The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has opened a 30-day public comment period on the Wildhorse Mountain Wind Energy Project permit application, Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the operation of a wind turbine facility in southeastern Oklahoma.
The HCP and EA are designed to minimize impacts of the project on the federally endangered Indiana bat and threatened northern long-eared bat in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. HCPs are one of many tools the Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides for businesses, landowners and state and local governments so they may continue their activities while also ensuring the conservation of a listed species.
The HCP and associated incidental take permit request were submitted to the Service under the ESA. The Service’s draft EA analyzes the effects of issuing the proposed incidental take permit for the project based on the HCP.
A permit is needed to cover incidental take of the Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat from activities associated with the operation of 29 wind turbines in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. The requested permit would be in effect for 30 years.
Both bats eat insects, weigh around a quarter of an ounce, and have wingspans around 10 inches. Indiana bats have dull grayish chestnut colored fur. The northern long-eared bat is lighter tan in color and has long ears, as the name suggests. The Indiana bat was listed as endangered in 1967 due to disturbance of bats hibernating in caves during the winter, resulting in the death of large numbers of bats. The northern long-eared bat was listed as threatened in 2015 because of the spread of white-nose syndrome.
Members of the public are invited to submit comments through September 26, 2021. Copies of the draft EA and HCP are available online: https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/oklahoma/. For additional information, contact John Hendrix (acting Field Supervisor) by telephone at 918-382-4506, or by mail at: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Ecological Services Field Office, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, Oklahoma 74129. Public comments also may be submitted via email to OKES_NEPA@fws.gov.
White-nose syndrome is an illness that has killed over a million bats since 2006 when dead and dying bats, with the distinctive "white nose," were first observed. "White nose" refers to presence of a white fungus often seen on the faces and wings of affected bats. The fungus causes irritation and disturbs the bats during their winter hibernation, inducing them to become active and utilize their limited fat reserves, leading to starvation. White-nose syndrome also is now the major threat to the Indiana bat, along with countless other bat species throughout much of the U.S. and Canada.
America’s fish, wildlife and plant resources belong to all of us, and ensuring the health of imperiled species and their habitats is a shared responsibility. We continue working with partners and the public to use improved and innovative ways to conserve and recover imperiled species.
