energy
- Wind Energy in Montana
- Solar Energy in Montana
- Energy Efficiency
- Oil
in Three Parts
- Tar Sands, Boreal Forests and the Keystone Pipeline
- Yellowstone Oil Spill - takes you to our "Hot Issues" section
- BP Oil Spill Disaster
- Energy Development -- coming soon
Solving climate change means investing in clean, renewable energy
We strongly support renewable energy development in Montana and are on the forefront of making sure it's done right. Any development has the potential to significantly impact birds and wildlife if not done right. Certain types of renewables can be developed appropriately incertain locations. We know we need low carbon fuels to prevent catastrophic climate change.
WIND Energy
At Montanan Audubon we believe wind power is part of our energy solution, yet proper siting is key. We are working to ensure that wind energy producers do not locate their farms in critical habitat for birds or other wildlife.
Montana Audubon's wind energy work is explained HERE.
solar energy
Montana has our share of the sun, though we in western Montana may not always remember this during the winter. Energy from the sun is renewable and plentiful! Solar energy is becoming more and more affordable and technologically feasible every day, especially for small scale residential use.
Learn more about solar energy in Montana HERE.
energy Efficiency
Isn't it time to use our energy more wisely? Energy efficiency and conservation provide some of the fastest, cheapest solutions to our energy problems. Learn more about energy efficiency and how you can take advantage of this smart source HERE.
Tar sands, Boreal forest and the keystone xl pipeline - september 2011
Why does Montana care about the tar sands development in the Canadian Boreal Forest?
Listen to Amy on In Other Words (Montana Public Radio, August 30) as she interviews Bill McKibben (author and of 350.org fame) and Carrie La Saur of Plains Justice. LISTEN HERE.
Read and add your voice of concern! Comment period for the Keystone XL pipeline is open through Oct 9. Visit our Action Alert page today.
1. Global Warming Pollution. The EPA estimates that carbon emissions from tar sands are 80% higher than the average crude refined in the US. Bill McKibben explains why he is protesting in front of the White House right now. NASA's James Hansen calls it "game over for the planet" if we allow the Alberta Tar Sands to be developed. Find out why he just got himself arrested to make this point. Here's what the New York Times has to say.
Turns out it will not even make us more energy secure. Read the Aug 31 news story from the Great Falls Tribune or check out this latest report Keystone Exposed.
2. The Boreal Forest is destroyed to make it happen. Water systems turn toxic. These forests are integral to the life cycle of millions of North American birds. Spruce and fir forests, interspersed with trembling aspen stands create a myriad of habitats suitable for nesting, roosting and foraging. Massive wetlands, peat-fen bogs, lakes and rivers provide habitat and promote the reproduction of water-borne insects that serve to feed resident and migratory 
birds. Located on the Mississippi Flyway, thousands of migratory waterfowl annually use the Athabasca Tar Sands Region to rest and feed while migrating to and from the Peace - Athabasca Delta, considered the most critical migratory staging area in Canada.
Learn more at the Boreal Songbird Initiative.
Images bring the place to life. Check out this Social Documentary
3. Oil pipelines are dangerous. The Keystone XL line is slated to run through northeastern Montana and a critical Important Bird Area. Landowners are concerned, and for good reason.
Check out colleague Carrie Le Saur's blog. Check out the work of Plains Justice.
Read more about the pipeline and the State Department Ruling of Aug 26.
Opinion: Mega myths of the Keystone XL pipeline (High Country News, Sept 6).
Bill McKibben has a compelling piece: Constantly and Disasterously... (Sept 11)
The New York Times reports on Pipeline safety (Sept 10)
See below for a few examples of oil leaks!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Ask President Obama to stop the Pipeline. He can do it. Let's make him!
Call Today -- the folks at 350.org have the info and call # at your finget tips.
Exxon Mobil Oilspill on the Yellowstone
For now, this takes you over to Hot Issues! Don't ask why...
bp oil disaster -- from the gulf coast to Montana
July 2010. Gut-wrenching photos and dire reports about this environmental disaster are flooding the media this summer. Here we point readers to information on how this oil spill may affect Montana and we point you to a few key websites for the larger picture.
First, many folks are curious about the effects of this spill on "our" birds. In a nutshell, we don't know everything we wish we did on where our migratory birds go when they travel south from Montana. Most of "Montana's birds" migrate and winter to the west of the Gulf Coast. However, some eastern Montana migratory birds are likely part of the "Central Flyway" It is possible that a portion of our white pelican populations, and perhaps some shorebirds use the Gulf Coast during winter months. For more on Montana birds and BP oil, read this short article from the Missoula Independent and this from the Billings Gazette.
Want to help right this wrong? The best thing we can do write now is loudly advocate for the polluters to pay, regulations crafted and enforced, and a quick transition away from dirty fossil fuels. Can you write a letter to the editor of your favorite Montana paper?
Recommendations for more:
National Audubon Society has really stepped up to the plate and been the key organizer of volunteers, working with US Fish and Wildlife Service to steer help where it is needed most. Get first hand accounts of action in the Gulf at Audubon.org.
The Endangered Species Coalition has an amazing photo collection and information on the spill's affects on wildlife. Numbers killed, gallons leaked and more. Oilspillwildlife.org.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology's blog has some great video footage and commentary.