I’m writing in response to a latest article by birding columnist Bruce Mactavish, “Shock fowl spottings throughout autumn journey to Codroy Valley space.”
I’ve been following the event of the World Vitality GH2 challenge on the west coast of Newfoundland with nice concern since its announcement in July 2022. The second proposed wind turbine website on the Anguille mountains within the Codroy Valley was a late addition to the challenge.
The individuals there – and across the province – are solely starting to come back to phrases with what this can imply for that area. Mr. Mactavish describes the numerous pleasant avian encounters he’s had this fall whereas spending time within the pretty Codroy Valley, which included over 50 white-throated sparrows, over 200 sharp-shinned hawks, “clouds” of robins, and a few uncommon fowl sightings at Cape Anguille together with a blue-winged warbler and a white-eyed vireo.
Mr. Mactavish says he went within the fall to increase his information of the autumn fowl migration, the extent of which isn’t very well-known and ends the piece with noting his sense of pleasure and his feeling that “something is feasible within the Codroy Valley.”
I saved ready for him to say the menace to fowl populations from the proposed WE GH2 challenge, which incorporates 164 huge, 200-metre tall generators with related roads and transmission traces to be located alongside the Anguille Mountains on one facet of the valley, round tributaries which feed into the Grand Codroy Estuary. That is maybe an important wetland within the province and has two internationally acknowledged Vital Chicken Areas.
The importance of the Grand Codroy Estuary was acknowledged in 1987 by the Ramsar Conference and is the one space within the province to have this recognition. The American Chicken Conservancy (ABC) notes that “Wind generators and their related infrastructure – notably energy traces and towers – are among the many fastest-growing threats to birds and bats in the US and Canada.” Additionally they clarify that this menace will be lowered by means of correct siting of generators.
“Relating to wind vitality, website choice is the whole lot. The dangers are, after all, a lot better when wind generators are positioned in areas attracting massive concentrations of birds and bats. When wind vitality initiatives are positioned in or close to main migratory routes, stopover websites, or key breeding or foraging areas, the losses are anticipated to be nice. ABC believes that such high-risk areas ought to be averted in any respect prices.”
It’s inconceivable to me that our authorities would permit this challenge to proceed in an important space for birds within the province and in probably the most stunning locations on the island. And this for a mega challenge whose know-how is untested at this scale anyplace on the planet aside from one in China – how is that one going by the best way? Does anybody know?
One of many notable omissions within the Environmental Affect Assertion submitted by WE GH2 is a examine for fall fowl migration within the Codroy Valley. How knowledgeable a call can the Division of Setting be making with out this data? Absolutely the numerous of us round this province who worth and examine birds within the valley have comparable considerations?
Whereas extolling the birding delights of the Codroy Valley, Mr. Mactavish fails to say the proposed growth and the menace it poses to migratory fowl populations. The author clearly cherishes what the Codroy Valley has to supply. My concern is that if the generators are put in within the Anguille mountains as proposed, moderately than counting birds in flight on his subsequent go to, Mr. Mactavish will likely be counting fowl corpses.
Tara Manuel
Nook Brook
Co-Chair, Enviro Watch NL
