Bat and Bird Mortality Studies at Buffalo Mountain Windfarm

In 2000, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) installed three wind turbines at the Buffalo Mountain windfarm in Anderson County, Tennessee. A three-year study, from September 2000 to September 2003, was conducted to document bird and bat activity and mortality at the windfarm. In 2004, 15 larger turbines were added to the windfarm. With the addition of these turbines the magnitude of expected bird and bat mortality was unknown.

Because the environmental study performed by TVA during the 2000-03 study indicated the likelihood of bird and bat mortality, TVA began a second study at the site during 2005. The 2005 study had the following objectives: 1) document bird and bat mortality at the original turbines and the new, larger turbines; 2) compare the results to the previous study. The Executive Summary of the 2005 report briefly outlines its conclusions and TVA’s next step. The full report can be found at the following link:

Fiedler, J. K., T. H. Henry, R. D. Tankersley, and C. P. Nicholson. 2007. Results of bat and bird mortality monitoring at the expanded Buffalo Mountain Windfarm, 2005. Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville.

Links to reports from the 2000-03 study are provided below:

Fiedler, J. K. 2004. Assessment of bat mortality and activity at Buffalo Mountain Windfarm, eastern Tennessee. M.S. Thesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Nicholson, C. P., R. D. Tankersley, J. K. Fiedler, and N. S. Nicholas. 2005. Assessment and prediction of bird and bat mortality at wind energy facilities in the southeastern United States, Final Report. Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville.

TVA also contributed to the following peer reviewed article in the Journal of Wildlife Management.

Arnett, E. B., W. K. Brown, W. P. Erickson, J. K. Fiedler, B. L. Hamilton, T. H. Henry, A. Jain, G. D. Johnson, J. Kerns, Rolf R. Koford, C. P. Nicholson, T. J. O'Connell, M. D. Piorkowski, R. D. Tankersley, Jr. 2006. Patterns of Bat Fatalities at Wind Energy Facilities in North America. Journal Of Wildlife Management: 72(1):61-78.