Indiana bats, desert tortoises and fringe-toed lizards are just a few of the endangered species threatened by wind and solar power projects. Wind turbines kill birds and bats without regard to their endangered status, and developers of these renewable energy resources are required by law to take into account the number of animals that will die so we all can have electricity. The cute little guy shown here is an Indiana bat, and he'd stand absolutely no chance against a wind turbine blade.
  Beech Ridge Energy, to its corporate embarassment, paid scant heed to the law when it proposed a 122-turbine project on a windy West Verginia ridgeline. Judge Roger W. Titus of the Federal District Court in Maryland, put a speed bump in the way of the project by requiring the company to apply for an incidental take permit. An ITP is an acknowledgement of the effect a project will have on wildlife. An independent study of the project site estimated that some 6,500 bats would be killed annually, and that many of them would be Indiana brown bats. 
  Whether or not that's too many bats is a question that the ITP process tries to answer.  
  “This is a case about bats, wind turbines, and two federal policies, one favoring the protection of endangered species, and the other encouraging development of renewable energy resources,” wrote Judge Titus in his ruling earlier this month. “The two vital federal policies at issue in this case are not necessarily in conflict.”
Solar projects in the Southwest also have endangered species to contend with, including desert tortoises and lizards.
New York Times writer Todd Woody took a look at this issue that's sure to strike more sparks as concerned environmentalists consider the impact of more and more green energy projects. You can read Woody's story here: http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/judge-halts-wind-farm-over-bats/

  The Carey girls - lots of love for their lambs and each other. Madison, Chandler, Delaney and Brynlin, who range in age from 12 to 18, have all been showing market lambs - and collecting awards for their efforts - for years. They're Farm Show bound and hope to pick up more ribbons in competition with other contestants, including each other. Lancaster Farming staff writer Chris Torres visited the girls at their Montoursville, Pa., home and came away with a story you can read in our current edition. Or you can check it out here: http://www.lancasterfarming.com/node/2721


     And I'm afraid to ski...  http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/on-location-shaun-white-snowboarding/17wgv6nqh