CALL FOR BIRD CLUBS TO BECOME INVOLVED IN COMMENTING ON WIND FARM APPLICATIONS

Hi Anton,

I agree with your email that members must get involved.

I am now reaping the benefit of commenting early when the first notificationare seen in the press. For one, where at the Public Meeting it was suggested that I could sign it off as no problem for birds, in my written comments I indicated that there was a flyway. The environmental practicioner was forced to get an ornithologyst to do a "one day survey", on which he confirmed that there could be one. Hence the interest now in the Vredenburg/Langebaan sites.

This week, as a result of commenting on test masts for the Paternoster site that the site could contain migratory winter Blue Cranes. An ornithologyst visited me at home and said that he had counted about 140 around the site area during his survey.

Another example has come this week, an Enviromental Authorisation for the Erection of a Windmonitoring Mast. In the conditions for approval Specific Conditions Section "26 - The input of an avifaunal specialist for the fitting of anti-collision devices. Anti-collision devices such as bird diverters must be fitted to guy cables".

Anton, we are the "eyes on the ground", this is what our members have to understand, that written comments attached to the Scoping Report which the developer has to follow up and answer, even though it may take months/years to have an effect.

Another area to which I have been directed , is to obtain and check the Record of Decision (RoD), environmental protection clauses are often included which developers choose to ignore because "nobody checks", this is where the Biosphere Co.s and Estuary Management Forums can help.

Last week while on holiday we visited the last of the sites on the West Coast and to be more ready for the workshop. But what I have found is that for serious sites, they must border upon an Eskom grid line, about 70 Kv.and the clustering of sites can lead to associated "Cumulative Impacts.

This wind energy programme is larger than first thought after seeing the portfolio of just one practicioner, 27 wind projects Nationally!

Regards.

Keith Harrison.

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