Baseline Research for Long-term Effects of Wind Farms on Insects in Wyoming

During the 2012 pilot field season, we visited an operating wind farm to estimate effects of turbines on local insect abundance. We sampled at Foote Creek Rim I, an established 69 turbine wind farm in operation since 1999. We collected terrestrial invertebrates upwind and downwind of an operating turbine by setting up 13 stations spaced 20 m apart, with 2 stations upwind and 11 stations downwind of the turbine. Each sampling station at Foote Creek Rim I consisted of a vane trap, 3 bee cups, and an aerial trap (Figure 1). Aerial traps (Figure 1, green square) were designed to collect perished insects. Vane traps (Figure 1, yellow base with blue top at left of aerial trap) and bee cups (Figure 1, white, blue, and yellow cups at bottom right of aerial trap) attract primarily pollinating insects, such as bees, flies, butterflies, and moths. We also walked around the site for 1 person-hour each morning and afternoon, and collected any invertebrates that we encountered.