• CRP Grasslands Tour Provides Opportunity for Education & Discussion

• Wind Energy & Conservation: Working Together for Better Solutions

• Restore New Mexico Partners Target Areas for Restoration

CRP Grasslands Tour Provides Opportunity for Education & Discussion

In October, Playa Lakes Joint Venture and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks hosted a two-day tour of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands in western Kansas that are being used as cover by Lesser Prairie-Chickens.

Representatives from the USDA Farm Service Agency and the US Fish & Wildlife Service in Washington, DC — as well as conservation specialists from those agencies in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma — viewed examples of effective Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat, discussed what should be planted to provide cover on CRP acreage, and explored how to target expiring CRP contracts to best serve the needs of the birds.

"The tour was very informative, demonstrating the critical need for integrating sound conservation on the broad landscape," says Skip Hyberg, an agricultural economist for the USDA Farm Service Agency. "It showed that managing grassland covers is necessary if the ecosystem is going to continue to provide the broad set of services valued by farmers, outdoor recreationists, and critters."

At this time, within the area where Lesser Prairie-Chickens live, there are approximately six million acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, but 76 percent of those acres are due to expire by 2013. If not re-enrolled, the loss of those acres will have a profound affect on the Lesser Prairie-Chicken population. "The worst-case scenario — if all of those acres were converted to cropland — would be the loss of approximately 10,000 chickens, or about one-third of the bird’s population," explains Barth Crouch, PLJV Conservation Policy Director.

The Lesser Prairie-Chicken is a candidate for threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. If the species is listed, the restrictions on livestock grazing and farming practices would have significant negative impacts on the agricultural industry.

During the tour, representatives of the various organizations discussed how they could work more efficiently and effectively by expanding and connecting large blocks of existing native habitat within the current range boundaries and lek locations.

"By focusing on quality CRP grasslands in areas within two miles of existing rangelands where Lesser Prairie-Chickens already exist or could potentially exist, we can greatly enhance their population," says tour leader Randy Rodgers from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. "With a well-targeted approach that creates these types of close-knit rangeland and CRP mosaics, we would only need about half the current CRP acres in those counties to substantially increase the number of Lesser Prairie-Chickens in Kansas."

The tour participants agreed to continue discussions and hope to organize another grasslands tour when agency representatives from all five states can attend.

Wind Energy & Conservation: Working Together for Better Solutions

Renewable energy. Conservation. Biodiversity. For most of us, these are goals we believe in and are working toward. But, too often, organizations only have the opportunity to focus their efforts on one of these issues. Now, in the Playa Lakes region, the renewable energy industry and the conservation community are coming together in order to share information and develop better solutions that address all of these goals.

Over the past 12 months, Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) has become involved with wind energy meetings in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Each state has taken a different approach to wind development, but they all share the common theme of mapping areas where wind development could occur with less impact on the ecosystems.

A FORUM FOR COMMUNICATION

In August 2008, with the assistance of the American Wind-Wildlife Institute, the Colorado Renewables and Conservation Collaborative (CRCC) was formed to examine the possible negative environmental effects of renewable energy development and to assist the renewable energy industry in reaching its development and transmission goals, while preserving the prairie and mountain ecosystems in Colorado.

The group — which consists of 15 wind energy developers, five conservation groups and a utility company — is currently focused on addressing the environmental impact of wind energy development in eastern Colorado.

Renewable energy companies, like Horizon Wind Energy and E.ON, are concerned with responsible development — preserving biodiversity at the site level while decreasing the carbon footprint of electricity generation — and CRCC helps by providing a forum for open dialogue between the wind industry and conservation groups. As Greg Buis, Director of Mountain West Development for E.ON, explains, "This interchange provides the wind industry with an understanding of the most pressing regional issues and gives a head start to finding solutions."

"As a renewable energy company, our owners and employees are committed to the environmental benefits of responsible wind energy development," says Tanuj Deora, Project Development Manager at Horizon Wind Energy, "and we believe a proactive and collaborative approach with conservation groups is the best way to share knowledge and guide development."

One of the challenges in developing wind energy is deciding where to place the needed structures without negatively impacting the surrounding environment. Wind turbines and the transmission lines needed to deliver the electricity produced can affect wildlife — sometimes killing birds or bats, sometimes simply rendering habitat inappropriate for nesting.

In order to avoid and/or minimize the environmental impacts of wind energy development, CRCC identified a set of species and habitats that may be impacted by wind development in eastern Colorado and is drafting best management practices for them. In addition, the group is planning to develop an internet-based application that would enable developers to quickly access natural resource maps and information, then step through a set of questions that would guide them to best practices for species and habitats associated with their development sites.

"CRCC provides a chance for the industry to work with stakeholders in developing best practices that deliver an optimal combination of cost and benefit in a way that is very difficult for government-imposed regulations," says Deora. "The result is better information and increased trust between industry and conservation groups."

The Collaborative is also working to promote the development of Public Utilities Commission regulations that would reduce environmental impacts associated with wind development through the implementation of best management practices. Earlier this year, members of CRCC, including Interwest Energy Alliance, jointly submitted comments to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which is expected to issue revised rules before the end of 2009.

MANY PARTNERS IN THE ROOM

In New Mexico, PLJV is working with traditional partners and new stakeholders as part of the New Mexico Wind and Wildlife Collaborative.

"It is exciting to have so many partners, including landowners, in the room discussing responsible siting for wind energy development in New Mexico," says Christopher Rustay, PLJV Conservation Delivery Leader. "As far as I’m aware, this is the first time in the Southern Great Plains where such a large variety of participants has gathered."

The Collaborative is comprised of most every type of entity involved in the development, siting, transmission and purchase of wind-derived electricity, including:

• U.S. Forest Service,
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management,
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
• New Mexico Department of Game and Fish,
• New Mexico Energy,
• Minerals and Natural Resources Department,
• New Mexico Department of Agriculture,
• Public Service Company of New Mexico (a utility company),
• New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority,
• The Nature Conservancy,
• Audubon New Mexico,
• Natural Resources Defense Council,
• wind development companies,
• wind company consultants, and
• landowner associations developed to maximize the wind potential on their lands.

The collaborative process began in May 2009 when PLJV hosted a meeting to discuss local bird habitat and the effects of wind development. After several more meetings and much planning and work, more potential partners were invited to the table and the New Mexico Wind and Wildlife Collaborative was born. The first meeting took place on September 23 in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, where the group divided into committees that will continue working to develop a unified vision, determine the wildlife resources affected by wind energy, and establish recommendations to mitigate the impact of wind and transmission line sitings.

Restore New Mexico Partners Target Areas for Restoration

On October 16, Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) joined the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and other organizations and individuals, in celebrating the restoration of one million acres of degraded habitat through the Restore New Mexico partnership. As part of the celebration, the BLM presented awards to organizations and individuals that have made major contributions to the partnership.

PLJV received one of four Pecos District Restore Awards for its funding — much of which has come from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation — and contributions to the restoration project in southeastern New Mexico. A primary goal of that project is to improve the habitat of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken. Unless the population numbers increase, the Lesser Prairie-Chicken may be listed under the Endangered Species Act.

In southeastern New Mexico, oil drilling, and its associated roads and power lines, has had a severe impact on the Lesser Prairie-Chicken. These structures — where historically there are no buildings, trees or vegetation over three feet tall — break up habitat, and provide perches and nest sites for avian predators. This results in a loss of large blocks of habitat needed to sustain the Lesser Prairie-Chicken population, as well as an increased mortality rate for the chickens.

"Old oil pad reclamation is an activity that is of interest to the oil and gas companies," says Robert Martin, Northeastern New Mexico Great Plains Coordinator at The Nature Conservancy, "but they don’t have the necessary information to focus their efforts where it will best serve the local wildlife. By sharing resources and information, we can target those areas and work more effectively."

In order to help with the targeting process, PLJV has organized a group to develop maps of old oil pads and infrastructure that can be removed, then select the areas that will be most beneficial to restore. In addition, an outreach biologist will be hired to facilitate the restoration process between private landowners, the gas and oil companies, and other agencies that have an interest in restoration.

Once the areas are selected, work will begin on reclaiming defunct oil pads, roads, utility poles and lines no longer needed. When appropriate, funds may also be used to remove fences, invasive shrubs and abandoned structures.

"The Restore New Mexico partnership has given us a unique opportunity to work within existing restoration efforts," says Christopher Rustay, PLJV Conservation Delivery Leader. "This will be the first time that habitat reclamation will be strategically prioritized to provide a maximum benefit to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken population in New Mexico."

Restore New Mexico is comprised of more than 300 partners, including the BLM, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the New Mexico State Land Office, other federal and state agencies, ranchers and landowners, conservation groups and the energy industry.

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