The Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) was thrilled to highlight decades of cross-sector collaboration around wind energy and wildlife with a special session at the 15th biennial Wind Wildlife Research Meeting (WWRM).
On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, REWI gathered representatives from the renewable energy industry, conservation science nonprofits and public agencies to celebrate all who have collaborated on wind and wildlife research and policy over the last 30 years.
Seventeen individuals were honored not just for their role, but for the commitment of their respective organizations to support extraordinary collaboration on the key questions and paths forward for renewable energy.
“Collaboration requires taking an extra step, sometimes taking the risk to be curious, commit to finding common interests, and over time reach agreement…In hearing this remarkable story – you will see that collaboration is now endemic, to renewables and wildlife work.”
Abby Arnold, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI)
The special session was led by REWI Executive Director Abby Arnold, with Honorees Eric Lantz (US DOE), Jerome Ford (USFWS), Jon Belak on behalf of Garry George (National Audubon Society), Sam Enfield (former AWEA President), and Christina Calabrese (EDP Renewables, REWI Board) all sharing statements on the value of collaboration to their respective organizations, and the critical role REWI plays in facilitating those needed ties.
Three Decades of Collaboration
This collaboration began in 1994, when the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) joined with the renewable energy industry, conservationists, and public agencies to form the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC).
“We have come a long way since that first rather turbulent meeting in Lakewood, Colorado back in 1994, when we formulated key questions that wind and wildlife interaction research needed to address.”
Robert Thresher, Emeritus Researcher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
This cross-sector convening of stakeholders provided the foundation to advance progress in understanding the risk for wind energy on wildlife, and support research that has provided solutions to minimize and mitigate wind energy development impacts on wildlife.
“I recognize the need to achieve long term electricity goals, while being a good neighbor to wildlife; this requires novel solutions… we are committed to balancing wind energy with biodiversity and conservation.
We want to expand research and technology. We believe this requires a balance of innovation, science, and continued industry dialogue, between practitioners, researchers, and the wildlife studies community.
Over the last three-plus decades, we have made leaps in progress and in understanding challenges, but our work is not done. We need to continue to scale from 150 gigawatts of wind energy today to meet the immense load growth Americans are experiencing. This will put more pressure on conservation and biodiversity. We need solutions and we need to continue dialogue, and push what’s possible.”
Eric Lantz, Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) Director, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Recognizing the value of collaboration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) created a Wind Turbine Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee (FAC) which ultimately resulted in a consensus agreement. This collaboration and research informed the USFWS Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines (WEGs) published as final in 2012.
REWI (then the American Wind Wildlife Institute, AWWI) was founded in 2008 from the successes of this history of collaboration, at the end of the FAC process.
“With the experience of the Wind Turbine FAC multi-sector stakeholder process, which produced a robust and balanced project planning process, visionaries such as Dr. James Walker, of EDF Renewables, and Wayne Walker, formerly of Horizon Wind Energy, understood the need for industry to become involved in getting ahead of the wind-wildlife challenge, and they proposed to their colleagues in the industry, the conservation community, and public agencies the formation of the American Wind Wildlife Institute, (AWWI, now REWI), to collaborate on solutions to solve wind-wildlife challenges.”
Sam Enfield, Former President of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
REWI’s partners and collaborators have demonstrated the value of working together to advance responsible clean energy development – and continue to do so.
“REWI has evolved to take on a much broader menu of issues and species with the addition of solar technology, and with the common thread of understanding what to focus on for research on wildlife and clean energy interactions. We’re very grateful to REWI for creating the space we need to work on clean energy and wildlife issues together. The relationships and trust NGOs, industry, consultants, and researchers have been able to establish through the informal and friendly engagement facilitated by REWI has enabled progress that would have been unlikely otherwise. Thanks to all of you that have collaborated with us to make this important progress.”
Jon Belak, Senior Manager of Science and Data Analysis, Clean Energy Initiative, on behalf of Garry George, National Audubon Society
Even with some of the most challenging wind and wildlife issues – including the impact of wind on bald and golden eagles – collaboration has led to breakthroughs. Just this year, the USFWS published an updated Eagle Rule in early 2024 based on 12 years of research and input from key stakeholders.
“When the bald eagle was delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2007, wind energy development was new on the landscape. So, we’ve spent the past 14 years continuing to work and grow with our partners to address the complexity of the issues that intersect with wind and eagles. Collaboration, like a huge ship making a turn, takes a long distance to turn, and that is what we have done – we shared data, talked to each other, built trust, and then we did it – we turned the ship! This is a testament to the intentional collaboration we have all done together. We are partners, colleagues, friends, a community, and a family, and I look forward to our growing relationship.”
Jerome Ford, Assistant Director for the Migratory Bird Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
REWI and its collaborators are looking forward to continuing this positive action in 2025 and beyond, to continue facilitating renewable energy development that conserves and mitigates impacts on wildlife.
“I remember the year I started in 2008; I attended the first WWRM. I was immediately struck by the collaboration between my industry colleagues and many represented here today. I have been lucky to see collaboration strengthen over time; it is not always easy, sometimes it is very hard, but absolutely necessary to achieve a clean energy future and biodiversity for future generations. I know we can do both. We still have a lot to learn, time is of the essence. We should not shy from having tough transparent conversations, we might have different views on how to get there; but we have and will continue to get there!”
Christina Calabrese, Director of Permitting and Environmental Affairs, EDP Renewables North America
Honorees and WWRM attendees also took this session to thank REWI’s Abby Arnold for her decades of tireless work facilitating these processes, with REWI Board Vice-Chair Misti Sporer (Deriva Energy) dedicating a reading of Louis L’Amour’s “Embers in the Dark” in her honor. Abby concluded the session by calling on those in the room to carry these efforts forward. The session ended with attendees on their feet, looking forward to continuing this collaboration over the years to come.
Full Honoree List
Biographies included below
- Robert Thresher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (Virtual)
- Jan Beyea, formerly with the National Audubon Society (Virtual)
- Eric Lantz, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO)
- Tom Vinson, American Clean Power Association (ACP)
- Jerome Ford, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
- Jon Belak, National Audubon Society
- Christy Johnson-Hughes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (Virtual)
- Rachel London, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (Virtual)
- Cris Hein, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
- Sam Enfield, Former President of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) (Virtual)
- Rene Braud, formerly with Pattern Energy
- Meaghan Gade, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA)
- Aimee Delach, Defenders of Wildlife, REWI Board Chair (Virtual)
- Katie Umekubo, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
- Clay Crowder, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), REWI Board Member (Virtual)
- Tim Hayes, Natural Resource Solutions, LLC, formerly with Duke Energy Renewables
- Christina Calabrese, EDP Renewables, REWI Board Member
- Misti Sporer, Deriva Energy, REWI Board Vice Chair
Honoree Biographies
Robert Thresher, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Robert Thresher has more than 45 years of research, development, engineering, and management experience in wind energy technologies, ocean energy, plant engineering, and aerospace systems. As a professor at Oregon State University he worked with the U.S. Department of Energy to develop early wind technologies. He has been a strategist and spokesperson for the initiation of a national research program to develop offshore wind, wave, tidal and current energy technology. At NREL, he has been a principal researcher developing early wind technology and an architect of the wind program at NREL and creation of the National Wind Technology Center. Thresher provides unparalleled expertise in research, development and commercialization of wind and ocean energy technologies.
Jan Beyea, formerly with the National Audubon Society (Virtual)
With a Ph.D. from Columbia University, Jan Beyea embarked on a career in science and society. He is an elected fellow of the American Physical Society in the category of physics and society. He has served on nine studies of the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science. After teaching at Holy Cross College and doing environmental research at Princeton University, he joined the National Audubon Society, where he worked on environmental policy for 15 years. This was a comfortable landing, given his pleasurable experience as a recreational birder in his youth. One focus at Audubon was promoting valid research into wind/avian interactions. After Audubon, he formed a consulting firm that specialized in environmental topics, including air-pollution epidemiological research and litigation support for large toxic tort cases on behalf of plaintiffs. His published and policy work has ranged widely and is well cited:
- Side effects of renewable energy, including wind/avian interactions, hydro/ecosystem interactions.
- Sustainable forestry/biomass, including avian protection and deer management.
- Source-separated municipal composting.
- Side effects of coal and nuclear energy.
- Epidemiology of air pollution and radiation exposure.
- History of radiation science.
Eric Lantz, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO)
Eric Lantz is the director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) where he oversees an annual budget of over $100 million to advance wind technology and support an equitable transition to a decarbonized energy system. The WETO portfolio includes innovative research on land-based, offshore, and distributed wind energy systems as well as research into wind power grid integration, analysis, and technical assistance. WETO also works to accelerate future wind energy technologies in support of widespread access to low-cost abundant wind energy. Eric also works with DOE leadership and interagency partners on key issues such as supply chains, workforce training, and siting and permitting.
Previously, Eric served in multiple roles at DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Most recently, he was a research manager at the National Wind Technology Center, overseeing teams ranging from 25 to 45 people. Eric brings deep technical expertise on wind energy modeling and analysis as well as cross-technology experience from time spent in NREL’s Strategic Energy Analysis Center.
Eric holds a Master of Science in Energy Policy from the University of Colorado and has made significant contributions to more than 70 wind energy publications during his tenure in the wind energy industry.
Tom Vinson, American Clean Power Association (ACP)
Tom Vinson is Vice President, Policy and Regulatory Affairs at ACP. In this role, Tom leads the ACP team focused on engaging with regulatory agencies on various issues, including wildlife, social license (i.e. non-wildlife siting issues), radar-airspace compatibility, offshore wind, and tax policy, among others. Tom’s team at ACP also leads industry activities focused on project operations, worker health and safety, workforce development, and standards development. Tom is in his thirteenth year advocating on behalf of clean energy industries. Prior to representing clean energy industries, Tom spent more than 10 years working for Members of Congress in both the House and Senate.
Jerome Ford, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Ford originally grew up in rural Homer, Louisiana (Claiborne Parish) farming, fishing and hunting. He holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Grambling State University. While at Grambling, he participated in the Service’s student co-op program, working at multiple refuges in Louisiana. Ford’s first full-time position with the Service was as the Assistant Refuge Manager at Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge, located in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. He later became the Deputy Project Leader at the Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, which was established to provide winter and feeding habitat for migrating waterfowl. In 1994, he became the Project Leader at Bayou Cocodrie NWR in eastern Louisiana, where he spent six years managing habitat for neo-tropical songbirds and the threatened Louisiana black bear. In 2000, he transferred to the nearly 70,000 acre Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge as Project Leader. This refuge is dedicated to migratory waterfowl, neo-tropical songbirds, Louisiana black bear and providing recreational opportunities for the public. In 2006, he moved to Washington, DC to serve as the Special Assistant to the Director and then served as Deputy Director of the Migratory Bird Program in 2008 until he became the Assistant Director in 2011.i
Jon Belak, National Audubon Society
Jon Belak has been working on wildlife interactions with energy for 19 years. As Senior Manager of Science and Data Analysis for National Audubon Society’s Clean Energy Initiative under the Senior Director of Climate Strategy Garry George, Jon manages and participates in developing data tools, incorporating new science into advocacy, and doing clean energy analysis and outreach to the Audubon network, project developers, agencies, and NGO partners throughout the coterminous US. Prior to working at the National Audubon Society, Jon worked as a Research Associate at Conservation Science Partners, as Renewable Energy Wildlife Biologist for Defenders of Wildlife and The Wilderness Society, as Wildlife Biologist/GIS Manager for EDM International, and as Climate Change GIS Analyst for The Nature Conservancy. Jon has a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Anthropology from Humboldt State University and a Master of Science in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University.
Christy Johnson-Hughes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (Virtual)
Christy is currently the Project Leader for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s (Service) South Carolina Ecological Services Field Office. Christy has worked for the Service for 28 years in several different offices, including upstate New York, Long Island NY, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Idaho, and in Headquarters (twice!). Christy was the first National Wind Energy Coordinator for the Service. In that role, Christy served as the technical lead for the Wind Turbine Federal Advisory Committee, developed a wind energy Community of Practice for Service biologists, helped write the Service’s Wind Energy Guidelines, and created in-person and virtual training sessions. She created and led the Wind Energy Broadcasts in coordination with the Service’s National Conservation Training Center. She worked with various partners to understand wind industry, potential impacts to birds and bats, and how to minimize impacts to those species. Her focus has always been to build strong, collaborative relationships with partners.
Rachel London, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (Virtual)
Rachel London is the manager of the Branch of Delisting and Foreign Species at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s headquarters office, where she co-manages a national species assessment team and manages rulemakings associated with delisting and downlisting ESA-protected species in recovery, and classification actions for foreign species. She left her role as the Service’s National Energy Coordinator in 2022 where she was engaged in renewable energy issues for over 10 years. Her goal in that position was to work with others to promote environmentally responsible renewable energy, and to find solutions to conservation challenges. She completed a B.A. in Environmental Studies in 2003, and a M.S. in Environmental Science with a concentration in Conservation Biology in 2005, from American University in Washington, DC.
Cris Hein, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Cris Hein is a senior project leader for the environmental portfolio. Hein has studied bat behavior and ecology for more than two decades and wind energy and wind energy issues for more than one decade. His research focuses on developing strategies to monitor and minimize wildlife interactions with wind turbines. He is the program coordinator for the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative and the operating agent for the International Energy Agency Wind Technology Collaborative Program’s Task 34-Working Together to Resolve Environmental Effects of Wind Energy. Prior to NREL, he was the bats and wind energy program director for Bat Conservation International.
Sam Enfield, Former President of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) (Virtual)
Sam served for nine years as Investment Director at MAP Royalty, Inc. (MAP) based in Palo Alto, California, supporting MAP’s investment and development activities in wind energy. Prior to joining MAP, between 2000 and 2008, Sam successfully developed several wind energy projects in the Mid-Atlantic region under the banners of Atlantic Renewable Energy Corporation, PPM Energy, and Iberdrola Renewables, managing site identification and acquisition, project design and permitting, and other regulatory activities. He has been involved in commercial wind power development since 1992, working in most of the regions of the United States. During the 1970s and 1980s, Sam worked in Washington, D. C. as a legislative staffer in the United States Senate, a renewable energy lobbyist, and a national renewable energy trade association executive. Sam served for ten years on the Board of Directors of the American Wind Energy Association, including one as its President. He served as founder and Co-Chair of AWEA’s Siting Committee, and served on the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee. Sam holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and a Master’s degree from the Yale School of Management.
Rene Braud, formerly with Pattern Energy
After 40+ years’ experience in the environmental field, including 30 years in energy permitting, and 22 years in renewable energy, Rene retired in 2023. She was employed by the industry’s leading renewable energy companies including NextEra Energy, BP, EDP Renewables, and Pattern Energy.
Rene provided leadership on numerous committees in the renewable industry including:
- Founder and Board of Director for the American Wind Wildlife Institute (AWWI) which became the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI);
- AWEA/ACP Siting Steering Committee
- USFWS Wind Turbine Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee (a role appointed by the USFWS Director)
- Founder of the Energy and Wildlife Action Coalition (EWAC)
Rene has an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Houston, did her graduate work at University of Texas, and holds a law degree from South Texas College of Law.
Meaghan Gade, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA)
Meaghan is the Energy and Wildlife Program Manager for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies where she collaborates with state, federal, and industry stakeholders to develop strategies and solutions to avoid, reduce, or mitigate energy and wildlife conflicts. Meaghan has been with AFWA for 2.5 years and lead efforts to develop tools and resources to improve conservation outcomes and support state agency efforts to manage wildlife and their habitats. She holds a Ph.D. in Environment and Natural Resources from The Ohio State University and a Master’s in Biology from John Carroll University.
Aimee Delach, Defenders of Wildlife, REWI Board Chair, (Virtual)
Aimee develops and analyzes policies to help land managers protect wildlife and habitat threatened by the impacts of climate change. Her areas of focus include the impacts of climate change on imperiled species, the development of adaptation strategies for wildlife and habitat, and helping agencies incorporate climate science into their decision-making processes. Aimee also supports science to understand and reduce the effects of renewable energy on wildlife, drawing on past work as a member of the Wind Turbine Guidelines Federal Advisory Committee. Aimee has been with Defenders since 1997, and has also worked on avian issues, farm bill conservation programs, invasive species and wildlife disease topics, and provided general science support to the organization. Her background is in ecology.
She holds a B.S. in biology from the University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in environmental and forest biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Katie Umekubo, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Katie Umekubo advocates for policies that encourage the environmentally responsible development of renewable energy on western public lands, as well as sustainable land-use planning and wildlife preservation in Southern California. Her recent work has focused on avian protection policies and collaborative research efforts to address wildlife interactions at renewable energy projects. Prior to joining NRDC, she worked as a legislative specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, starting as a Presidential Management Fellow and detailing with the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. She received a bachelor’s and master’s in environmental science and policy from Columbia University and a JD from the University of Colorado Law School. She is based in NRDC’s San Francisco office.
Clay Crowder, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), REWI Board Member (Virtual)
Clay Crowder is the Assistant Director of the Wildlife Management division at the Arizona Game and Fish Department and current Chair of AFWA’s Energy and Wildlife Policy Committee. He sits on the Board of Directors for REWI representing AFWA.
Clay has worked for the Arizona Game and Fish Department since 2008, starting out as a wildlife technician in the Yuma Regional Office, supporting Sonoran Pronghorn recovery. Throughout his career, Clay has served in several capacities within the agency including native fish biologist, Habitat Partnership Committee coordinator, natural resources planner, and most recently the Habitat, Evaluation and Lands branch chief. He has been Assistant Director of the Wildlife Management Division since January 2020. Clay received a B.S. in Fisheries Sciences from New Mexico State University. His passion for wildlife and outdoor recreation began at a very early age when his parents first started taking him camping and fishing in central New Mexico. Clay and his family reside in Phoenix.
Tim Hayes, Natural Resource Solutions, LLC, formerly with Duke Energy Renewables
Tim is the Principal Owner of Natural Resource Solutions, LLC, a small environmental consulting firm based in Brazil, Indiana. Natural Resource Solutions provides advisory and consulting services to renewable energy companies and conservation organizations.
Tim retired in November of 2022 after a 36-year career at Duke Energy. Prior to retirement, Tim was the environmental director for Duke Energy Renewables where he led the siting, permitting and environmental issues for Duke’s renewable energy business unit. He was named to that position in May 2011.
Prior to becoming the environmental director, Tim was a senior scientist at Duke and its predecessor companies in the corporate environmental department where his duties included managing a variety of siting, permitting, environmental and natural resource issues for the Midwest Region of Duke Energy. From 2001 through March 2005, he was in the Federal Legislative Affairs, Environmental Strategy and Sustainability group at Cinergy Corp.
Tim is a past board member of the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) serving as Board Chair in 2017. Tim attended Indiana State University and received his BS degree in Life Science.
Christina Calabrese, EDP Renewables, REWI Board Member
Christi Calabrese is Director of Permitting and Environmental Affairs for EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA). Christi and her team manage environmental permitting and permit compliance for EDPR NA’s projects in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, from planning phases through implementation and operations, including developing strategies to avoid and minimize environmental impacts. Christi also collaborates with different Sustainability teams within EDP on biodiversity and circular economy initiatives. In addition, Christi develops environmental corporate standards and procedures for EDPR NA and advises EDPR NA’s CEO and Executive Team on environmental regulations and policy issues pertaining to renewable energy development and operations.
Christi currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI) Board as well as on the Leadership team of the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) Wildlife and Federal Permitting Committee. She also served as Committee Chair for the American Wind Energy Association’s (now known as ACP) Wildlife and Federal Permitting Committee. Christi was the recipient of the American Wind Energy Association’s 2016 Andy Linehan Environmental Excellence Award.
Christi has a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from the University of Florida and a Masters Degree in Marine Resources Management from Texas A&M Galveston. She has over sixteen years of professional experience in the environmental field and fourteen years of experience working in the renewable energy industry, primarily on environmental and siting issues related to wind and solar energy projects.
Misti Sporer, Deriva Energy, REWI Board Vice Chair
Misti Sporer is the Director of Environmental Development for Deriva Energy. She and her team provide environmental siting and permitting support for the development, construction, and long-term O&M of wind, solar, and battery storage projects throughout the entire US. She is a past chair of APLIC and previously managed Duke Energy’s Avian Protection Program. Prior to working for the private sector, she was the principal biologist for Western Area Power Administration and a staff biologist for the U.S. Forest Service. She is an alumna of the University of Wyoming and the University of Colorado. She loves any activity outdoors and spending time with her family in her home state of Wyoming.