Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Windmills and Birds Windmills and Birds can Coexist. BBC Technology and Nature -- Migrating birds are unlikely to be seriously affected by offshore wind farms, according to a study. Scientists found that birds simply fly around the farm, or between the turbines; less than 1% are in danger of colliding with the giant structures. Writing in the Royal Society's journal Biology Letters, the researchers say previous estimates of collision risk have been "over-inflated". However, conservationists warn that turbines pose other risks to birdlife. The research project involved one of Denmark's two large offshore wind farms, Nysted in the Baltic Sea, which contains 72 turbines each measuring 69m to the top of the nacelle or hub. It started operating in 2003. "This is the first such study involving a large-scale offshore wind farm," researcher Mark Desholm, from the Environmental Research Institute in Ronde told the BBC News website. There has been other data from farms with fewer than 10 turbines, but we thought this issue was so important because the potential for offshore wind power is so huge." Globally, offshore projects currently generate around 600 MW, less than 2% of the overall total for wind. But the potential is huge, because there is less competition for space at sea, turbines are less visible, and the wind there is often more reliable. ... David Gibbons, head of conservation science at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), told the BBC News website that this study suggested the risks to birds were smaller than had been feared. "It's a nice, clear picture of research; there's always been concern about turbines as 'mincers', but this study is suggesting that the birds fly around or go through. So on the face of it, this is pretty good news for wind farms; but there are other issues when you look at the much larger farms which are coming, and different ways in which they could affect birds. (06/08/05) [Synergic Earth News] 10:30:30 PM

Arizona Concerts, Tours & Music Festivals Arizona Concerts, Tours & Music Festivals. June 4, 2005 - Henry Turner Jr. and Flavor @ Relics Resturaunt and Night Club â?¢ 3335 w. Hwy 89A â?¢ On Stage: 9pm Where: Sedona, AZ -- What h.. (1983 words) [Arizona Reporter Newswire] 10:23:30 PM

news@nature.com Fermilab High-risk physics. In the world of billion-dollar particle physics, one lab is taking an enormous gamble on its future. Geoff Brumfiel takes a look at Fermilab's hopes to host the next big machine. [news@nature.com] 8:56:34 PM

Stacked Tonight on FOX Stacked Tonight. Hey there, Long time...no blog....! Sorry, but I've been on the road for the last few weeks. Hey, I wanted to let everyone know that Stacked is airing tonight on FOX at 8:30pm. This will be the last episode to... [Stacked] 12:13:33 PM