Edgewood’s Recipe for Songbird Soup

by John Weckerle

As reported here, in the Mountain View Telegraph, at Gadabout-Blogalot.com, and other local sources, the Town of Edgewood recently received a stimulus package grant for two 50 kilowatt wind turbines.  As mentioned in all sources, the Town intends to place these turbines at the site of the wastewater treatment plant, which will also be the site of a new, roughly 3.5 acre pond, intended for recreational uses including fishing.  At first, this may seem a great fit; however, as with so many issues, there is more to the situation than meets the eye.

What is perhaps not entirely obvious – and quite clearly not obvious at all to the Town’s energy committee, Planning and Zoning Commission, Council, and staff, despite having been made aware of the issue – is the connection between bodies of water, insects, bats and birds in this part of the world.  Anyone who has even a small outdoor fountain in this area knows that not only do local birds of all types visit water sources on a daily basis, but migratory birds crowd in during migration seasons in Spring and Fall.  On any given morning at this time of year, it is far from unusual for us to see 20 or more robins at at time, joined by northern flickers, woodpeckers, and other visitors lined up around and on top of the fountain, drinking and bathing.  On any given day, we have hundreds of visitors during migration season – and the fountain’s wet area is probably about 18 inches across.  The bubbler out front sees similar action at times. 

Imagine, then, the attractive potential of a three-and-a-half acre pond (or go take a look at the pond at Wildlife West Nature Park) during migration season.  Consider the far greater number of local songbirds, etc. joined by raptors and a vastly greater number of migratory visitors – and add waterfowl to the mix, as a three-and-a-half acre pond is big enough to provide water, food, and nighttime floating and wading space for such visitors.  Imagine the multitude of birds, migratory and otherwise, that will be drawn to the pond by the mere presence of water – not to mention the food source it will represent.  Imagine the clouds of insects dancing in the sunlight on a lazy summer’s day, food for hungry birds – or at night, a bounty for bats.  Then imagine the two 60-foot whirling circles of bird- and bat-murdering death (we’re not kidding this time) awaiting these visitors.

It is not clear whether, once it becomes operational (if it ever does), the wastewater treatment plant will have outdoor lighting.  That would help to exacerbate the problem nicely.

We think it’s great that the Town of Edgewood is looking to renewable energy for some of its electricity needs.  However, we’ve voiced our opinion very strongly that the Town should consider ecological issues when making determinations on the siting of wind turbine.  The Town’s energy committee, P&Z Commission, and Council apparently turned a deaf ear to that opinion, and now perhaps we know why.

Once again, we see a situation in which people, seeing only the good in a proposal, simply refuse to consider the potential negatives that may be inherent in a certain approach – or simply don’t care about the negative impacts of their decisions.  We hold to this: it makes little sense to claim any sort of “green” status while knowingly doing something that may have a severe and negative ecological impact, both locally and at a distance.  After all, in promoting “green” energy, what is it that we are trying to save?

We leave our readers with this quote from internationally renowned Dietrich Dorner’s The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error In Complex Situations:

“Moreover, it is far from clear whether “good intentions plus stupidity” or “evil intentions plus
intelligence” have wrought more harm in the world. People with good intentions usually have
few qualms about pursuing their goals. As a result, incompetence that would otherwise have
remained harmless often becomes dangerous, especially as incompetent people with good
intentions rarely suffer the qualms of conscience that sometimes inhibit the doings of
competent people with bad intentions. The conviction that our intentions are unquestionably
good may sanctify the most questionable means.”

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