Locating wind energy habitat disturbance zones with GIS-based modeling: A study of greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus in the Northwestern Great Plains

The global dependence on fossil fuels has opened the eyes of the world to the importance of renewable energy. Energy harnessed from the wind has already begun to alleviate these dependencies, providing clean, renewable electricity to countries around the world. United States wind energy production is ever increasing and is accompanied by a conscious effort to maximize production by developing in regions with the greatest wind resources. One such region is the Northwestern Great Plains. This region's growing emphasis on renewable energy (i.e. wind), has potential to undergo significant changes in the landscape due to wind energy siting. Unfortunately, the geographic locations of wind farms and their physical structures (i.e. turbines) may negatively impact wildlife and their habitats (e.g. collision mortality, disturbance displacement, and habitat loss). As both of these elements (i.e. renewable energy and wildlife) are important to the future of the Northwestern Great Plains, research quantifying the potential wildlife friendly areas is necessary. This research uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based modeling to illustrate areas of potential habitat disturbance and areas of potential wind energy development. This research focuses on greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus) and their habitat located in two states of the Northwestern Great Plains, Montana and Wyoming. The objective of this research is to identify areas suitable for wind energy development with low concentrations of greater sage-grouse and their habitat. The results from this study show two large and numerous small areas that have potential for wind energy development. This study also illustrates the areas where greater sage-grouse have the highest risk of disturbance due to potential development of wind energy in Northwestern Great Plains.;Key words: Wind Energy, Greater Sage-Grouse, GIS, Northwestern Great Plains...