Draft for review. Exposure-zone map for bald and golden eagles, based on relative abundance data.
Wind energy projects that pose a low risk to eagles are activities sited in areas where eagle abundance is known to be low. We defined low-exposure zones as areas where abundance is below a defined threshold such that:
(1) we can confidently predict that eagles will be infrequently exposed to wind turbines in the
area; and (2) Stage 2 (site-specific in-field) eagle use surveys are unlikely to yield information
useful in generating a fatality prediction for the wind energy project. Although our focus is on low-exposure for wind energy projects, the general concept applies toother activities that may incidentally take eagles as well.Proposed wind energy projects that meet the low risk criteria have the option of skipping
the required 2 years of site-specific surveys, and will be able to implement a simplified
post-construction fatality monitoring protocol focused on confirming the low-risk
characterization of the site. Operating wind energy projects that meet low-risk criteria that wish to obtain an eagle incidental take permit may also take advantage of aspects of the low-risk
permit approach to expedite permitting. The low-exposure zone is indicated in green, non low-exposure in purple. Abundance thresholds were determined seperately for bald and golden eagles, and maps are provided for each threshold combination we considered. Combinations include: bald eagle / golden eagle products at 20/30, 50/30, and 80/30 quantiles; and individual BAEA maps for the 20, 50, and 80th quantiles.
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