It’s attainable to construct renewable power infrastructure and enhance habitat for birds.
And in lots of circumstances, builders are keen to assist extra conservation measures to enhance mission outcomes for the surroundings and folks. In New Mexico, Audubon not too long ago labored with NextEra Transmission to guard habitat throughout the planning of the Crossroads — Hobbs — Roadrunner Transmission line, an roughly 137-mile double-circuit 345-kV transmission line that now interconnects the Crossroads, Hobbs, and Roadrunner substations in Roosevelt and Lea counties. In collaboration with Audubon, the New Mexico State Land Workplace, and the New Mexico Land Conservancy, NextEra Power Transmission was capable of take extra measures to assist the state’s Lesser Prairie Hen inhabitants.
Most individuals affiliate Audubon with conservation work to guard birds and are sometimes stunned to study we work on electrical transmission and renewable power tasks. However there’s an underlying core want driving this engagement. Two-thirds of North American hen species are prone to extinction from habitat loss and intensifying excessive climate by the tip of the century. In New Mexico its birds like our Mountain Bluebirds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, and Pinyon Jay that we stand to lose if we don’t begin defending the locations they want from rising international temperatures.
Audubon is dedicated to halting and in the end reversing the decline of birds throughout the Americas. And we can’t try this with out extra renewable power and a modernized and expanded electrical grid. That’s the reason we have interaction on proposed tasks and conduct deep evaluation, using our huge units of hen and habitat information and scientific experience to ensure they’re responsibly planned and operated.
By defending habitat and bettering grid resiliency, this new transmission line in New Mexico serves for instance of what might be achieved when business and conservation work collectively. As a part of the mission, disconnected areas of Prairie Hen habitat will likely be reconnected to the Lost Draw Ranch conservation bank, creating a fancy of greater than 60,000 acres of protected habitat. As well as, one other 20,000 acres will likely be protected via land use restrictions or circumstances which can restrict additional growth in habitat that’s crucial for this hen.
As NextEra’s new transmission line helps to energy properties and strengthens grid reliability, Audubon will proceed working with builders to construct a shiny future for all of the folks and critters that decision New Mexico residence. Thanks to everybody that had a hand in making this mission occur.
