by Cat Strumlauf Manager, Corporate Communications, Apex Clean Energy
In 2006, symptoms of one of the worst wildlife diseases in modern times first appeared. Little more than a decade later, white-nose syndrome has killed millions of bats across North America and has decimated the populations of the federally endangered Indiana bat and the federally threatened northern long-eared bat.
Hoopeston Wind—developed, constructed, and operated by Apex Clean Energy—is partnering with conservation land trust Grand Prairie Friends (GPF) to restore these bat populations, starting with the reestablishment of 165 acres of forestland in central Illinois. Together, Apex and GPF are discovering that wind energy, although not a major contributor to bat population declines, can be part of the solution.