Location, Location, Location…Migration, Migration, Migration
This map shows 706 turbines built, or soon to be built, on this narrow corridor where two major flyways (Mississippi and Atlantic) converge. At its narrowest point, between Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie near Tilbury, Ontario, the funnel is only 32 kilometres (20 miles). In their over-zealous rush, the McGuinty government has not factored in the devastating cumulative effects of dislocation to major migration routes. 
Map courtesy of Windfarm Realities
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Tundra Swan Reports
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Ontario Wind Turbine Map
Two major migration routes intercepted by industrial wind turbines!
Manitoulin Island is also on the migratory bird flight path. Soon to be devastated by Industrial Turbines.
If you had to pick one migration corridor in the entire country — nay, the entire N.E. region of the continent — to protect from a continuous 400-foot high twirling industrial gauntlet on land, the north shore of Lake Erie would be it. Nowhere else in Canada and the northeast do you see concentrations of migrants as dense as here. Millions and millions of birds, bats, monarch butterflies, wasps, lady bugs and dragonflies are all forced to fly through this killing field — and everyone in the government, Nature Canada, Ontario Nature and other NGOs in the province was well aware of that fact and did nothing to stop this outrage.
Reckless, irresponsible and criminal!
That doesn’t include the continuous maze of turbines up the Huron coast to the Bruce peninsula. Then there is the proposed off-shore on the U.S side of Erie and the Ontario side waiting for the moratorium to lift. Ontario could not choose richer areas to destroy.
No worries the developers have it under control. NextEra told the local paper shortly after recieving their contract offer that their studies have conveniently shown that Tundra Swans migrate along the shoreline not over their development area. A fact that has baffled both long term residents and even their own biologist when I spoke to them about it.
How can an environmentalist support this insanity?
Each of the wind companies appears to be allowed to confine their environmental assessments to just one project at a time without considering the overall impacts of adjoining or nearby future IWT projects. Divide these into small projects and get away with claiming that their particular project will not harm birds and bats because these creatures can just fly around them. Very crafty trick isn’t it?
For several weeks each Spring an Fall, Tundra Swans fly in large numbers between Grand Bend, on Lake Huron, and Rondeau Bay, on Lake Erie. Just look at the map of Ontario, and if NextEra really thinks they fly along the shoreline, I suggest that its ecologists are not as smart as the swans. I know because I’ve seen them in both places and in between.
Oh and don’t forget that even the birders have been greenwashed into stateing that “more birds are killed by stray cats and tall buildings. ” When was the last time you saw a cat bring home a red tailed hawk or turkey vulture??? I guess it will become commonplace now! The barn cats of rural ontario will be rejoicing and feasting on the half dead free fall by the turbines!
The ” wind fall kills” from the turbines can feed other scavengers such as coyotoes- coyotoes are doing a great job controlling the roaming cat (and at times small dog) populations …surprised this hasn’t been touted as a positive benefit for environmental mitigation.
Oops did I just let the cat out of the bag?
Linda, you’re going to get the cat lovers upset with thay type of attitude.
On one discussion board, I made the mistake of pointing out that a cat that’s kept indoors like mine kills zero birds. I was accussed of being cruel for not letting him out!
Safety of children is a much bigger issue here than cats are.
Yikes- I will make sure they don’t know about my multiple cats incarcerated in captivity (all rural strays who have found their way into my home and heart) A neighbour who has IWTs near his home has told me about seeing the coyotes scouting around the bases of the turbines for an easy meal. The recent episode of a child being bitten by a coyote does make one stop and consider safety in another context altogether. (sorry for the incorrect spelling of “coyotoes” it is how my neighbour says the word)
If a person is bitten by a coyote then they have to take the rabies shots unless the coyote is caught and tested for rabies.
This poses a dangerous situation for small childern who live near IWTs
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Killing any of the migratory birds violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which comprises international treaties among the U.S., Canada, Russia, Japan, and Mexico.
Yes, except if you’re a wind company. Birds are being slaughtered at an alarming rate on Wolfe Island and the MNR is turning a blind eye.
In this case, the real problem is the disruption of migratory routes. Millions of birds will have to fly around these monsters, trying to avoid the mess. Being forced over the water could result in kills from exhaustion.
They are also attracted to the lights, especially in fog. The birds now must try to navigate that chaos at night.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is the regulatory agency in the U.S. with enforcement authority of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The USFWS is also allowing migratory birds to be killed at industrial scale wind facilities without any enforcement action. Improper lighting protocol has also led to massive bird kills at industrial scale wind facilities. Currently, Laurel Mountain Preservation Association and several signatory groups have a complaint letter to the USFWS and to the West Virginia Public Service Commission (Case No. 12-0034-E-C, which you can follow on their website under case information, activity). A concerted effort by all our various groups could perhaps be effective concerning getting the regulatory agencies to do their jobs.
Can the IWT maps be kept posted as they are necessary references going foreward now and important for new viewers to see?
I’ll create a tab (above) for maps.
Unless there is a US president who favours IWTs over migratory birds.
In his 700 page report to the government on extreme measures to bring down the deficit in Ontario so the province won’t turn into Greece by 2017, economist Don Drummond couldn’t find space to mention industrial wind turbines. Nothing. I guess the The Green Energy Act doesn’t figure in Ontario public expenses—if the report is to be believed. Does anybody really think that his task force didn’t notice anything there? I hope sombody can find and expose the answer to this question: “How did these billions in low-hanging fruit become invisible?”
???? which side is Don Drummond’s bread buttered on ???
Only health and education are considered to be important in discussing Ontario’s financial state.
There won’t be much money for either of these if high energy costs drive out business and jobs from Ontario. More tax base lost. But Ontario could sell its natural resources and keep afloat with these monies. Sorry but not many fish are left to sell.
Maybe he’s on this this side “former TD Canada Trust senior vice-president and chief economist Don Drummond”. TD promotes green projects. Hmmm…….
Yes, please go to your bank or anywhere where Industrial Wind Turbines are featured and lodge a complaint.
It is worse than this map shows. All the area west of Chatham and over to Lake St. Clair has turbines that IPC is beginning to build (I just haven’t got the co-ords to get added to this map yet (the East Lake St. Clair wind project)
First, a big thanks to the person or people who put these maps together. The pictures are very effective.
I believe there are as many as 200 turbines unaccounted for on this map. Between Chatham, Lake St. Clair and to the north edge of the map. And some other areas. Unfortunately I do not have enough details to provide more information.
The picture in the link shows the some of the areas in question.
http://s1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd483/Nobirdshredders/setbacks/?action=view¤t=ontario-turbines-120216.jpg#!oZZ1QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fs1222.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fdd483%2FNobirdshredders%2Fsetbacks%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3Dontario-turbines-120216.jpg
Excellent job with this map. Thank you! I have already observed Tundra swans and Canada geese, lose formation and change directions several times in the space of a couple of kilometers as they try to thread their way through the Talbot wind project south of Ridgetown to get to Lake Erie.
With the latest updates, the onshore total comes to ~760 and the offshore total is 715, for a total of almost 1500 turbines on that picture. Obviously Google can’t show all 1500 at once, so most of the push pins are paled out and hidden. For the full picture you can get the Google Earth KML files from me, open them up in GE and zoom in to your heart’s horror.
Large wall maps would be needed to show all of the turbines in each of the counties.
As more turbines are installed the IWT problems will multiply.
It dosen’t take a rocket scientist to know what will happen to the bird & bat populations.
On the other side ,, Does anybody knoiw the name of the Marine Towing Company that is getting the contract to deliver materials to the sites of the Wind Mills ?
I worked in the area of Kingston and Wolf Island Last Fall,,, I could not believe how many Wind Mills there was… Destroyed a beautiful Veiw , There is NO way a Flock of any kind of bird could pass threw that corridor ,, especially at night
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Up-date!
January 25, 2012
Windstream Energy has announced its decision to invest in Kingston, home to Ontario’s first contracted offshore wind power project.
At a press conference organized by the Lake Ontario Offshore Network (LOON), Windstream announced preliminary agreements
with Anchor Concrete Products Ltd., George A. Wright & Son Ltd. and M. Sullivan & Son Ltd. for its
300 MW Wolfe Island Shoals offshore wind power project. http://electricalline.com/node/3168
Unbelievable!
CNW, Jan.18,2012
Four Hamilton companies involved in the eastern Lake Ontario wind project:
Bermingham, IWT foundations solutions
Walters Group, the structural steel
Hamilton Port Authroity, shore and quayside for IWT tower assembly
McKiel Marine, tugs, barges and platforms to move the IWT towers