WEST Publication: “Pollinator Habitat in Solar Facilities Has Potential to Support High Diversity of Bee Species”
WEST Consulting Biologist Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar, PhD, is lead author of the recently published research article, “Pollinator Habitat in Solar Facilities Has Potential to Support High Diversity of Bee Species,” in the Environmental Research Communications Journal. Converting agricultural and degraded lands to solar energy production creates a unique opportunity to support diverse bee communities through revegetation. […]
WEST Publication: Patterns in Lek Persistence and Attendance by Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) Near a Wind Energy Facility in Southern Kansas
WEST Biologists Chad LeBeau, Renae Sattler, and Kyle Ebenhoch, with Statisticians Matthew Crane and Sierra Pugh, are authors of the recently published research article, “Patterns in Lek Persistence and Attendance by Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) Near a Wind Energy Facility in Southern Kansas,” in the Journal of Wildlife Biology. As wind energy development expands across […]
Optimized Smart Curtailment Powered By WEST: Meeting Your Project’s Bat Conservation Targets While Optimizing Power Production!
Discover how WEST is tackling the challenge of bat mortality at wind energy facilities with our innovative digital solution, Optimized Smart Curtailment (OSC). OSC provides wind turbine curtailment algorithms, developed from machine learning techniques, tuned to site-specific patterns of bat risk and power production. Our solution empowers wind energy facility operators by providing options specific […]
New Publication
WEST Consulting Biologist Carly Kelly is a co-author of the recently published research article, “Resource Selection and Survival of Plains Sharp-tailed Grouse at a Wind Energy Facility,” published in Ecosphere, an Ecological Society of America open access journal. The study examined the impact of wind energy infrastructure on plains sharp-tailed grouse in northeastern South Dakota […]
Upcoming Presentations
This week, WEST Principal Biologist Rhett Good will be a panelist in a session at the Northeast Bat Working Group (NEBWG) meeting in Harrisburg, PA. Rhett will describe various approaches for reducing bat fatalities, focusing on WEST’s Optimized Smart Curtailment approach, the effectiveness of acoustic deterrents, and potential combinations of approaches for reducing bat fatalities […]
Upcoming Presentations
Next week, WEST Principal Biologist, Hall Sawyer, will be presenting at the Corridors, Connectivity, and Crossings Conference. He’ll share “New Insights for Renewable Energy and Big Game” and “Big Game Guidelines for Solar Development – A Roadmap Forward.” Hall Sawyer says, “Our panel session will highlight an emerging issue that is becoming more and more […]
Upcoming Presentation
We’re excited to announce that WEST Consulting Biologist Peter Kappes, PhD, is presenting a WRI-funded project at the joint Pacific Seabird Group/Waterbird Society meeting in San Jose, Costa Rica, this week. His presentation, “Using Time-lapse Photography to Monitor Population Trends in a Burrow-nesting Seabird,” will discuss innovative monitoring of subsurface-nesting seabirds using time-lapse photography. Discover […]
WEST Publication: Grizzly bear behavior in south-central Alaska: Use of a hidden Markov model to assess behavior
WEST Consulting Biologist Amanda Mumford is the lead author on the recently published research article, “Grizzly bear behavior in south-central Alaska: Use of a hidden Markov model to assess behavior,” published in URSUS- International Association for Bear Research and Management. The study in south-central Alaska examined how environmental and human factors influence grizzly bear behavior, […]
WEST Publication: Dynamic soaring decouples dynamic body acceleration and energetics in albatross
WEST Senior Biologist Melinda Conners on our offshore team is lead author on the recently published research article, Dynamic soaring decouples dynamic body acceleration and energetics in albatross, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology. This paper describes flight costs of two species of dynamic soaring birds: black-browed and grey-headed #albatrosses from the Southern Ocean. […]
WEST Publication: Successful pollinator seed mixes include low grass density and high forb richness across a range of total seeding densities
WEST Consulting Biologist Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar, PhD is a co-author of the recently published research article, “Successful pollinator seed mixes include low grass density and high forb richness across a range of total seeding densities,” published in Restoration Ecology, The Journal of the Society for Ecological Restoration. Restoring pollinator habitats by planting wildflowers helps combat pollinator […]