Bird groups sue to stop Lake Erie wind project 

Camp Perry turbine would set dangerous precedent for the Great Lakes region.

Two leading bird conservation groups, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), have filed a lawsuit against the Ohio Air National Guard (ANG) over its plans to build and operate a wind turbine at its Camp Perry facility. Located in Port Clinton, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie, Camp Perry lies in a major bird migration corridor, close to numerous Bald Eagle nests, and is likely to kill species protected under the Endangered Species Act such as Kirtland’s Warbler and Piping Plover.

Kirtland’s Warbler

Filed in U.S. District Court today, the complaint alleges that the Camp Perry project violates the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and other federal laws protecting wildlife and the environment. “To have a government agency disregard the government’s own guidelines is not acceptable and, if left unchallenged, could encourage others to follow suit,” said Mike Parr, ABC’s Chief Conservation Officer.

A recent radar study by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service found excessively high risks to birds and bats from wind turbines placed along the shores of the Great Lakes. “The Great Lakes region—the site of one of the world’s greatest confluences of migratory birds and bats—is perhaps the worst possible place for wind energy development,” said Michael Hutchins, Director of ABC’s Bird-Smart Wind Energy Program.

“The Camp Perry project would set a terrible precedent, opening up the southern shoreline of Lake Erie to further development,” Hutchins continued. “This would be a disaster for our ecologically and economically important birds, as well as bats.”

ABC and BSBO are asking the court to halt the project and to require the ANG to obtain proper permitting and to conduct environmental impact assessments and other reviews called for under the ESA, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, and the National Environmental Protection Act. In violation of these laws, ANG constructed the foundation for the turbine before completing the required assessments and consultations, and it has not sought the “take” permits required under the laws.

“We have many peer-reviewed studies documenting the impact of wind energy on birds and bats. And yet it takes a lawsuit to protect one of the most important migratory bird stopover habitats in the Western Hemisphere,” said Kimberly Kaufman, Executive Director of Black Swamp Bird Observatory. “It’s another sad commentary on the lack of wind energy regulations in this country.”

ABC and BSBO are being represented in the case by the Washington, D.C.-based public-interest law firm of Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP and ABC’s General Counsel, William Sheehan.

Contact: Michael Hutchins, American Bird Conservancy, (301) 367-5053, or Kimberly Kaufman, Black Swamp Bird Observatory, (419) 898-4070 x201

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American Bird Conservancy is dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity for bird conservation.

Black Swamp Bird Observatory is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit whose mission is to inspire the appreciation, enjoyment, and conservation of birds and their habitats through research, education, and outreach.