Month: January 2012

North American Falconers Association on West Butte/USFWS Comment Period

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NAFA has requested an extension of the 2/2/12 deadline for public comments regarding the West Butte Wind Project permit application for the take of federally protected golden eagles, & other species (primarily avian & bats). To my knowledge, there has been no response yet from USFWS. The requested deadline would allow commentary until the beginning of April. If you have not yet read the USFW DEA (Draft Environmental Assessment) statement, previously posted, please do so immediately, & act on this potentially disastrous policy that would undo generations of essential raptor restoration work, among other things.  If this gets through in its current form, it would gut, if not nullify, policies established to stop this very kind of destructive behaviour, & lead to rampant exploitation of the weakening of laws protecting various species which were very hard-won. Ironically, this particular case is due to the pursuit of ‘green’ energy. West Butte has done due diligence in their research, but, with the involvement of USFWS, the resultant proposal is not workable in anything like an acceptable manner by any reasonable person’s standards. If you consider yourself a conservationist, it is imperative that you make your carefully thought-out opposition known ASAP.