Hello Birders, I suspect that virtually all readers of this listserve have heard about the area of Magee Marsh / Crane Creek / Ottawa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge here in northwest Ohio. I suspect that the majority of you have been here at least once, that you've made the trek to marvel at the spring migration spectacle in this "warbler capital of the world." You probably know that the stopover habitat here is critically important to large numbers of migrating birds. But you may not be aware of a new threat that is facing the area now. There are now multiple proposals to build wind turbines for energy production at points near the Lake Erie shoreline in northwest Ohio, including some sites that are very close to the most important stopover habitats. While the production of "green" energy is an admirable goal, many of us are disturbed by the prospect of turbines (even "mid-sized" or "non-commercial" ones) right next to critical habitat for long-distance migrants. Three regional organizations have joined forces to circulate a petition asking for a three-year moratorium on construction of any more wind turbines within three miles of the Lake Erie shoreline in northwest Ohio. I would urge all readers of this listserve to consider signing this petition, which can be accessed here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/924/482/794/ For more detailed information on this issue, here is a locally-oriented page of facts and helpful links: http://www.bsbobird.org/wind_energy.htm To provide basic background on the whole issue, written for people who don't have any prior knowledge of bird migration or of the concentrations of migrants in northwest Ohio, I wrote a fairly long essay which can be accessed here: http://nimsoh.blogspot.com/ Thanks for considering this. Please sign the petition if you agree with the points being presented there. It might not seem important right now, but it could make a big difference in your spring birding experience a few years down the road. Kenn Kaufman Oak Harbor, Ohio ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]