Lava Ridge Wind Project: Ensuring Net Conservation Gains for Sage Grouse and Eagles

The Lava Ridge Wind Project will result in a net conservation gain for sage grouse and eagles through comprehensive avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures. The development of wind projects presents multifaceted benefits, and the commitment of companies to enhance habitats or provide advantages to lands beyond the project area offers a unique opportunity to safeguard essential species.

Magic Valley Energy’s Commitment to Sage Grouse and Eagles
Magic Valley Energy’s (MVE) actions will deliver a net conservation gain for eagles and greater sage grouse (GRSG) utilizing the resources available. Below is an outline of the conservation efforts:

Sage Grouse Conservation
Sage grouse have long been a species of concern for Idaho and the Bureau of Land Management due to their significant role in the ecosystem. The Lava Ridge Wind Project’s location is strategically chosen to address this concern. Most of the Project is situated on lands characterized as non-habitat for sage grouse, or regions with lower-quality, disturbed, or patchy habitat.

To further protect sage grouse, MVE has committed to the following measures:

• Avoiding turbine placement within 3.1 miles of active and occupied leks, crucial areas where sage grouse gather during mating season and often reside nearby.
• Implementing protective measures in areas beyond this setback distance where the Project may overlap habitat utilized by sage grouse.

MVE is also dedicated to achieving a net conservation gain through mitigation. Collaborating with BLM and the State of Idaho, MVE has collected data on sage grouse habitat and Project-related impacts.

MVE will compensate for more than 100% of these impacts by either:

• Directly enhancing or creating sage grouse habitat,
• Funding an approved mitigation bank that conserves and enhances habitat, or
• Supporting an in-lieu fee program benefiting sage grouse and sage grouse habitat at levels beyond the impact that results from the Project.

By providing more benefits to sage grouse and its habitat than those impacted by the Project, MVE will provide a net conservation gain.

Eagle Conservation
The Project area includes some foraging habitats for golden eagles, though it lacks suitable nesting habitats for both bald and golden eagles. MVE has committed to several mitigation measures and best management practices to protect these species. Although some impacts may still occur, MVE has collaborated with BLM and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to achieve a net conservation gain.

The strategy involves calculating project impacts and applying a net conservation gain ratio of 120%. Research indicates that the most effective strategy is replacing outdated transmission lines that pose a risk of electrocution to eagles. Upon Project approval, MVE plans to fund the replacement or upgrade of at-risk transmission lines within eagle habitats.

Long-term Conservation Benefits
Through these mitigation strategies, MVE will bring more benefits to eagle and sage grouse populations than the risks associated with the Project. Furthermore, upon the Project’s decommissioning, the combined impact of net conservation gain strategies, along with MVE’s vegetation plan and reclamation strategy, will potentially offer even more substantial benefits to these and other species.