the greater prairie- chicken population near Ainsworth. The conclusions were reached by comparing results between data collected at the NPPD site and other prairie chicken leks not located near wind turbines. Dr. Jennifer Smith, then research associate at UNL, setting up traps near Ainsworth to band and tag prairie chickens. PHOTO BY JENNY NGUYEN Are avian predators avoiding wind turbines, therefore suggesting wind farms may actually be a safer place for prairie chickens to mate and nest? – Dr. Jennifer Smith