| Direct impacts to bats at wind energy development projects are one of the biggest issues facing the wind industry; however, much of the research on reducing impacts to bats has largely focused on migratory tree-roosting bats (e.g., hoary bat [Lasiurus cinereus]) and listed species (e.g., Indiana bat [Myotis sodalis]) in the eastern US, where adjustments to turbine cut-in speeds have shown to be an effective tool for reducing impacts to these focal species. In general, direct impacts to bats have not been as great in the western US; therefore research on mitigation and minimization opportunities for bats have been rare in western parts of the country. The Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) is among the most commonly found bat fatalities at some western wind energy facilities, whereas this species does not typically occur in the eastern US. In this presentation we present the results of studies investigating the effect of increasing turbine cut-in speeds on reducing bat fatalities, including Mexican free-tailed bats, at a wind energy facility in eastern Nevada. This facility is located near a migratory stopover site/cave used by large numbers of migrating Mexican free-tailed bats. Increasing cut-in speeds has reduced bat mortality rates at the project. |