August 16, 2007 Rudyard G. Edick New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233 RE: Final Work Plan for the Proposed Allegany Wind Power Project Dear Mr. Edick: Based upon our agency meeting and comments received from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Allegany Wind, LLC and Woodlot Alternatives, Inc have made changes to the work plan for the proposed Allegany wind power project. Final copies of this work plan are enclosed. Should you require any additional information regarding this project or have additional comments, please do not hesitate to call me at 207-729-1199 or via email at [email protected]. Sincerely, Woodlot Alternatives, Inc. Derek Hengstenberg Derek W. Hengstenberg Project Scientist Enclosures cc: Andrew Golembeski, Allegany Wind, LLC Brianna Gary, NYSDEC Mark Woythal, NYSDEC Timothy Sullivan, USFWS WAI Project Number 107085
Transcript
August 16, 2007 Rudyard G. Edick New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233 RE: Final Work Plan for the Proposed Allegany Wind Power Project Dear Mr. Edick: Based upon our agency meeting and comments received from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Allegany Wind, LLC and Woodlot Alternatives, Inc have made changes to the work plan for the proposed Allegany wind power project. Final copies of this work plan are enclosed. Should you require any additional information regarding this project or have additional comments, please do not hesitate to call me at 207-729-1199 or via email at [email protected]. Sincerely, Woodlot Alternatives, Inc. Derek Hengstenberg Derek W. Hengstenberg Project Scientist Enclosures cc: Andrew Golembeski, Allegany Wind, LLC Brianna Gary, NYSDEC Mark Woythal, NYSDEC Timothy Sullivan, USFWS WAI Project Number 107085
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
WORK PLAN
for the
Allegany Wind Project Cattaraugus County, New York
Prepared for:
Allegany Wind, LLC 75 9th Avenue, Suite 3G New York, NY 10011
Prepared by:
Woodlot Alternatives, Inc. 30 Park Drive
Topsham, Maine 04086
August 2007
Allegany Wind, LLC Final Environmental Studies Work Plan Allegany Wind Project
6.0 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................ 8 List of Figures
Figure 1 Allegany Wind Project Map
Allegany Wind, LLC Final Environmental Studies Work Plan Allegany Wind Project
1 August 2007
1.0 Introduction This work plan presents the proposed avian and bat studies for the Allegany wind project site located in the town of Allegany in Cattaraugus County, New York (Site) (Figure 1). The overall purpose of these studies is to document avian and bat occurrence in the Study Area1 to enable design of a project that will avoid or minimize potential environmental impacts to the extent possible. Recommendations from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) were incorporated into this work plan. This work plan includes comments and suggestions by NYSDEC made by Rudyard Edick, Brianna Gary, and Mark Woythal during an agency meeting on July 23, 2007. Additional conversations and email correspondence with NYSDEC on July 27 and August 14, 2007 determined the number of nights during which avian radar studies will be completed during the fall 2007 and spring 2008 migration periods. In addition, the NYSDEC stated no golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) surveys are necessary at this time.
1.1 Project Context
Allegany Wind, LLC proposes to build a 79 Megawatt (MW) wind generation facility with approximately 30 wind energy turbines interconnected by underground and overhead transmission lines. The preliminary project layout includes two to three turbine strings (ranging from 4 to 21 turbines per string) situated along a number of parallel ridges within the proposed project area. Options for the proposed transmission would either run approximately 4 miles east to an existing 115 kV line or 5 miles north to an existing 115 kV line. The Study Area is dominated by forested ridgelines intermixed with new and existing dirt roads that provide vehicular access to the majority of the ridges proposed to contain wind turbines. The network of existing roads will be utilized where possible to minimize impacts. Any new roads would be built with a clearing width between 16 and 35 feet to allow crane access during project construction. Wherever possible, Allegany Wind, LLC plans to use construction techniques that will minimize natural habitat impacts.
1.2 Project Area Description
The proposed project area is located just north of the Pennsylvania border and is due east of Allegany State Park and Route 219 in the town of Allegany in Cattaraugus County, New York. The topography of the proposed project area is mountainous, with an elevation of approximately 2,300 feet. The area is rural, dominated by a mosaic of forests, small agricultural fields, wetlands, woodland edges, and scattered low density housing. The site is located in the Allegany Hill Ecozone (Andrle and Carroll 1988). The project is located on approximately 4,000 acres of managed forestland use for timber and oil and gas extraction. The forested ridgelines consist of managed deciduous forest with a small
1 Throughout this report, the area to be directly affected by construction of the Project is referred to as the “Site”, and the area within approximately one mile of the site is referred to as the “Study Area”.
Allegany Wind, LLC Final Environmental Studies Work Plan Allegany Wind Project
2 August 2007
softwood component. Chipmunk creek (a State protected creek) flows through the valley that bisects the two wooded ridgelines proposed for development. There are scattered conglomerate boulders and oil wells along the ridgelines as well as unpaved access roads. The area has been used for timber harvest and oil well development. In 2006, Environmental Design and Research (EDR) performed a preliminary environmental review/ permitting assessment (EDR 2006c). In 2007, Woodlot initiated environmental studies at Allegany in late spring/early summer and conducted systematic point counts to characterize the species diversity and abundance of birds breeding in the vicinity of the proposed project area. Information presented in this document regarding existing and potential biological resources present within the Study Area, along with past experience and current negotiations with the NYSDEC, has been used as the basis for developing this work plan. This work plan identifies field surveys and methodology that will be conducted and used to document the species composition and numbers of bird and bat species passing over or using Study Area habitats. The work plan consists of three types of surveys: daytime morning surveys for breeding birds, daytime surveys for diurnal migratory birds (raptors), and nighttime radar and acoustic surveys for nocturnal migratory bats and birds. The daytime migratory bird surveys will focus primarily on migrating raptors and breeding birds. The nocturnal studies will use radar and acoustic equipment and methods to document the presence and assess bat and bird activity throughout the Study Area. As discussed in our meeting on July 23, Woodlot has conducted breeding bird surveys within the Study Area during the 2007 spring field season. Methods used during the survey are detailed in Section 2.2 of this document. Allegany Wind, LLC/Woodlot believes these are appropriate field studies based on the current state of the art and the currently perceived potential impacts associated with wind farms and wildlife.
Allegany Wind Project Location Map
Cattaraugas CountyNew York
Prepared By:
107085-F01-Project.mxd
Sheet Title:
Project:
Date: July 2007
Scale: 1" = 3000'
Proj. No.:107085
Figure:
1
0 3,000 Feet
Allegany Wind, LLC Final Environmental Studies Work Plan Allegany Wind Project
4 August 2007
2.0 Point Counts for Breeding Birds
2.1 Objectives
The objective of this survey was to determine the diversity of birds breeding at locations in and around the proposed Study Area and to determine the presence or absence of associated state-listed threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. Species include peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus), Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii), red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus), cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea), common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus), golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), and red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). No information regarding any of these species has been received to date from the New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP).
2.2 Methods
Prior to conducting field surveys, data from North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the NYS Breeding Bird Atlas was reviewed. The point count method, modeled on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service BBS methodology (Sauer et al. 1997), was used to count individuals of each species located at a series of survey points. Up to 30 point counts were established at proposed turbine locations. The survey points were selected to cover as much of the proposed development and habitat types within the Site as possible. Each survey point will be marked on a map and GPS coordinates will be recorded at each point. Surveys were conducted between sunrise and 10 am, over 6-day periods in May and June 2007. One survey occurred in May and two surveys occurred in early to mid-June to coincide with the peak period of avian breeding in New York. A 10-minute timed interval was spent at each point count location. Points were located at 125 m intervals to avoid double counting. Every adult bird seen within 100 m and every bird heard by one observer was identified and counted during the 10 minutes at each point. Efforts were made to count only adult nesting birds with special concerns that fledglings not be included in the counts, especially during the later survey period. Birds seen between stops or before and after the 10-minute count were not included in the count but will be noted as incidental observations. The type of habitat in which the bird was observed was also recorded. A detailed report of the survey results will be provided. An additional breeding bird survey will be conducted during May and June of 2008.
3.0 Diurnal Migratory Birds
3.1 Objectives
The objective of the diurnal migrating bird survey is to document the occurrence of birds, with particular emphasis on raptors, which migrate in the vicinity of the proposed wind project during daylight hours. This survey will determine species composition, numbers, and flight patterns, including direction and approximate flight height. Direct observations will be used to document migration activity of raptors and other diurnal migrants. This method is used by the Hawk
Allegany Wind, LLC Final Environmental Studies Work Plan Allegany Wind Project
5 August 2007
Migration Association of North America (HMANA), which coordinates surveys of hawk migration activity throughout North America and promotes the use of standard reporting forms and procedures.
3.2 Methods
Use of the Study Area by diurnally migrating birds will be evaluated during fall 2007 and spring 2008 seasons at locations throughout the Study Area. Scheduling of watch dates will coincide with historically documented movement patterns of typical New York and Pennsylvania migrants. Concerted efforts will be made to schedule visual survey days when favorable winds are forecast (that is, on days with winds coming from the north or northwest during fall and from the south or southwest during spring). Diurnal/raptor migration surveys will be conducted at one survey point per season within the study area. Observation points that provide good coverage of the vegetation and topographic features of the area and good 360° visibility around the point will be chosen. The survey points will be based on preliminary turbine layout design and located along an east-west line to maximize the coverage of north-south migrating birds and minimize the chance of double counting migrating birds. Survey points will be permanently marked by GPS. Surveys will be conducted on 10 survey days in the spring and 10 survey days in the fall. Surveys will generally be conducted between 9 am and 5 pm. Survey dates will be scheduled to coincide with peak migration periods for red-tailed hawk, broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus), and sharp-shinned hawk. Fall surveys should occur between August 15 and October 15, 2007. Spring surveys will occur between March 15 and May 15, 2008. The NYSDEC determined that golden eagles are not a concern at Allegany and raptor surveys will not be extended into December. Observations of all migrants, including waterfowl, and miscellaneous passerines, will be recorded on HMANA data sheets (HMANA 2005). During each survey, the number of individuals observed, by species, will be recorded each hour of observation. Data will be reported by species as number of migrants/km/hour. Observations on approximate flight height above ground and general behavior will also be recorded. Approximate locations and flyways of observed birds will be indicated on a site map. Study results will be compared to data recorded at other regional study sites to describe migration activity at the Allegany wind project from a regional perspective. Weather information will be recorded for each observation period including temperature, wind speed, wind direction, barometric pressure and cloud cover. A detailed report of the survey results will be provided.
4.0 Bat Acoustic Surveys
4.1 Objectives
Bat acoustical surveys will be conducted during the fall 2007 migration period, spring 2008 migration period, and continuing through the summer 2008 breeding season. Bat acoustic data will characterize bat presence in the Study Area and allow for some identification of bat species
Allegany Wind, LLC Final Environmental Studies Work Plan Allegany Wind Project
6 August 2007
or bat guilds. This data will also provide an index of bat activity between migration and breeding bat periods. This will help determine whether seasonality affects bat activity.
4.2 Methods
The fall acoustic sampling period will be from September 1 to October 15, 2007. One Anabat II® detector will be deployed within the canopy at a forest/field edge environment and at a height of approximately 5 to 10 m. Two other detectors will be deployed on a met tower located near the area that is being sampled by the forest/field edge detector. Those detectors will be deployed at heights of approximately 20 m (canopy height) and 40 m (super-canopy). Deployment in this configuration will provide directly comparable data, in the form of call detections per hour, between these three different microsites. Spring (April 15 to May 31) and summer surveys (June 1 to August 30) will include deploying two detectors in a met tower and one detector at a forested edge following the same methodology as the fall bat acoustic survey. All recorded data will be downloaded and analyzed using Anabat II® software. Bat detector data will be summarized for each detector for each night (i.e., number of calls by species or species group per hour). These estimates will be provided for each sampling site and, when sufficient data is available, for each habitat type within each sampling site. Based on the volume of bat recordings collected at each site, all or a sample of the data will be reviewed for species identification. If sampling of the data is conducted, field observations will be used to ensure that bats exhibiting different activities or using different locations within each sampling area are identified. Call data will also be analyzed to identify species. This is possible only when clear calls are recorded and only with certain species. The tree-roosting bats are typically easy to identify to species while those of the genus Myotis are not. Call rates by species, as well as total detections and trends in species’ presence in the data set, will be reported. Comparisons between call rates and species composition will also be compared between the three detectors. High detection rates can indicate many bats in an area. However, high detection rates can also represent only one to two bats in an area circling and feeding around a detector. Consequently, during the data analysis we will look at not only the overall detection rates but also time spans between individual detections to more accurately characterize bat activity. A detailed report of the survey results will be provided. Included in the report will be project maps depicting the general location of each bat detector.
Allegany Wind, LLC Final Environmental Studies Work Plan Allegany Wind Project
7 August 2007
5.0 Nocturnal Radar Surveys
5.1 Objectives
Nocturnal radar surveys will be conducted during the fall 2007 and spring 2008 migration periods. Nocturnal radar surveys will document the abundance, flight patterns, and flight altitudes of night-migrating birds and bats using marine radar.
5.2 Methods
One avian radar system and appropriate mounting platform will be mobilized to one location within the project area. The radar location will be atop a ridgeline where the wind turbines are being proposed. The Fall radar survey will be conducted on a sample of 45 nights between September 1 and October 15, 2007, and the Spring radar survey will be conducted on a sample of 30 nights between May 1 and June 1, 2008. Nocturnal radar surveys will be supplemented by visual confirmation survey methods, including ceilometers. Radar data will be post-processed using analysis software and other methods developed by Woodlot. During this analysis the digital video data is converted to numerical data for the calculation of migration statistics. Radar targets suspected to be birds or bats will also be separated from insect data based on flight speed. The average hourly and nightly traffic rate (targets/kilometer/hour), seasonal traffic rate, nightly and seasonal flight direction, and nightly and seasonal flight heights will be calculated and reported. Based on the characteristics of the proposed turbines, the percentage of targets flying below the height of the turbines will be calculated. Qualitative descriptions of the general flight characteristics of radar targets will also be provided. A detailed report of the survey results will be provided.
Allegany Wind, LLC Final Environmental Studies Work Plan Allegany Wind Project
8 August 2007
6.0 Literature Cited Andrle, R. F. and J. R. Carroll. 1988. The Atlas of Breeding Birds in New York State. Cornell
University Press, Ithaca, NY and London.
Environmental Design and Research. 2006c. Preliminary Environmental Review/Permitting Assessment for the Allegany Wind Project. Prepared for Everpower Global Corporation. HMANA (Hawk Migration Association of North America). 2005. Hawk Migration Association
of North America. “Daily Reporting Form Instructions” 26 June 2007. <http://hmana.org/documents/drf2.xls>.
Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, G. Gough, I. Thomas, and B. G. Peterjohn. 1997. The North American
Breeding Bird Survey Results and Analysis. Version 96.4. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
