Illinois Mixed Bag: Wind turbines blamed for eagle deaths

Chicago — The Department of the Interior is fining a green energy company with sites in Illinois more than $30,000 after wind turbines knocked two American bald eagles out of the sky, according to a violation notice.

The notice reveals that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a fine against Ørsted Onshore North America after two bald eagles were discovered dead near wind turbines in Ford County, Illinois, and Plum Creek, Nebraska. The violation notice says the company violated the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act by killing the eagles without what is called an “incidental take permit.”

The first bald eagle was discovered dead in March 2024 near a turbine at Ørsted’s Plum Creek facility in Nebraska. The eagle’s remains were taken to the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory for a necropsy, at which it was determined the fatality was caused by a collision with a wind turbine. A year later, another bald eagle was found dead on April 18, just 200 yards from a turbine at the Illinois site. The necropsy results similarly showed that the eagle’s death was consistent with a wind turbine collision.

Because the Ørsted facilities did not have permits to kill the eagles, the Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing civil penalties of $16,170 per violation, totaling $32,340. The bureau is giving Ørsted 45 days to respond to the notice before sealing the penalties.

A spokesperson for the Plum Creek Wind and Lincoln Land Wind facilities told Fox News Digital that Ørsted received the letter issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Oct. 29 and the company “will continue to engage and cooperate with USFWS on this matter.”

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Fish Biologists Fret Decline of Lake Whitefish

Evanston, Ill. — Regulators in neighboring Wisconsin say the commercial harvest of lake whitefish in Lake Michigan has reached its lowest level since 1990, and some fisheries biologists fear the species might largely disappear in parts of the lake.

Commercial harvest of lake whitefish in Wisconsin’s portion of the lake has dropped from a peak of about 1.7 million pounds in 1999 to less than 200,000 pounds last year in all of Lake Michigan — a decline of nearly 90%.

The drop in harvest follows a declining trend of lake whitefish over the past two decades due to reduced survival of young fish, said Scott Hansen, fisheries biologist with the Wisconsin DNR. The most recent estimates show the spawning population had dropped to about 10 million pounds in 2021 – less than half the peak of 25 million pounds in the early- to mid-2000s.

While the fish face multiple challenges, Hansen said biologists believe invasive mussels are the greatest driver of their decline. The filter-feeding zebra and quagga mussels have disrupted the food chain by gobbling up food that larval whitefish rely on to survive. Jason Smith, a Great Lakes fisheries biologist in Michigan, said he fears lake whitefish could disappear from parts of Lake Michigan within the next five to 10 years.

“The decline is incredibly steep, incredibly fast, and there is really no end in sight,” Smith said.

Nine Plants Added to Illinois’ Invasives List

Springfield — Callery pear, a plant beloved by landscapers for decades, is now officially an invasive species in Illinois. The tree is one of nine plants just added to the state’s exotic weeds list on the recommendation of the Illinois Invasive Species Council, bringing the total to 34.

Illinois’ Invasive Species Council was placed on hiatus in 2015 and reformed in 2020. It’s composed of professionals from the public and private sectors who make formal recommendations to DNR and the Department of Agriculture. According to a report in late October, Callery pear will become illegal to buy, sell, distribute or plant on Jan. 1, 2028, providing growers with a grace period to phase out their stock.

Eight additions are banned immediately: Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), also a host plant for the invasive spotted lanternfly; Garlic mustard; Leafy spurge; Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), also known as Chinese bush clover or silky bush clover; Japanese stiltgrass; Amur corktree; Black swallow-wort, also known as strangling vine, seed pods can resemble milkweed; and Pale swallow-wort.

“Exotic weeds” refers to plants non-native to North America that spread vigorously in the wild, degrading natural habitat and threatening the survival of native species. Many were introduced as ornamentals but ultimately escaped cultivation. In the case of Callery pear, the seeds of its fruit are carried by birds far and wide.