NWCC NATIONAL WIND COORDINATING COMMITTEE

HIGHLIGHTS

February 15, 2006

DATES TO REMEMBER

Wind/Wildlife Activities and Events Electronic Table – For the latest on wind/wildlife related research, meetings, papers, and more, check out our electronic table available here. If you have a new item or update to add to this table, please contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.

Registration Open! February 27-28, 2006, NWCC Wildlife Workgroup Core Group Meeting – Join Core Group members, alternates, and other interested parties on February 27-28 in Washington, DC as we hold a mini-workshop on ecological risk assessment frameworks, give updates on subgroup activities, and more. The draft agenda is being finalized, but logistics information and online registration is available here.

NWCC CONFERENCE CALLS

Siting Workgroup Call
February 16 @ 2:00 pm ET

Transmission Update Call
February 24 @ 1:00 pm ET

Steering Committee Call
February 24 @ 2:00 pm ET

Wildlife Workgroup Call
March 8 @ 1:00 pm ET

Working Groups

Wildlife Research Meeting VI Planning Call
February 17 @ 11:30 am ET

Western Transmission Planning Call
February 17 @ 1:00 pm ET

Midwest Transmission Planning Call
February 17 @ 2:00 pm ET

SPP Transmission Planning Call
February 21 @ Noon ET

NWCC MEETINGS

Wildlife Workgroup Core Group Meeting
February 27-28, 2006
Washington, DC

Wildlife Interaction with Wind Developments: Research Meeting VI
November 14-16, 2006
Texas

MAGIC MOMENTS

Updated Calendar of 2006 Events: click here

NWCC STAFF CONTACTS

Katie Kalinowski
Outreach Coordinator
(202) 965-6383
kkalinowski@resolv.org

Madeleine West
Program Associate
(202) 965-6216
mwest@resolv.org

NWCC WORKGROUP UPDATES

Recent Wildlife Workgroup subgroup activities include:

Grassland/Shrub Steppe Species - Coordination continues to set up financial management of the prairie chicken research funds through Kansas State University. An updated research approach, including timeline and budget, is under review with the project’s technical monitor, Karin Sinclair from NREL. The proposed approach will be distributed to the GS3 Oversight Committee for review and approval.

The GS3 Oversight Committee is comprised of following groups: wind industry, federal management/research (USGS/USFWS), scientific academic, state agency – management/research, and NGO. The USFWS representative is still being established but all other positions are filled. The Oversight Committee will be responsible for finalizing group operating protocols.

The literature review being conducted by the Ornithological Council research team on avian grassland/shrub steppe species and wind projects is underway.

A revised draft of the grassland songbirds monitoring protocol went out to the subgroup for review.

Risk Assessment - A workshop on ecological risk assessment (ERA) and its potential application to wind power will be held as part of the NWCC Wildlife Workgroup Core Group meeting. The role of risk assessment in adaptive resource management will also be discussed.

Nocturnal Methods and Metrics - Agreement on a statement of work for a companion to the NWCC publication Studying Wind Energy/Bird Interactions: A Guidance Document has been reached. The statement of work is being incorporated into a contract and the technical team led by Dr. Tom Kunz will start work as soon the contract is signed.

Mitigation Toolbox - A call is being scheduled with interested parties on development of a mitigation toolbox. For more information or to become involved, contact Madeleine West at mwest@resolv.org.

The 6th NWCC Wildlife-Wind Research Meeting will be November 14-16, 2006 in Texas. The planning committee is working on developing a meeting agenda and securing a meeting location. For more information, contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.

The next Wildlife Workgroup call is scheduled for March 8, 2 pm ET. Please mark your calendars.

Suggestions from the Steering Committee members on the draft state-by-state siting factsheets are being incorporated. An updated version will go out the Steering Committee for final approval as a NWCC resource document. For information about this project, please contact Madeleine West at mwest@resolv.org.

On Dec 1-2, NWCC hosted a workshop in Washington, DC on technical considerations for siting wind facilities. Panels on sound, visual, safety, communications interference, and other non-wildlife siting factors associated with wind development were featured. Speaker presentations are online and proceedings are under development.

The next Siting Workgroup call is scheduled for February 16th, 2 pm ET. Please mark your calendars.

The next Transmission Update call is Friday, February 24th at 1 pm ET and will focus on the status of the Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee (CDEAC) transmission and wind reports, as well as future planned activities of CDEAC. Rich Halvey, Western Governors Association; Doug Larson, Western Interstate Energy Board; and Ron Lehr, American Wind Energy Association will be the featured speakers. To join the Transmission Update listserve, contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.

Planning calls have been scheduled the West, Midwest, and SPP regions to begin developing 2006 regional wind energy and transmission meetings. Call dates and times are listed at right under “Working Groups.” For more information, contact Katie Kalinowski at kkalinowski@resolv.org.

The next Transmission Workgroup call is scheduled for April 4th, 2 pm ET. Please mark your calendars.