Just how green are wind turbines? As green energy moves forward thousands of wind turbines are springing up all around the United States. As a civilization we need to be free from fossil fuels. Our dependence on fossil fuels has caused our planet to suffer from poor health, which directly affects all living beings, that habitat the earth.

The placement of Wind turbines in the past has caused problems with migratory birds; this problem was corrected by erecting the turbines out of the migratory flight paths.

Now there seems to be a new problem with wind turbines in Wyoming, several proposed sites are right in the middle of core sage grouse habitat that is critical for the species. The US Fish and Wildlife has decided that the sage grouse's core habitat must not be damaged, and even research sites may not be conducted, the importance of safe guarding the birds come first before wind turbines. The sage grouse has come under pressure from many different types of development. These include wind turbines, oil, gas, mining, farming, and recreation.

Any research done to study the impact on these birds will be conducted in less crucial habitats.

Sage grouse are highly dependent on sagebrush-dominated landscapes for all phases of their life. Sage grouse may use different habitats during different seasons and usually require a large home range. Sage grouse are habitual, using particular locales during all seasons, and are sensitive to habitat disturbance. Sage-grouse populations have in general declined since the mid-1960s; the species is currently under review for listing as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

There is very limited information about wind energy and sage-grouse, but information collected on oil- and gas-field developments within the range of the sage-grouse often have caused considerable effects to their populations. Activities and disturbance that are common to both energy development scenarios are believed to create some similar threats to the grouse. Sage grouse populations typically decline following oil and gas development, birds have been displaced from habitat near infrastructure and locations with people, studies that have been conducted has shown through collected data that female grouse nesting in developed areas had lower annual survival rates. Chick mortality rates also were higher within sight of oil wells.

Almost 70% of the existing sagebrush grassland is publicly owned or managed by a state or federal agency. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has stewardship for about 50% of the sagebrush habitats in the United States. The BLM is the agency responsible for managing public lands containing sagebrush.

To insure the well being of the sage grouse careful consideration must be given, studies should and must be done to protect this species. The degradation of their environment must be limited. It may be that we may have to reclaim areas around these structures to lessen the impact on the habitat. Or it may mean that we cannot build structures in the critical areas that these birds call their home, whether it is turbines, oil gas, mining, farming. We need to look at all impacts directly and upfront before we even consider impacting any area.