The sounds of vocalizing animals (biophonic) and the non-biological sounds (geophonic) of running water and rustling wind emanate from natural landscapes. However, vast expanses of open range are experiencing establishment of large wind-energy facilities (anthrophonic). The noise emitted from these machines may interrupt the natural landscape and underlying biological processes. To develop decision support tools for siting wind developments in the Nebraska Sandhills, we have evaluated the effects of wind developments on Greater Prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido). We identified potential for wind-turbine noise interference to effect breeding success of lekking prairie-chickens at local (lek) and landscape (wind project area) scales. We recorded vocalizations along gradients extending out from an existing wind turbine facility at Ainsworth, Nebraska during the lekking seasons (March - June) of 2013 and 2014. Preliminary analyses suggest "booms" were shorter in duration and lower in fundamental frequency near the wind farm, and "whoops" were higher in sound pressure level and fundamental frequency near the wind farm. The boom chorus is the combined sound of multiple males booming simultaneously at a lek. The low-frequency sound of the boom chorus has an average peak frequency of 297 Hertz and travels a long distance over the landscape to function as an advertiser to other prairie-chickens. We found that the level of the of the boom chorus at a given point on the landscape is affected by distance to the lek, numbers of male and female prairie chickens at the lek, ordinal day, time of day, temperature and wind speed. Our approach will allow land managers to optimize wind energy development in areas of concern for rangeland wildlife including prairie grouse, while aiding investors and policy makers to identify ideal locations for future wind energy projects.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.