Naturalist opposes wind turbine system in bird sanctuary

A Saskatchewan-based naturalist and author is worried thatmigratory birds will bekilled by wind turbines proposed to be built near Chaplin, Sask.

The proposed developmentsite sits approximately three kilometres north of an internationally recognized bird sanctuary at Chaplin Lake.

"The ChaplinLake area is crucial to several species of shore birds, including some endangered species such as the piping plover," saidTrevorHerriot, who's based in Regina.

Herriot said he'sunconvincedby assertions in an environmental impact study that 77 wind turbines built north of the Chaplin Lake reserve will pose a low risk to the migratory birdspassing north through the area.

Hundreds of thousands of birds ... will go directly through this gauntlet of 77 wind turbines.- Trevor Herriot, naturalist and author

Ontario-basedAlgonquin Power Company won SaskPower'srequest forproposals to developand build the wind turbine system. Algonquin is a subsidiary of WindlectricInc.

SaskPower estimates the turbine system will generate an additional175 megawatts of wind power forthe province's power grid. The project is expected to be finished by the end of 2016.

"There are hundreds of thousands of birds who will pass north of that lake every year, and they will go directly through this gauntlet of 77 wind turbines," Herriot said.

He noted thatfourper cent of the global population of piping ploversnest there. Other well-known shorebirds, like the sanderling, pass through the area at counts of50,000or 60,000 each spring, he said.

In a blog post, referring tothe "terms of reference for environmental impact statement"drafted by theengineering firm Stantec, Herriot notes the environmental impact statement waspaid for by Algonquin.

In an interview on CBC Saskatchewan's theMorning Edition,Brady Pollock, director of environmental assessment for the province, responded to the potential conflict of interest by Algonquin paying Stantecfor theenvironmental study about land it seeks to build wind turbines on.

"This is simply the process. Theproponentprepares the document and then it undergoes a rigorous and thorough review by governmentitself. So it really is anindependent,arms-lengthreview of information provided by the proponent,"Pollock said.

Pollock said the process is independent, becausethe government conducts an independent analysis.

"It considers all available information, whether it's info provided directlyin the environmentalstatement[provided by Algonquin]or various literature sourcesout there, or previous experiences at our own available data on the existing site," Pollock said.

One of the "birdiest" spots in the prairies

Once thereview is complete, analytical findings based on that review will be made available to the public, along with the environmental impact statement, Pollock said.

For his part, Herriot said he's not opposed to wind turbine systems for generating power. He does, however, disagree with the proposed location for Algonquin's system.

"It's one of the birdiest spots on the Great Plains and here we are putting a wind turbine there," he said.

"They'resaying there are very few birds that use the area or move through it. I'd like to see how many days of research they did that. And I'd like to see them take that information to a bird scientist at a university who is independent, and see whether it has any rigor or validity," Herriot said.

Chaplin's migratory birds

9 years ago

Duration 2:43

Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds depend on Chaplin Lake's shrimp and salt.