Migratory Shorebirds & Wind Energy Development near the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Shorebird populations are declining in North America because of habitat conversion, water management strategies, and climate change. Emerging challenges from wind turbine development, particularly in the U.S. and Canadian Midcontinent (defined here as the area between the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains), further complicate shorebird conservation. In addition, the possibility of offshore wind development in the Gulf of Mexico raises novel questions related to how to coordinate scientific efforts to study the effects of offshore wind development and how to ensure the protection and consideration of shorebirds during that process.In Chapter 2, I conducted a literature review to assess existing models for scientific coordination on offshore wind and wildlife issues. I surveyed existing models for this work on the Atlantic Coast, Pacific Coast, and in the United Kingdom with an eye towards understanding the unique circumstances in the Gulf of Mexico and making recommendations accordingly. In discussing the variety of factors that need to be considered in establishing a scientific coordinating entity, I found that efforts in the Gulf of Mexico should build on the expertise of offshore oil and gas extraction in the region and that political and funding realities will require it to consider more energy sources than just offshore wind.In Chapter 3, I studied a particular species of migratory shorebird to understand the importance of the Gulf of Mexico in the life history of a particular illustrative species. I analyzed Argos satellite tracking data for Short-billed dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus) utilizing the South Texas Coast. Using state space and hidden Markov models, I was able to identify breeding, non-breeding, and stopover sites including breeding activity in the Northwest Territory of Canada which was further north than previous natural history accounts had documented. I also identified birds breeding near the Hudson Bay in an area between the breeding areas for two different subspecies.In Chapter 4, I looked to understand which Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) sites are currently located closest to wind energy development. I found that WHSRN sites are located within 5km of many different wind energy projects, with the highest concentration by far in northeast Brazil. Using case studies from northeast Brazil, the Laguna Madre area on the Texas-Mexico border, and the Flint Hills of Nebraska and Oklahoma, I identified how wind energy and the challenges it poses vary considerably by context. Finally, in Chapter 5, I used 11 shorebird tracks to understand how the full development of offshore wind farms in the Gulf of Mexico might affect overall patterns of co-occurrence between shorebirds and wind energy development. In particular, I populated wind farms based on the polygons identified by the Biden Administration and explored the additional co-occurrence of birds with turbines that might result. I also investigated the extent of state-level environmental review that these turbines went through based on the existence of state environmental policy acts. I found that most turbines that birds flew within 5km of were land-based turbines that did not go through comprehensive environmental review. This suggests a need to better engage with land-based developers to ensure adequate consideration of shorebirds in their operating plans.