<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:st1 =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2963" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"
bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document
face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>Wind power is something we all are going to have to come to grips with.
Here's a start.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Christine Williamson</DIV>
<DIV>Chicago/Cook</DIV>
<DIV><A href="mailto:birdchris@aol.com">birdchris@aol.com</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT color=#414141 size=3>Flicker summed up the Audubon
perspective with stark directness. “When you look at a wind turbine, you can
find the bird carcasses and count them,” he said. “With a coal-fired power
plant, you can’t count the carcasses, but it’s going to kill a lot more
birds</FONT></EM></STRONG>.”<o:p></o:p>
<TABLE class=MsoNormalTable style="WIDTH: 100%" cellPadding=0 width="100%"
border=0>
<TBODY>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 27pt" height=36>
<TD
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 3pt; PADDING-LEFT: 3pt; BACKGROUND: #66787f; PADDING-BOTTOM: 3pt; PADDING-TOP: 3pt; HEIGHT: 27pt"
bgColor=#66787f height=36>
<P class=MsoNormal><A name=Article2></A><SPAN class=style441><B><FONT
face=Arial color=white size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">National Audubon Society Shows
Support for Wind Power</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P></TD></TR>
<TR style="HEIGHT: 304.5pt" height=406>
<TD
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 3pt; PADDING-LEFT: 3pt; PADDING-BOTTOM: 3pt; PADDING-TOP: 3pt; HEIGHT: 304.5pt"
vAlign=top height=406>
<P><SPAN class=body1><FONT face=Arial color=#414141 size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">Pointing to the link between global warming and the
birds and other wildlife that scientists assert it will kill, the National
Audubon Society said that it “strongly supports wind power as a clean
alternative energy source.”</SPAN></FONT></SPAN><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=body><FONT face=Arial color=#414141 size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">The show of support came via a column called
<EM><I><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Audubon
View</SPAN></FONT></I></EM> published in the organization’s
November-December issue of its membership magazine and written by Audubon
President John Flicker. “As the threats of global warming loom ever
larger, alternative energy sources like wind power are essential,” wrote
Flicker, who visited the AWEA offices this
week.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=body><FONT face=Arial color=#414141 size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">Flicker emphasized the importance of prudent siting
and the need for his organization and its chapters to work with the wind
energy industry. “Modern wind turbines are much safer for birds than their
predecessors, but if they are located in the wrong places, they can still
be hazardous and can fragment critical habitat,” said
Flicker.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=body><FONT face=Arial color=#414141 size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">In an interview with <EM><I><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Wind Energy Weekly</SPAN></FONT></I></EM>,
Flicker said that the organization’s decision to speak out about wind came
as a result of the recent increased urgency on the part of the scientific
community with respect to global warming. Specifically, he cited a recent
study by John Hansen for the National Academy of Sciences suggesting that
if greenhouse gases are not reduced in the next decade, a significant
amount of plants and animals could face extinction by the middle of the
century. “It creates a sense of urgency beyond anything we have seen
before,” said Flicker, adding that he wanted to ensure his organization is
not an obstacle for wind power but a help. “I want to make sure Audubon is
doing everything we can to promote both conservation and wind
energy.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=body><FONT face=Arial color=#414141 size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">Flicker summed up the Audubon perspective with
stark directness. “When you look at a wind turbine, you can find the bird
carcasses and count them,” he said. “With a coal-fired power plant, you
can’t count the carcasses, but it’s going to kill a lot more
birds.”<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=body><FONT face=Arial color=#414141 size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">In his column, Flicker noted how Mass Audubon, an
independent state Audubon organization in <st1:State
w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:State>, recently completed an extensive
review of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Cape</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Wind</st1:PlaceName></st1:place> project, a study that “set a
new standard for analyzing the potential effects of wind turbines on
birds.” Flicker told <EM><I><FONT face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Wind Energy Weekly </SPAN></FONT></I></EM>that
he would do everything he could to help advance wind energy. “We want to
figure out ways to cooperate as much as we can to make the wind industry
grow while making wind power safer for birds,” he
said.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=body><FONT face=Arial color=#414141 size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">One concrete example of Flicker and Audubon
advocating for wind power: in his column, he urged readers to contact
Members of Congress and ask them to make the Production Tax Credit for
wind power permanent.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=body><FONT face=Arial color=#414141 size=1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt">While Audubon chapters operate somewhat
independently, Flicker said the decision to support wind came from
feedback back and forth between the national society and the state
organizations. (Individuals are members of both the national society and
state affiliates.) “What we want to do is educate our members and give
them guidance,” he said, explaining that ‘we give each other guidance.”
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=black size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>