E-TWG Activities

Development of Guidance for Pre- and Post-Construction Monitoring to Detect Changes in Marine Bird Distributions and Habitat Use Related to

Offshore Wind Development

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The Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG), in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is supporting development of guidance for pre- and post-construction monitoring to detect macro-to meso-scale changes in avian distributions and habitat use in relation to offshore wind development. An expert Specialist Committee co-chaired by USFWS and BOEM biologists is developing guidance that identifies 1) key displacement- and attraction-related questions, 2) appropriate methodologies to address those questions, and 3) study design and analytical recommendations specifically for boat-based and aerial surveys.

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This effort is intended to:

  • Encourage consistency in pre- and post-construction monitoring across projects,

  • Facilitate use of site-specific data to address information gaps on displacement of birds at regional scales,

  • Improve efficiency and thus reduce costs of monitoring,

  • Reduce duplicative efforts,

  • Ensure generation of meaningful results, and

  • Address knowledge gaps that could inform the broader understanding of potential cumulative impacts from offshore wind development.

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Broad input from other stakeholders will be incorporated into the committee's efforts via a virtual workshop and/or a public comment period on draft products. If you are interested in receiving more information about these opportunities, please sign up for the E-TWG mailing list or email Julia Gulka

Image by Ray Hennessy
Image by Maria Maliy
Image by Nicholas Doherty

Photo credits: Dogfish shark © Boris Pamikov - shutterstock;Razorbill © Ray Hennessy; Gulls © Maria Maliy; Wind turbines © Nicholas Doherty