New York State
Environmental Technical Working Group
2018 State of the Science Workshop
The first State of the Science on Wildlife and Offshore Wind Energy Development Workshop, hosted by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), was held on November 13-14, 2018. This workshop brought together stakeholders engaged with environmental and wildlife research relevant to offshore wind energy development, to promote coordination and collaboration in efforts along the eastern seaboard from Massachusetts to North Carolina.
Highlights
The State of the Science Workshop had over 180 attendees, 32 speakers, and 45 posters, including a broad range of stakeholders from the U.S. and Europe. Workshop presentations and discussions focused around different wildlife taxa, known and hypothesized effects to wildlife from offshore wind energy development, and opportunities for regional coordination and collaboration to continue improving our understanding of offshore wind and marine ecosystems.
Thank you to everyone who participated! The State of the Science 2018 Workshop Proceedings can be found here.
Workshop Goals
This workshop brought together scientists to present and discuss their research. Workshop goals included:
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Engaging and informing interested stakeholders about the state of knowledge regarding wildlife and offshore wind energy development, including ongoing efforts to understand, minimize, and mitigate environmental impacts.
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Promoting regional coordination by sharing updates on research studies, guidelines development, and other efforts along the eastern seaboard (Massachusetts to North Carolina).
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Promoting collaboration through expert information exchange and discussion.
Agenda
Download detailed agenda here.
Terms of Use for Presentation PDFs
Links to presentations from the workshop are provided below where available, courtesy of the presentation authors. These presentation files are provided for personal edification only, and should not be cited without contacting the author(s) directly. Users should not reuse or redistribute slides, or images on these slides, without express permission from the presentation author(s).
Tuesday, November 13
Marine Systems and the Offshore Wind Energy Development Process
Moderator:
Greg Lampman
NYSERDA
Greg Lampman, NYSERDA
Kevin Friedland, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Overview of Current Leases, Regulations, and the Development Process
Mary Boatman, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Introduction to Offshore Wind: Development, Construction and Operations
Sophie Hartfield, Ørsted
Results to Date: Real-time Opportunity for Development Environmental Observations (RODEO) Project
Mary Boatman, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Q & A / Panel discussion
Marine Mammals Part 1
Moderator:
Francine Kershaw
Natural Resources Defense Council
Marine Mammal Populations and Surveys
Debi Palka, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Large Cetaceans: Human Impacts, Existing Knowledge, and Data Gaps
Melinda Rekdahl, Wildlife Conservation Society
Lessons Learned from Europe: The Effects of Offshore Wind Energy Development on Marine Mammals
Karen Hall, Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Overview of Pile Driving Sounds and How to Estimate Impacts Within the U.S. Regulatory Framework
David Zeddies, JASCO Applied Sciences
Developments to Minimize Marine Mammal Exposure to Wind Farm Construction Noise
Ursula Verfuss, SMRU Consulting
Q & A / Panel discussion
Sea Turtles and Marine Mammals Part 2
Moderator:
Lisa Bonacci
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Turtle Populations in the Northwest Atlantic
Heather Haas, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Impacts from Marine Development on Turtles
Sue Barco, Virginia Aquarium
Turtles and Offshore Wind: What We Know (and What We Don't)
Kyle Baker, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Monitoring During the Construction and Post-Construction Periods: Developing a Regional Strategy for Data Sharing and Standardizing Protocols
Kyle Baker, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
Q & A / Panel discussion
Wednesday, November 14
Lower Trophic Levels, Fishes, and Fish Habitat Part 1
Moderator:
Carl LoBue
The Nature Conservancy
Zooplankton in the Northwest Atlantic: The Foundation of the Food Web
Ryan Morse, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Fish Populations in Eastern North America
Vince Guida, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center
Review: Fish Hearing and Effects of Underwater Noise
Arthur Popper, University of Maryland
Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) from Offshore Wind Facilities
Andrew Gill, Pangalia Environmental
Impacts from Offshore Wind to Benthos and Benthic Habitats
Paul English, Fugro
Q & A / Panel discussion
Lower Trophic Levels, Fishes, and Fish Habitat Part 2
Moderator:
Sue Tuxbury
NOAA Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office
Review of European Studies: Impacts of Offshore Wind Development on Fish
Andrew Gill, Pangalia Environmental
Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Offshore Wind Farms on Finfish Abundance
Elizabeth Methratta, Integrative Sciences Group
Examining Impacts of America’s First Offshore Wind Farm on Fish and Invertebrates
Drew Carey, Inspire Environmental
Q & A / Panel Discussion
Birds and Bats
Moderator:
Caleb Spiegel
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Bats and Wind Energy
Trevor Peterson, Stantec
The Current State of Knowledge Regarding Avian Impacts from Offshore Wind Energy Developments in Europe
Sue O'Brien, Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Modeling Avian Distributions and Relative Abundance in the Northwest Atlantic Using Compiled Data
Arliss Winship, NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
Using Individual Tracking of Protected Species to Inform Offshore Wind Development
Pam Loring, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Bird and Bat Monitoring at the Block Island Wind Farm
Stephanie Wilson, Deepwater Wind
Recent Developments in Bird and Bat Detection and Deterrence
Jocelyn Brown-Saracino, Department of Energy
Q & A / Panel discussion
Ecosystem Perspectives
Moderator:
Catherine Bowes
National Wildlife Federation
From Observing Structural Effects to Understanding Functional Effects of Offshore Wind Energy Development
Steven Degraer, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Designing Research and Monitoring Studies to Effectively Detect Impacts
Dave Secor, University of Maryland
Understanding Cumulative Impacts
Wing Goodale, Biodiversity Research Institute
Lessons Learned from the European Experience
Sue O'Brien, Joint Nature Conservation Committee
Q & A / Panel discussion
Group Discussion with E-TWG Panel - Reflections on Workshop Priorities
Martin Goff, Equinor
Jillian Liner, Audubon New York
Joe Martens, New York Offshore Wind Alliance
Poster Session and Public Open House
The poster session and open house was held on November 13th from 7-8:30 pm at the Inn at Fox Hollow in Woodbury, NY. With 45 poster presenters and 12 organizations with exhibit tables, this open house provided an opportunity for workshop participants and members of the public to interact with engaged scientists and managers about their work. State agencies, federal agencies, universities, nonprofit research organizations, and for-profit companies involved with offshore wind energy development were represented at the open house with posters and/or tables with information about their recent and ongoing activities. Download Poster Session and Open House Flyer
Photo credits: Loggerhead sea turtle © Kate Sutherland