We're Born And Then We're Dead

Most of my life, at least in the past few weeks, has been spent walking under gigantic turbines, some of which are pictured here. It's kind of eerie to have these massive, white, clean, very Orwellian looking structures towering over you at all times....and when the wind is really whipping, it gets loud under there, and you can't help but ponder the amount of power thats getting generated right next to you, only to be zipped off to be released out of some lady's hairdryer. In fact, sometimes I think the comparison goes beyond Orwell to Orson Wells and....I can't quite explain it....but keep in mind that these turbines are about 400 feet tall, and they weren't built to fuck around. They generate an enormous amount of power. These turbines are a part of the heralded Green Revolution that is beginning to take a foothold here in the United States (particularly now that Bush and his wankers have left Washington), and I think in general, they can be a Good Thing. However, it is unlikely that the world's bats are very enthusiastic about the prospect of giant hulking turbines the size of skyscrapers popping up everywhere.



People are just beginning to understand the effects that wind projects have on wildlife......but certainly the most affected are birds and bats. In this area, it is bats that get the brunt of the blades, with about 30 bats killed for every 5 birds at a turbine per year. It's thought that birds will usually go out of their way to avoid the turbines, whereas bats may actually be attracted to them somehow. But it's all hypothetical at this point. I'll try to remember to get some pictures of the next bat I find......