Concerned about grouse, groups ask China Mountain developer to reconsider

Mike Guerry may appear to be a traditional rancher, but he’s trying to change that.

There’s no escaping ranching tradition for him. For a century, Guerry’s family has run sheep and cattle on the same land — some privately owned and some public — in south-central Idaho.

But times are changing for the ranching industry, particularly sheep ranching, and some traditions face difficult challenges. Guerry said rather than subdividing and selling his land, he’s trying to become what his forefathers never imagined: a partner in a wind farm.

While still an unconventional undertaking, wind farms have become more common in the area, especially over the past five years. Each year, wind companies partner with more landowners to erect clusters of turbines between the sugar beet and potato fields of southern Idaho.

But Guerry’s potential partner, Renewable Energy Systems Americas, isn’t proposing to sell a few sparks to Idaho Power from a dozen wind turbines on flat farmland. RES has for eight years worked toward developing a 100- to 200-turbine installation on China Mountain in southern Twin Falls County, primarily to sell electricity to Las Vegas.

The project is one of a handful causing turmoil for conservationists.

On one hand, it would produce clean, renewable energy. But the mostly wild, public land of China Mountain is home to a host of species, most importantly the greater sage grouse.

As with ranchers, the times are changing for the sage grouse and not for the better. Wind farm development adds to the threats facing the few grouse populations remaining in the Jarbidge area.

One by one, organizations weighing the land against the wind are concluding that more green energy doesn’t outweigh the risk to sage grouse.