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WindWise EducationTransforming the Energy of Wind into Powerful Minds
A Curriculum for Grades 6 -12
www.WindWiseEducation.org
Notice: Except for educational use by an individual teacher in a class-room setting this work may not be reproduced or distributed by me-chanical or electronic means without written permission from KidWindor Pandion. For permission to copy portions or all of this material forother purposes, such as for inclusion in other documents please contactMichael Arquin at the KidWind Project at [email protected].
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WindWise Education was developed with
funding from the New York State Energy
Research & Development Authority. V1.0
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How Does energyAffect wilDlife?LESSON
10
Time RequiRed
1 class period
GRades
9 12
subjecTs
Living Environment
Earth Science
Environmental Science
backGRound
To accurately compare the eects o dierent electricity generation sources (or
energy sources, such as coal, nuclear, hydroelectricity, and wind), the complete
lie cycle o each electricity generation source is examined along with an
assessment o their direct and indirect eects on wildlie. This inormation is then
used to predict the total wildlie impacts o each electricity generation type. The
results o this assessment yield balanced inormation that can be used to make
inormed decisions about which type o energy to use in a community.
objecTives
At the end o this lesson, students will
n Understand the dierent wildlie eects and risks rom electricity generated
by coal, nuclear, hydro, and wind
n Complete a thorough lie cycle analysis o each o the uels to understand
how the dierent phases are related to the dierent wildlie eects
meThod
Students will work in teams o 2 to 4. Teams will use the act sheets and
worksheets to research and compare the eects o our electricity generation
sources on wildlie. They will then compare and discuss their ndings with the
class and be prepared to write a summary report.
key concepT
Students will learn that
dierent electricity
generation sources have
very dierent eects on
wildlie.
maTeRials
Fact sheets, worksheets, and reading passage included with the activity.
www.WWet.rg
WiN
WiLd
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How Does energy Affect wilDlife?
2 Lesson 10
GeTTinG Ready
n Students need to know basic inormation about the energy sources used
to generate electricity.
n Make copies o act sheets, worksheets, and the reading passage or each
team.
acTiviTy
st 1: bgg qt fr stt
I students have not discussed energy generation and wildlie beore, begin the
class by asking students what they know about it.
n What types o energy sources are used to generate electricity?
n What is the dierence between nonrenewable and renewable energy
sources?
n Which sources are nonrenewable and which are renewable?n Which energy sources do you think have the greatest impacts on wildlie
populations? Why?
n Which energy sources are extracted and puried?
n Which energy sources produce pollution? What kinds o pollution?
st 2: Fr T
Form teams o 2 to 4 students or this activity.
st 3: Rg pg
Have the students read the reading passage. Reading may be assigned as
homework beore the lesson.
st 4: lf c at
Provide each student with Table 1 and the act sheets. Each student in the
team should select one or two electricity generation sources to research
(using the act sheets) and complete the corresponding column(s) in Table 1.
The act sheets are based on a NYSERDA research document, Comparison
o Reported Eects and Risks to Vertebrate Wildlie rom Six Electricity
Generation Types in The New York/New England Region. Students can also
use the internet or other sources available to them.
st 5: R erg sr b efft
Provide each team with Table 2. Based on the inormation they completed inTable 1, each team will rank the electricity generation sources on Table 2 rom
lowest to highest or eects on wildlie. Use 1 or the lowest eect and 4 or
the highest. Students should provide a reason or their decision.
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How Does energy Affect wilDlife?
dRaFTdecembeR 2010 3Lesson 10
st 6: c d
Ater each team has completed Table 2, hold a brie class discussion about
team members original thoughts and eelings and the ranks they have assignedto each source. Some sample questions
n Did team members original thoughts and eelings about the dierent
electricity generation sources hold true ater the lie cycle assessment?
Why or why not?
n Is there general agreement among the teams about the ranks or each
source? Why or why not?
vocabulaRy
Energy Lie Cycle The phases needed or the production o energy including
extraction, transportation, construction, operation, transmission, and
decommissioning.
Extraction Removal, most oten rom the ground.
Decommissioning To close down a acility and remove it rom service.
Habitat The environment where an organism or group normally lives.
Habitat Fragmentation When isolated patches o habitat are created through
land clearing and deorestation.
Mortality The number o animals killed.
Risk (to wildlie) The probability that loss or other adverse eects will occur
to wildlie.
Transmission To move rom one place to another. In energy, this is moving
energy rom its source to the location where it will be processed.
Wildlie Eect (eect) The result o something causing harm to an animal or
population o animals. Death, injury, and loss o habitat are examples o eects.
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4 Lesson 10
ny sTaTe sTandaRds
itrt l sstr 4: lg ert
k i 6:
Plants and animals depend on each other and their physical environment.
Major Understandings :
6.2a As a result o evolutionary processes, there is a diversity o organisms
and roles in ecosystems. This diversity o species increases the chance
that at least some will survive in the ace o large environmental changes.
Biodiversity increases the stability o the ecosystem.
6.2b Biodiversity also ensures the availability o a rich variety o genetic
material that may lead to uture agricultural or medical discoveries with
signicant value to humankind. As diversity is lost, potential sources othese materials may be lost with it.
6.3c A stable ecosystem can be altered, either rapidly or slowly, through the
activities o organisms (including humans) or through climatic changes
or natural disasters. The altered ecosystem can usually recover through
gradual changes back to a point o longterm stability.
k i 7:
Human decisions and activities have had a proound impact on the physical and
living environment.
Major Understandings :
7.1a The Earth has nite resources; increasing human consumption o
resources places stress on the natural processes that renew some
resources and depletes those resources that cannot be renewed.
7.1b Natural ecosystems provide an array o basic processes that aect
humans. Those processes include, but are not limited to: maintenance o
the quality o the atmosphere, generation o soils, control o the water
cycle, removal o wastes, energy fow, and recycling o nutrients. When
humans change these basic processes, the changes may be detrimental.
7.1c Human beings are part o the Earths ecosystems. Human activities can,deliberately or inadvertently, alter the equilibrium in ecosystems. Humans
modiy ecosystems as a result o population growth, consumption, and
technology. Human destruction o habitats through direct harvesting,
pollution, atmospheric changes, and other actors threatens current global
stability, and i not addressed, ecosystems may be irreversibly aected.
7.2a Human activities that degrade ecosystems result in a loss o diversity o
the living and nonliving environment. For example, the infuence o humans
on other organisms occurs through land use and pollution. Land use
decreases the space and resources available to other species, and pollution
changes the chemical composition o air, soil, and water.
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How Does energy Affect wilDlife?
5Lesson 10
7.2c Industrialization brings an increased demand or and use o energy and
other resources including ossil and nuclear uels. This usage can have
positive and negative eects on humans and ecosystems.
7.3a Societies must decide on proposals which involve the introduction o new
technologies. Individuals need to make decisions which will assess risks,
costs, benets, and trade-os.
7.3b The decisions o one generation both provide and limit the range o
possibilities open to the next generation.
lg ertstr 4 (hg s)
k i 7:
Human decisions and activities have had a proound impact on the physical and
living environment.
Major Understandings :
7.1a A population consists o all individuals o a species that are ound together
at a given place and time. Populations living in one place orm a community.
The community interacting with physical actors composes an ecosystem.
7.1b Given adequate resources and no disease or predators, populations
(including humans) increase. Lack o resources, habitat destruction, and
other actors such as predation and climate limit the growth o certain
populations in the ecosystem.
7.1c In all environments, organisms interact with one another in many ways.
Relationships among organisms may be competitive, harmul, or benecial.
Some species have adapted to be dependent upon each other with the
result that neither could survive without the other.
7.2a In ecosystems, balance is the result o interactions between community
members and their environment.
7.2b The environment may be altered through the activities o organisms.
Alterations are sometimes abrupt. Some species may replace others over
time, resulting in longterm gradual changes (ecological succession).
7.2c Overpopulation by any species impacts the environment due to
the increased use o resources. Human activities can bring about
environmental degradation through resource acquisition, urban growth,
land-use decisions, waste disposal, etc.
7.2d Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have resulted in major
pollution o air, water, and soil. Pollution has cumulative ecological eects
such as acid rain, global warming, or ozone depletion. The survival o
living things on our planet depends on the conservation and protection o
Earths resources.
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Student sheets
ReadinG passaGe
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) recently produced a
report titled Comparison o Reported Eects and Risks to Vertebrate Wildlie rom Six Electricity
Generation Types in The New York/New England Region. This report compared the eects and risks towildlie rom six dierent electricity generation sources: coal, oil, natural gas, hydro, nuclear, and wind.
The study identied the stages involved in most types o electricity generation and called these the lie
cycle or energy generation: extracting the uel, transporting the uel to the power generation site,
construction o the power generation acility, operation o the acility, transmission and delivery (via
power lines) o the electricity generated, and decommissioning o the acility at the end o its liespan. Fuel
extraction and transportation are not required or renewable energy sources, such as hydro and wind,
because they are harnessed at the location where the electricity is generated.
To make an accurate comparison, the eects to wildlie were assessed or each lie cycle stage o eachelectricity generation source. An eect is something that has a negative impact on wildlie. There are our
types o direct eects on wildlie: injury, mortality (death), disruption o normal behavior, or destruction
and damage o habitat.
To accurately assess and compare the wildlie eects rom dierent electricity generation sources, the
study authors considered all our types o eects to wildlie. Researchers also considered the risks to
wildlie. Risk is the probability o an eect (injury, death, disruption o normal behavior, or destruction and
damage to habitat) actually occurring.
Wildlie can be injured or killed when they come in contact with equipment and acilities used in all stages
o the electricity generation cycle. Exposure to harmul chemicals can have toxic eects on wildlie that
also result in injury or mortality. Noise and other disturbances associated with the lie cycles stages o
electricity generation can aect (or disrupt) normal movements, home range, or breeding behaviors o
wildlie. Destruction and damage to wildlie habitat occurs when vegetation is removed or cleared rom an
area. It also occurs when habitat is divided up and goes rom being one large area to several small areas
that are isolated rom one another (called habitat ragmentation). Habitat destruction includes damage to
the ecosystem, trees, plants, soil, and ood sources.
Examples o eects on wildlie rom electricity generation include
n Bird or bat injury or mortality rom collisions with structures such as smoke stacks, power lines, or
wind turbine bladesn Bird mortality rom contact with an oil spill
n Fish and other aquatic animals becoming trapped in cooling water intake systems at power plants
n Mercury pollution rom burning ossil uels, particularly coal. Mercury escapes into the atmosphere,
travels many miles on air currents, dissolves in rain, and returns to the earth where it becomes toxic
and enters the ood chain
n Fish being prevented rom migrating up a river to spawn due to construction o a dam
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n Power line corridors, service roads, and elevated pipelines all change and ragment habitat, which can
impact the ability o wildlie to survive by making it more dicult to nd ood, shelter, and breeding
partners
n Carbon dioxide and methane released rom burning ossil uels. These greenhouse gases contribute to
global climate change, which threatens many o the worlds wildlie and ecological systems
There are also indirect eects rom electricity generation that can impact wildlie. Climate change is one o
the biggest environmental, economic, and social challenges in the world today. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and
other gasses ound in the atmosphere act as greenhouse gases, which means that they trap heat energy
and hold it in the atmosphere. The more greenhouse gases present, the more heat is trapped. It is similar
to adding a blanket to your bed on a cold night; the blanket will trap more o your body heat and prevent
it rom escaping so that you stay warmer.
Many natural sources o CO2
supply the atmosphere, such as volcanic eruptions, natural biological
decay, and orest res, which combine to account or about 95% o annual emissions. These have beenpresent on Earth or many millennia. While there is natural variation rom year to year and millennium to
millennium, the amount o CO2
emitted by natural sources is roughly equal to the amount absorbed by
plants during photosynthesis and by the ocean.
However, human sources have accounted or the dramatic rise in CO2
through the last two centuries,
principally rom CO2
released when ossil uels are burned. The industrial revolution in Europe and North
America in the latter hal o the 19th Century marked the beginning o civilizations reliance on ossil uels
or energy. Today about 70% o US electrical energy is made by burning ossil uels in power stations, and
about 82% o the associated emissions o greenhouse gases are attributed to coal by the US Department
o Energy.
Already there have been documented wildlie eects globally and regionally rom climate change and there
is great concern that those eects will continue and expand. Here are a ew examples.
n Climate change has been ound responsible or massive coral bleaching that has decimated numerous
coral ree habitats around the world.
n Polar habitats have become threatened due to increased and more rapid melting o sea ice, which
diminishes oraging opportunities or polar bears.
n Climate change has also resulted in range expansion o pest species such as the mountain pine beetle
and may contribute to the spread o Lyme disease with more temperate conditions increasing tick
populations.
The continued warming o the Earths atmosphere rom greenhouse gasses will have dramatic eects on
wildlie in the coming decades.
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Student sheets
FacT sheeT: coal poWeR
Electricity generation rom coal power has wildlie eects at every stage o its lie cycle.
extrt
In the resource extraction stage, the wildlie eects and risks rom coal are high because 62% o US coal
is extracted through above ground mining. Above ground mining poses high risks to wildlie populations
because o resulting large-scale habitat destruction. For example, mountaintop mining removes the top
o a mountain to uncover coal seams (a layer o coal between rock) near the surace. The spoils rom the
removal are dumped in nearby valleys. The wildlie eects are substantial and impact all types o wildlie
and habitats including those in the area o the mining and in valleys where the spoils are dumped. Coal
mining is extensive in the Appalachians in both West Virginia and Pennsylvania where much o the coal
or the New York/New England region originates. In 2002 alone, 65,000 acres in West Virginia were
permitted or mountaintop removal coal mining. Above ground mining includes strip mining, open pit
mining, and mountaintop mining, and valley ll. Underground coal is extracted using mining machines or
explosives to expose the coal, which is then dug up and removed rom the mine. Underground deep shatmining causes minimal harm to orest habitats in comparison to strip mining.
Both above ground and below ground mining cause habitat degradation and direct injury and death to
wildlie rom toxic runo into water bodies. Mine wastes and coal processing wastes are highly acidic and
oten contain trace elements at toxic concentrations. 75% o acid runo is associated with underground
mining. This acid runo rom mine tailings (acid mine drainage) can reach streams and injure and kill sh
and other aquatic wildlie. It is estimated that about 6,400 streams in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern
US have been aected by toxic mine drainage and runo, primarily rom coal mining.
TrrttThe coal is transported via truck and train to the power plants where it will be burned. There is a low risk
o injury or death to wildlie rom vehicle collisions and rom any uel spills.
ctrt
Construction o coal acilities has a low risk o destruction o habitat rom land clearing or acilities,
ragmentation o habitat, and disturbance o wildlie rom construction noise and activity.
ort
Burning the coal produces energy, which heats water that turns to steam. This steam turns turbines that
produce electricity used to power homes, buildings, and electrical devices.
Because coal is a ossil uel, when it burns during the power generation stage it releases multiple
emissions that cause regional and global wildlie eects. As a result, electricity generation rom coal is
a signicant contributor to acidic deposition (acid rain and acid deposits), climate change, and mercury
bioaccumulation (release o mercury into the environment), which create very high risks to wildlie.
Other wildlie eects associated with power generation rom coal include bird collisions with power plant
acilities and eects to aquatic wildlie rom power plant cooling (once-through cooling) and chemical
discharges to surace waters. These pose medium risks to wildlie. Coal-red plants produce large
amounts o waste heat that is disposed o in cooling lakes or towers. In lakes, this represents thermal
pollution that causes medium risk wildlie eects.
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Tr
Eects associated with transmission and delivery include injury and mortality to wildlie rom collisions and
electrocutions associated with power lines, which pose medium potential risks.
dgThe operation o coal-red power stations have a low potential to contaminate local aquatic systems rom
waste churned up when the site is decommissioned.
FacT sheeT: nucleaR poWeR
Electricity generation rom nuclear power eects wildlie at every stage o its lie cycle.
extrt
Similar to coal, the eects rom resource extraction rom above ground surace mining have a very high
potential risk to wildlie because o the amount o surace habitat that is destroyed. Below ground mining
is considered to have a low risk because o the limited habitat disturbance compared to surace mining.Toxic runo rom mine tailings (acid mine drainage) has medium risk or injury and death to wildlie locally.
Trrtt
The quantities o uranium needed or operation o a nuclear power station are small and so transportation
has low risk o wildlie eects. Trucks and trains are used or transportation. There is a low risk o injury
or death to wildlie rom vehicle collisions and rom any uel spills.
ctrt
Construction o nuclear acilities has a low risk o destruction o habitat rom land clearing or acilities,
ragmentation o habitat, and disturbance o wildlie rom construction noise and activity.
ort
Nuclear plants create energy when nuclear ssion splits uranium atoms releasing heat that boils water to
produce steam. This steam is used to turn turbines and produce power or homes, buildings, and electrical
devices.
Nuclear plants, like coal-red plants, create large amounts o heat and require water to cool the generator
I the cooling process involves drawing water rom a lake, river, or ocean (such as in once-through cooling)
it poses medium potential risks to wildlie. The warm water discharge rom cooling systems and potential
or chemical discharge in the water pose medium risk to wildlie. Other wildlie eects associated
with power generation rom nuclear include collisions with nuclear acilities and eects rom chemicaldischarges to surace waters, which pose medium potential risks to wildlie.
Nuclear energy has a low risk or accidental or catastrophic release o radioactive materials. In the event,
o radioactive release, the wildlie eects would be large. However, there have been no such occurrences
in the US. The worst example outside the US was the Chernobyl accident in the ormer Soviet Union
where there were major impacts on the ecosystem. The likelihood o a similar instance in the US is very
low because the aulty Chernobyl-style reactor design and its lack o containment or radioactive materials
would not be licensed in the US The most serious accident in the history o U. S. nuclear acilities was a
partial meltdown o the Three Mile Island 2 reactor core in 1979. This resulted in only very small osite
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Student sheets
releases o radioactivity with an end result o substantially enhanced saety regulations. There is also a very
low risk o radioactive release during normal operation that may cause injury and mortality. There may be
some bioaccumulation o strontium-90, but this would likely be limited to individuals and not populations.
TrEects associated with transmission and delivery include injury and mortality to wildlie rom collisions and
electrocutions associated with power lines, which pose medium potential risks.
dg
There is a low risk o contamination o aquatic systems rom radioactive leaks. There is also a low risk o
habitat disturbance and displacement rom the demolition process due to noise and activity.
FacT sheeT: hydRoelecTRic poWeR
Hydroelectric (hydro) power is the renewable energy source that produces the most electricity in the US.
It accounted or 6% o the total US electricity generation and 67% o generation rom renewables in 2008.Electricity generation rom hydroelectric has only our stages in its lie cycle and each has wildlie eects.
extrt Trrtt
Water does not need to be extracted and transported the way coal or nuclear does. Hydroelectric power
is a renewable energy source, and the water needed to generate electricity is harnessed at the source.
ctrt
The risk to wildlie rom construction o a hydro power plant is very high because o the terrestrial and
aquatic habitat clearing and the inundation (fooding) o these habitats when the area behind the dam
is lled with water. The loss o habitat includes not only the inundated land, but also the stream or
river habitats, which poses risks to spawning, oraging, and nesting habitats or sh. This stressor canaect hundreds o acres o terrestrial habitats and tens o miles o stream habitat within the watershed
when the reservoir is lled with water. There is also risk o reduction or change in wildlie and sheries
biodiversity. Changes in the numbers and types o sh caused by dams blocking upstream movement o
these sh can have large-scale reproduction implications or sh (e.g., blocking normal sh movement
and migration to spawning habitat). Depending upon the location o the dam, there could be a threat to
species survival regionally and biologically signicant habitat loss or endangered or threatened species.
The consequences o the risk are continuous as long as the dam is in place.
ort
The amount o available energy in moving water is determined by its fow or all. Switly fowing water in abig river, like the Columbia River that orms the border between Oregon and Washington, carries a great
deal o energy in its fow. Water descending rapidly rom a very high point, like Niagara Falls in New York,
has a lot o kinetic energy. In either instance, the water fows through a pipe then pushes against and turns
blades in a turbine to spin a generator to produce electricity. In a river system, the orce o the current
applies the needed pressure, while in a storage system, water is accumulated in reservoirs created by
dams, then released as needed to generate electricity.
Many reservoirs are very deep and the water released is cold water rom the depths o the lake. These
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releases o very cold water can dramatically change downstream habitats in warmer regions and be very
damaging to native sh and invertebrate populations. Greenhouse gases and methylmercury are emitted
rom the impounded water o a hydroelectric dam and pose medium potential risks to wildlie rom
the eects o climate change. During dam operation, upstream sh have a medium risk o being injured
and killed during releases o water when they become trapped (entrainment and impingement) in thedischarge o water.
Tr
Eects associated with transmission and delivery o hydro power include injury and mortality rom
collisions and electrocutions associated with power lines. These pose medium potential risks.
dg
Hydro power generation poses high potential risks during the decommissioning. It causes mortality to
aquatic wildlie and degradation o downstream aquatic habitat rom release o sediments during the
draining o the reservoir. Sediments oten build up in large quantities in dammed lakes. The dismantlingalso results in the loss o the articially created upstream lake habitat. Mortality or higher predation
rates or sh can occur as water drawdown proceeds, leaving sh stranded in shallow pools. The risk is
considered a medium risk or the sh and other aquatic lie that have been using these created habitats.
FacT sheeT: Wind eneRGy
In 2008 wind power produced about 1.5% o worldwide electricity usage and it is growing rapidly, having
doubled in the three years between 2005 and 2008.
Electricity generation rom wind has only our stages in its lie cycle and each has wildlie eects.
extrt Trrtt
This type o energy comes directly rom wind, so no extraction or transportation is needed. Like hydro,
wind is a renewable energy source, and the wind needed to generate electricity is harnessed at the source.
ctrt
Wind arm construction requires the placement o multiple turbines on the landscape. This has a low
potential or destruction or ragmentation o habitat, especially i the areas between the turbines are
minimally disturbed, as is oten the case.
ort
Wind turbines harness the wind to generate electricity. Like old ashioned windmills, todays wind turbinesuse blades to collect the winds kinetic energy. The wind fows over the blades creating lit, like the eect
on airplane wings, which causes the blades to turn. The blades are connected to a drive shat that turns an
electric generator to produce electricity. A local transormer is then used to step up the electrical voltage,
so that the electricity can be sent through transmission and distribution lines to homes, businesses, and
other users.
The most commonly cited eect rom wind power generation is injury and mortality to birds and bats
rom collision with wind turbines. For birds, this is considered medium risk. Local mortality to individuals
is likely to occur with no population-level eects and a high degree o species recovery. Biodiversity
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Student sheets
declines are unlikely or birds. Endangered or threatened bird species may be exposed to potential
injury or mortality. For bats, especially tree bats, the risk posed by wind turbines may be high, but this
is uncertain because o the lack o accurate population inormation and mortality studies at wind arms.
Ongoing research looks at the eects and risks to birds and bats rom wind arms, but at this time there
are no documented population-level eects. However, based on the ew available studies, there is generalconsensus rom the scientic community that bats are likely to be at the greatest risk.
The potential eects o wind turbines to birds and bats are to a large extent dependent upon decisions
made during the siting process. I turbines are not sited in areas that are heavily used by birds and bats (or
example, migration corridors or birds and near heavily used roosts or bats) then potential mortality can
be reduced.
Tr
Eects associated with transmission and delivery o wind energy include injury and mortality rom collision
and electrocution associated with power lines. These pose medium potential risks.
dg
Decommissioning o a wind arm requires rehabilitation o the site. The ootprint o each o the actual
turbines is very small, even though the turbines are spread out over a large area. There will be some
disturbance when turbines are removed. Much o the land wind arms are built on is agricultural or open
land so rehabilitation can be accomplished quickly.
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Lesson 10
Student sheets
WoRksheeTs
Use the act sheets provided and any additional inormation that you have available to ll in Table 1. For
the Method boxes, list how this method (extraction, transportation, etc.) happens or each energy type. In
the Eects box, record what eects these actions have on wildlie.
T 1: lf c a f efft t Wf fr etrt Grt sr
coal nucleaR hydRo Wind
Extraction Method
Extraction Eects
Transportation
Method
Transportation
Eects
Construction Method
Construction Eects
Operation Method
Name Date Class
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Student sheets
coal nucleaR hydRo Wind
Operation Eects
Transmission Method
Transmission Eects
Decommissioning
Method
Decommissioning
Eects
T 2: R etrt Grt sr b tr efft
Rank the electricity generation sources rom lowest to highest based on their eects on wildlie. Assign 1
or the lowest and 4 or the highest. Provide a justication or each rank.
Fuel Rank sTaTemenT oF jusTiFicaTion
Coal
Nuclear
Hydro
Wind
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Student sheets
Name Date Class
agt
1. List our things that you learned about wildlie eects caused by the our electricity generation sources
while you were doing this activity.
2. Describe anything that surprised you about electricity generation while you were doing this activity.
3. Assume that you are on a committee that is charged with recommending the type o power a
community should use to increase its electrical capacity by 10 megawatts. The communitys choices
are building an extension o an existing coal-red power station or building a brand-new wind energy
acility with 5 2-megawatt wind generators. You represent the states natural resource management
department on this committee, and they are looking to you or an assessment o which new power
generation acility will have the least impact on local wildlie populations.
Based on the work you have done in this lesson, write a one-page summary report to the rest o the
committee that provides a recommendation with a clear justication or why you are recommending this
course o action.
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Answer sheets
agt
1. List our things that you learned about wildlie eects caused by the our electricity generation sources while you
were doing this activity.
2. Describe anything that surprised you about electricity generation while you were doing this activity.
3. Assume that you are on a committee that is charged with recommending the type o power a community should use
to increase its electrical capacity by 10 megawatts. The communitys choices are building an extension o an existing
coal-red power station or building a brand-new wind energy acility with 5 2-megawatt wind generators. You
represent the states natural resource management department on this committee, and they are looking to you or
an assessment o which new power generation acility will have the least impact on local wildlie populations.
Based on the work you have done in this lesson, write a one-page summary report to the rest o the committee that
provides a recommendation with a clear justication or why you are recommending this course o action.
For answer sheets: Answers will vary by student.
T 1: lf c a f efft t Wf fr etrt Grt sr (ct
r fr rfr)
coal nucleaR hydRo Wind
Extraction Method Miningabove ground
and below ground
Subsurace mining o
uranium
N/A N/A
Extraction Eects Water pollution,
habitat destruction,
direct injury and death
Surace mining destroys
habitat, runo rom
mining could impact
water
N/A N/A
Transportation
Method
Trains Trains and Trucks N/A N/A
Transportation
Eects
Collisions with wildlie Collisions with wildlie N/A N/A
Construction Method Builtcentral power
station
Builtcentral power
station
Bui ltdam on river Bui lton open land
oten on hill tops
Construction Eects Habitat destruction
rom land clearing
Habitat destruction
rom land clearing
Habitat changes and
destruction due to
ooding when blocking
river
Habitat disturbance
rom building roads and
oundations.
Operation Method Burn coal to heat water
to produce steam to
turn turbines
Use uranium to split
atoms to heat water to
produce steam to turn
turbines
Water pressure created
behind dam is used to
turn turbines
Wind turns turbines
Operation Eects Acid rain and acid
deposits, climate
change, mercury
bioaccumulation, bird
collisions, chemical
discharge into water
Drawing water rom
lake, river, or ocean,
chemical discharge into
water
Movement o fsh
up and down river is
disrupted. Habitat
change due to dam on
river. Fish and wildlie
killed when trapped in
dam
Bird and bat death
rom collision with
turbines
Transmission Method Power Lines Power Lines Power Lines Power Lines
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H D e A wd?
Lesson 10
Answer sheets
Transmission Eects Habitat destruction
when installing,
birds colliding with
power lines and bird
electrocutions
Habitat destruction
when installing,
birds colliding with
power lines and bird
electrocutions
Habitat destruction
when installing,
birds colliding with
power lines and bird
electrocutions
Habitat destruction
when installing,
birds colliding with
power lines and bird
electrocutionsDecommissioning
Method
Removal o structure
and rehabilitation o
site
Removal o structure
and rehabilitation o
site
Removal o structure
and major rehabilitation
o site
Removal o structure
and rehabilitation o
site
Decommissioning
Eects
Pollutants may remain,
habitat may take a
while to recover
Long-term
contamination with
radioactive material.
Possibility o radioactive
release
Original river habitats
destroyed by released
sediment and changed
water levels
Limited intrusion o
site requires limited
restoration
T 2: R etrt Grt sr b tr efft
Rank the electricity generation sources rom lowest to highest based on their eects on wildlie. Assign 1or the lowest and 4 or the highest. Provide a justication or each rank.
Fuel Rank sTaTemenT oF jusTiFicaTion
Coal Rankings
will depend
on student
answers
Students should consider the possible eects as well as the potential risk when creating their rankings.
For example, nuclear could produce radioactive leaks, but this is a very low risk so leaks should be
considered a minor actor when deciding rankings.
Nuclear
Hydro
Wind
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