title: Predicting and mapping potential Whooping Crane stopover habitat to guide site selection for wind energy projects.
abstract: Migratory stopover habitats are often not part of planning for conservation or new development projects. We identified potential stopover habitats within an avian migratory flyway and demonstrated how this information can guide the site-selection process for new development. We used the random forests modeling approach to map the distribution of predicted stopover habitat for the Whooping Crane (Grus americana), an endangered species whose migratory flyway overlaps with an area where wind energy development is expected to become increasingly important. We then used this information to identify areas for potential wind power development in a U.S. state within the flyway (Nebraska) that minimize conflicts between Whooping Crane stopover habitat and the development of clean, renewable energy sources. Up to 54% of our study area was predicted to be unsuitable as Whooping Crane stopover habitat and could be considered relatively low risk for conflicts between Whooping Cranes and wind energy development. We suggest that this type of analysis be incorporated into the habitat conservation planning process in areas where incidental take permits are being considered for Whooping Cranes or other species of concern. Field surveys should always be conducted prior to construction to verify model predictions and understand baseline conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 W. Taylor St (MC 066), Chicago, IL, 60607, U.S.A.. jbelai2@uic.edu.
authors.forename: J Amy
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Belaire
authors.forename: Betty J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kreakie
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keitt
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Minor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D056727:Endangered Species; D004736:Energy-Generating Resources; D009329:Nebraska; D014919:Wind
keywords: Bosques aleatorios; Grulla Americana (Grus americana); Whooping Crane (Grus americana); avian migration; conservación de aves en ruta; descanso; en route bird conservation; granja de viento; migración de aves; random forests; selección de sitio; site selection; stopover; wind farm