Endangered tortoise and solar power plants..

[Cornbread Red]

(Dianne, if this is in the wrong forum, my apologies.)

Got some desert land? Interesting article..

http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/07/technology/woody_solar.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008071104

My question, other than the construction phase, why would anyone be concerned about how the desert tortoise would manage near a solar power plant? And would the benefit to humans trump the welfare of these critters?

Chip

[ÜberDoober]

My question, other than the construction phase, why would anyone be concerned about how the desert tortoise would manage near a solar power plant?

That's a good question. Yes, obviously during construction there's a problem but I'd imagine it's due to large areas being fenced off and roads and stuff. From what my g/f tells me, something like 80% of the wild desert population has been wiped out in some areas. They can walk a few miles a day looking for food and when motivated can move faster than you'd think too.

We happen to have a rescued desert tortoise living in our yard. My g/f brought it home from her work. The damn thing costs more than my dog to feed and it eats 5x as much as I ever imagined. Turds look like they came out of a great dane. :ack2:

The thing is, even that $500/acre scrub brush wasteland will soon be gobbled up if not by these solar power speculators it will be by some developer that will undoubtedly put up a housing development. That's what we do. Tear up desert, pave it and put up some cookie cutter homes.

[Cornbread Red]

I live right next to the biggest lake in southern Arizona. Our dam provides water storage and is a chunk of the electric power grid for the Phoenix metro area.. Awhile back, the nearly 100 year old dam was raised some 60 feet to expand the lake.. A lawsuit was brought on against that because of the Southwest Willow Flycatcher, a little bird colony that had nests in the (previously flooded) receded lake plain.

They almost won, and to top it off, we had a big-time rain that year that filled the lake to it's new capacity, and the Sierra Club agitated to open the floodgates and drain the lake to it's level before the storm.

I might add that there was a 8+ year drought at the time before the rains.

I'm sorry, but that little bird wasn't worth a water shortage for the folks downstream.
I like desert tortoises too. But I also like air conditioning and a cold 'fridge full of beer.

Chip