The R/V Russell W. Peterson
After dong the radio stint on WILM with Dace and Shirley Vandever of Delaware Curmudgeon, I headed over to the Port of Wilmington where the Research Vessel Russell W. Peterson was dedicated. The vessel is named after our illustrious former governor and operated by a company called Aqua Survey, Inc.
She (even though named after a he) will spend the next 75 days researching bird migration patterns in Delaware Bay to better measure the potential impact of Bluewater Wind's 150 turbine wind farm.
What do Shirley's old man Jimmy and former DNREC secretary Nick DiPasquale have in common? They both think birds shouldn't have too much trouble with the turbines, saying, and I quote, "Birds aren't stupid."
She (even though named after a he) will spend the next 75 days researching bird migration patterns in Delaware Bay to better measure the potential impact of Bluewater Wind's 150 turbine wind farm.
What do Shirley's old man Jimmy and former DNREC secretary Nick DiPasquale have in common? They both think birds shouldn't have too much trouble with the turbines, saying, and I quote, "Birds aren't stupid."
posted by Tom Noyes at 5:15 PM
7 Comments:
Ain't that the truth. Birds wouldn't fly 50% further to get exactly the same food with the chance that the food won't even be there. Oops...isn't that what BWW is asking us to force ourselves to do rather than buy onshore wind from other suppliers? You're right, birds aren't that stupid.
Michael T. Hogan
As someone who grew up in the backwoods of Georgia and Florida, Jimmy knows his critters. When he says, "Birds aren't stupid", you have to believe him.
I hate to ask how much this study is going to cost. For half the price, Jimmy will repeat what he said.
And just when I'm going around calling BBW's PR ops impotent.
How did this play in the dead tree edition Tom?
I had to luck into finding it online.
I'm convinced there will be a windfarm off Rehoboth. Will it come ashore here or in NJ is a question?
BWW is proceeding with the avaian studies needed for either.
DPL continues with what I see as a false montra that onshore could be cheaper, but has yet to present hard numbers. Kwh for kwh, I am looking for a premium half the cost of BWW. Does it exist? Or is is only after there are no power purchase over what SB-19 requires?
More birds are killed flying into closed plate glass windows each year than are being killed by windmills worldwide.
While I agree that the bird thing is hardly a reason to not build a wind farm, I have this sneaking suspicion that you'd be singing a different tune if the threat to the birds was, oh, let's say a nuclear plant. There'd be demonstrations on the state house steps with piles of dead birds to demonstrate the evils of nuclear power. It wouldn't hurt you to step back just a moment and ask yourself if there's anything - ANYTHING AT ALL - that would dissuade you from supporting this thing. I suspect the answer is "no." And that should worry you. It worries me.
Are nuclear plants a danger to birds? I have not heard that they are.
I try to avoid hypothetical areguments about what I would do if the world were different than it is.
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