Wednesday, October 30, 2024, 1:00 PM ET
Presented by REWI & NREL, this second webinar of the two-part series covered threats to hoary bats with a focus on wind energy, the effectiveness of minimization approaches to reduce fatalities at wind turbines, and the USFWS approach to managing hoary bats and potential listing.
Moderator: Shilo Felton, Renewable Energy Wildlife Institute (REWI)
Speakers:
- Dr. Cris Hein, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): Threats to hoary bats with focus on wind energy
- Michael Whitby, Bat Conservation International (BCI): Effectiveness of minimization approaches to reduce fatalities at wind turbines
- Matthew Fullerton, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Services approach to managing hoary bats and potential listing
Support
This webinar was made possible thanks to financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO).
About the Speakers
Dr. Cris Hein is a Senior Project Leader at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Cris serves as the Coordinator for the Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative and the Lead for the International Energy Agency’s Wind Energy-Environmental Research & Engagement Network (or WREN). Cris has studied bat behavior and ecology for 26 years. Of those, he has focused on bats and wind energy interactions for 17 years.
Michael Whitby has over 15 years of experience working on bat conservation in academic, public, and private settings. He has studied bat distribution and behavior with numerous techniques including acoustics, capture, radio-telemetry, thermal imagery, and NEXRAD RADAR. Michael specializes in the use of emerging technology and advanced analytical techniques to find practical solutions to wide-spread conservation challenges. He holds a B.S. from the University of Maine, an M.S. from Ball State University. Michael is Bat Conservation International’s Director of Bats and Wind Energy Program. In this role, Michael develops, coordinates, and conducts BCI’s research to understand and minimize the effects of wind energy on bat populations. The work focuses on finding scalable solutions that allow the coexistence of wind energy and sustainable bat populations around the world.
Matt Fullerton is the Renewable Energy Coordinator and Regional Bat Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Regional Office. Matt has been involved in the management and conservation of bats for over 9 years of his career, working for the USFWS for over 3 years and previously with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for 8 years. He is involved in multiple collaborative efforts across the agency and with external partners in finding solutions to conserve and minimize impacts to federally listed and at-risk bat species from renewable energy development. Throughout his career, Matt has worked on a variety of conservation projects involving several different plant and animal species and is experienced in various aspects of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), particularly Sections 7 and 10 of the ESA.
Bat image credit Adam Searcy