migrating birds and bats
A friend of mine who works for the National Forest Service pointed out that studies have shown the wind turbines have a devastating effect on migrating birds and bats when they are in a major flyway. I feel that some controls need to be in place to require energy companies to shut down the wind turbines during certain times of the year.
Views: 0
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Bernard J. Starzewski on -
Define "devastating"... The studies that showed this were on the old 70s era units with fast moving blades. these giants with their very slow moving blades do not have the same problem.
There is a website called windcows.com that promotes all of that paranoid nonsense including claiming that the light flicker on a red horizon can cause siezures and all other sorts of BS like that.
The larger question is - what are the consequences of the alternatives? Do you want more CO2 in the atmosphere? Would you settle for creating gigantic dams and relocating millions of people as in the China Three Gorges project? Or would you accept the cost of storing nuclear waste for eternity for some (allegedly) cheap power today?
-
Permalink Reply by Sally Mole on -
I also heard what Lou describes. There are some newer studies that show that the danger to birds and bats is not really that big a deal.
-
Permalink Reply by Allenwrench on -
Maybe true...but birds will have to adapt or die.
I'm sorry for the polar bears and the penguins losing their ice as well. But this is how mankind operates by living outside of natures intended means.
All our actions have consequences, and many of our actions produce consequences that end up destroying peace.
They destroy our peace as well as the inner peace of others.
And if the bird die, we will eat them as they fall to the ground.
You know, food supplies will be dwindling in our post carbon world.
With the recent food shortages in the news I have to wonder as Richard Heinberg brought up "Who will be growing our food 20 years from now?"
"The average American farmer is 55 to 60 years old. The proportion of full time farmers younger than 35 years of age has dropped from 15.9% in 1982 to 5.8% in 2002. Who will be growing our food 20 years from now?" from "Peak Everything" by Richard Heinberg
"Amish farmers can't compete in conventual agriculture farming. 40 years ago 90% to 95% of the Amish were farmers. Today less than 10% are farmers." Ffrom: "How the Amish Survive" DVD
We have been worshiping the wrong God all these years. We should have been making farmers our God.
We should have been worshiping the farmer and doing everything we could to make their life a better one and kiss their a**** for producing healthy and nutritious food for us.
Our food supply has degenerated unbelievably in recent years and getting worse every day that goes by. A societies well-being is based on healthy food that the farmer produces.
Just as cows go mad with poisonous, unnatural diet - so will society.
People will be headed off the deep end more and more as global warming starts to cook us, the oil and natural gas dries up and our excessive desires cannot be fulfilled any longer.
If the poison food does not drive us crazy, the salty and unnatural combinations and nutritionally bankrupt content will do the job as we get cooked from the inside with EMF and radio wave radiation for every direction.
The food being fed to us is factory made, genetically engineered, poison. But besides the greed for money, the drive for GMO food is that of necessity. We are overpopulated and our land is devoid of nutrition so they monkey with the food to try and keep pace with the insatiable demands of feeding the US.
In addition, there are not enough farmers in the US to feed us any other way than the way they do now. If the US went to organic farming with the same amount of farmers we have now - we would starve to death.
"In 1935, the number of farms in the United States peaked at 6.8 million as the population edged over 127 million citizens. There are over 285,000,000 people living in the United States. Of that population, less than 1% claim farming as an occupation."
http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.html
If we look at the trends of farming in the US it goes in just one direction ... DOWN.
Much of the citrus groves in Fla and CA are disappearing due to skyrocketing real estate values. You know farming is tough work and many times nature deals you a blow with disease, pests and inclement weather that destroys crops.
So why would a farmer want to put up with all that when they could get $5,000,0000 or $10,000,000 for prime real estate?
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Oct/19/bz/hawaii7101...
http://www.californiagreensolutions.com/cgi-bin/gt/tpl.h,content=1039
It is really a tough life 'just finding' some decent food to eat nowadays unless you happen to live in a town with a good natural grocer and have lots of money. But money is still no guarantee. I bought some 'organic peaches' last summer at Krogers for $3 a pound...they rotted before the ripened ....went straight in the trash.
When I was a kid growing up in L.A. we could pick apricots from a tree in the alley and they had fabulous flavor even when somewhat green. What do you get now with apricots...tasteless rubber for $3 a pound.
The peaches have lost their fuzz since they are picked green, buffed and waxed with poisons and anti fungals. You can't wash it off either.
Soak a buffed peach in water and you will get a rainbow oil slick on the surface of the water composed of poison...no matter how many times you rinse it. Each summer I make it my mission to try and find a few edible peaches with the fuzz still on them...I usually fail unless I drive great distances and luck into a 'real' farmers market. (I've noticed some roadside farmers stands just buy their produce in normal channels to resell)
We will run out of natural gas, just as we deplete our crude supplies in the near future. Our population boom was fueled by synthetic fertilizers made from natural; gas. Once the natural gas dries up so does the fertilizer and a shortage of fertilizer equals a shortage of food.
http://www.amazon.com/High-Noon-Natural-Gas-Energy/dp/1931498539
I think we have a real food crisis brewing for the world. Not enough young farmers replacing the old, we will run low of fertilizer as the NG dries up and that food which is grown is devoid of nutrition and not healthy.
-
Permalink Reply by Steve Duncan on -
Reply to Allenwrench
If the future is so dismal why don't we just crawl into a h*** and DIE!!! I thought this discussion was to look at ways we could pull together as Americans and work ourselves out of the mistakes from the past instead of spending valuable time ruminating about past mistakes. We have the technology, skills and work ethic in alot of the people in this country to do just about anything that needs to be done to solve this problem so lets get to it instead of spreading DOOM and GLOOM and negative vibrations through a whole lot of concerned people that are trying to get together and solve a BIG problem but one I have confidence we can successfully resolve. We must make the "main thing the main thing" which is working toward energy independence.
Sorry if I come across a little harsh but the past is the past. Let's learn from it, make farming a more profitable endeavor with some innovation (like NG conversions for diesel engine harvest and planting equipment) and move ahead.
Peace
-
Permalink Reply by Karen Kline on -
Thanks for this! I'm sure it's accurate.
Lou Chrzanowski said:Actually, those studies have been blown way out of proportion. According to other studies, power lines, cars, pesticides, cats, tall buildings, and lighted towers all have a significantly larger impact on bird deaths than wind turbines. In fact there are statistics that show that of all bird deaths due to impact with man-made structures, wind turbines account for 0.01 - 0.02% (1 out of 5,000 to 10,000).
Newer wind turbines turn MUCH slower than the smaller-faster units. Not only do they last longer this way, but they also are much safer for birds and bats.
http://www.awea.org/faq/sagrillo/swbirds.html
-
Permalink Reply by Karen Kline on
-
Allenwrench -- I thoroughly disagree that we will eat bird falling from the sky as they are killed by wind turbines or anything else.
The fact is that nearly anyone could grow kale: it's fast and easy and very productive. Plus it's healthier than cabbage, and has a milder flavor.
It would be much better for our health to grow some of our own food.
Observing from personal experience my grandfather who had a garden that he fed us and neighbors from died a few days shy of 100; while my grandfather who had bee president of the American Farm Bureau Federation and had a large farm in Iowa died in his 60s.
Yes, my grandfather Kline had a lot more stress in his life... but he also ate primarily from the commercially grown food stocks which rely on commercial fertilizers and pesticides, whereas grandpa Ambrose's garden relied on compost and manure...
-
Permalink Reply by Steve Duncan on
-
Thank you Karen Kline
Been a gardener for years and you are correct. I say we look at a 4 day standard work week and spend one day per week in our own gardens or canning what we grow, etc. If you don't have your own piece of ground get together with a couple of neighbors that do and work out local co-ops. Think of how much time is spent behind computers, in front of TV sets, video games, etc. that could be put into working your gardens. If enoough people did it it would take the pressure off the farmers and maybe make us all much healthier with the exercise, control of food quality, etc.
Peace
-
Permalink Reply by Opal Giroux on -
I truly believe this type of concern is a major reason that we have gotten into the mess we are in. I know animals need to be protected(whether it be in Alaska or the coastal area or the middle of the country), but when it causes such an economical problem for our country, what is more important? The fact, that we need fuels of all kind, to assist the people of this country. People need jobs, fuel to heat homes and gas for transportation to & from work. Also, fuel for the famers at a reasonable rate so food cost can come down. It is a shame when a country like the USA have people having to choose between food and medicines due to these high cost. I do know that many of the wealthy people do not believe that people in this country are starving, doing without medical care because of the economy.
-
Permalink Reply by Karen Kline on
-
OMN! (Oh My No) We have gotten into this mess because we are so self centered and don't care about animals or birds or actual health. We buy into the need for sunscreen and then when cancer rates go up because of the lack of vitamin D we buy into the need to buy vitamin D supplements rather than go outside into the sunshine for a healthy length of time.
You could choose to eat less meat and make a substantial difference.
I stopped eating meat because of the inordinate cost of feeding corn to animals when there is a world wide food shortage...
Opal Giroux said:I truly believe this type of concern is a major reason that we have gotten into the mess we are in. I know animals need to be protected(whether it be in Alaska or the coastal area or the middle of the country), but when it causes such an economical problem for our country, what is more important? The fact, that we need fuels of all kind, to assist the people of this country. People need jobs, fuel to heat homes and gas for transportation to & from work. Also, fuel for the famers at a reasonable rate so food cost can come down. It is a shame when a country like the USA have people having to choose between food and medicines due to these high cost. I do know that many of the wealthy people do not believe that people in this country are starving, doing without medical care because of the economy.
-
Permalink Reply by Pongo P on -
Allenwrench - Farming will go the way the mom and pop corner stores have gone to the Walmarts, Home Depots, etc. Huge conglomerates will be growing our food - like ADM. http://www.admworld.com
-
Permalink Reply by Karen Kline on
-
Sadly, this is not in the future, it is now.
Animals raised as meat products are squashed so closely together that they would get sick and die if not for the huge amounts of antibiotics pumped into them...
and then the news makes it sound like such a mystery that antibiotics don't work as well asa they used to and things like MRSA are killing people.
© 2013 Created by PickensPlan.
Powered by
Badges | Community Guidelines | Report an Issue | Terms of Service
