Stop destruction of Tundra Swan migration habitat by wind turbines 

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Translate:  FROM English | TO English

Translate:  FROM English | TO English

Every March 10,000-15,000 Tundra Swans migrate from the eastern USA seaboard to the Arctic tundra of Canada and Alaska. On their epic 6,500-kilometer migration the swans stop to rest and feed on the Thedford Bog and environs near Grand Bend on Lake Huron. The Thedford Bog area is a unique habitat ideally suited specifically for the migrating Tundra Swans, with its wide expanse of flat fields that feature large areas of ice, water and snow in March, providing safety and undisturbed quiet for resting, and food in the surrounding agricultural corn stubble fields for building strength. Tourists, photographers, bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts flock to marvel at the spectacle of this annual migration every year. There are currently multiple wind turbine projects slated for the very ground that is the Tundra Swan migration habitat, and they are being rushed through final approvals (Notice to Proceed) to be completed by April and May, in the apparent absence of any credible environmental impact studies. These projects must be stopped as they will disrupt one of the last great migrations and irrevocably destroy the traditional Tundra Swan staging and rest stop habitat that has been a vital part of their route for thousands of years. Time is of the essence with construction planned to start this summer.

Tundra Swans are huge birds measuring 115–150 cm (45–59 in) in length, with a 168–211 cm (66–83 in) wingspan. They fly at altitudes of up to 8 km and speeds of up to 80 km per hour. Their approach as they come down to the Thedford Bog flats, both during the day and at night (when they will not be able see the turbines), is correspondingly long and very low. The proposed setbacks of 800-940 metres for the wind turbines that are planned to surround the bog and in part be built right on it are therefore utterly, tragically inadequate not only when the swans will try to land on Thedford Bog and flats but also on the approach to any of the other fields in the area that they normally visit. In short, the turbines will kill and scare off the Tundra Swans with the likely result that the birds, in desperate need of rest and sustenance on their arduous migration, will cease to arrive in Grand Bend at all.

TO:
The Honourable Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario
The Honourable Jim Bradley, Minister of the Environment, Province of Ontario
Tom Mitchell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Power Generation

Please stop the multiple wind turbine projects that will spell the destruction of the Tundra Swan migration habitat on the Thedford Bog near Grand Bend on Lake Huron.

As you know, every March 10,000-15,000 Tundra Swans migrate from the eastern USA seaboard to the Arctic tundra of Canada and Alaska. On their epic 6,500-kilometer migration the swans stop to rest and feed on the Thedford Bog flats and environs near Grand Bend on Lake Huron. The Thedford Bog area is a unique habitat ideally suited specifically for the migrating Tundra Swans, with its wide expanse of flat fields that feature large areas of ice, water and snow in March, providing safety and undisturbed quiet for resting, and food in the surrounding agricultural corn stubble fields for building strength. Tourists, photographers, bird watchers and outdoor enthusiasts flock to marvel at the spectacle of this annual migration every year.

As you know, there are currently multiple wind turbine projects slated for the very ground that is the Tundra Swan migration habitat, and they are being rushed through final approvals (Notice to Proceed) to be completed by April and May, in the apparent absence of any credible environmental impact studies. These projects must be stopped as they will disrupt one of the last great migrations and irrevocably destroy the traditional Tundra Swan staging and rest stop habitat that has been a vital part of their migration route for thousands of years.

As you know, Tundra Swans are huge birds measuring 115–150 cm (45–59 in) in length, with a 168–211 cm (66–83 in) wingspan. They fly at altitudes of up to 8 km and speeds of up to 80 km per hour. Their approach as they come down to the Thedford Bog flats, both during the day and at night (when they will not be able see the turbines), is correspondingly long and very low, as you can imagine. The proposed setbacks of 800-940 metres for the wind turbines that will surround the bog and in part be built right on it are therefore utterly, tragically inadequate not only when the swans will try to land on Thedford Bog and flats but also on any of the other fields in the area that they normally visit. In short, the turbines will kill and scare off the Tundra Swans with the likely result that the birds, in desperate need of rest and sustenance on their arduous migration, will cease to arrive in Grand Bend at all.

Please act now and stop the unchecked proliferation of multiple, deadly wind turbine projects that will destroy the unique and sensitive habitat of the migrating Tundra Swans and many other bird species.