New York’s Solar Siting Regulations Fail to Protect Grassland Birds
As New York advances its transition to clean energy, the state faces another environmental emergency: the dramatic loss of grassland birds. These birds are the fastest-declining species, with populations down more than 40% since 1970, according to the 2025 “State of the Birds” report produced by a coalition of scientific and conservation organizations.
Habitat Loss in Washington County
Habitat loss is at the center of this crisis and it is now acutely impacting the 13,000-acre Washington County Grasslands. This area anchors a rare ecosystem and is one of the state’s last lifelines for vulnerable grassland birds, including the state-endangered short-eared owl and threatened northern harrier.
These species are exceptionally sensitive to habitat fragmentation. Scientific literature demonstrates that area-sensitive birds abandon or avoid fields when visual or structural disturbances break up the landscape.
The Fort Edward Solar Project Threat
The proposed Fort Edward Solar Project poses a direct threat to this critical habitat. The project places solar panel arrays around the sensitive grasslands, potentially eliminating more than 500 acres of occupied habitat and displacing vulnerable birds. The proposed arrays would encircle the Washington County Grasslands Wildlife Management Area, potentially forcing birds to cross over or near the arrays to reach higher-quality habitat.
The project area is not simply good habitat; it is priority habitat repeatedly identified in conservation plans. It lies within the National Audubon Society’s Fort Edward Grasslands Important Bird Area and the state Department of Conservation’s Washington County Grasslands Grassland Bird Conservation Center. It is also included in the New York State Open Space Plan and is a state-designated Wintering Raptor Concentration Area.
Inadequate Mitigation Requirements
Despite these designations, the Fort Edward Solar Project is currently required to follow only the state’s minimum mitigation requirements. The Office of Renewable Energy Siting’s formula requires conservation of only 0.4 acres per acre of breeding habitat destroyed and 0.2 acres per acre of wintering habitat destroyed – meaning the plan would preserve only 20% to 40% of the affected habitat for 30 years. This falls short for a site as ecologically significant as the Washington County Grasslands.
Limited Advocacy for Conservation
A recent ruling on the proposed solar project also denied party status to the Grassland Bird Trust, a conservation organization with extensive experience in managing grassland bird habitat in the Washington County Grasslands. This limits the Trust’s ability to directly advocate for habitat protection, forcing them to rely on voluntary concessions from Boralex, the Quebec-based energy company constructing the facility.
The ruling also discounts hundreds of public comments from community members, experts, and Northeast-based conservation organizations, including the National Audubon Society and the New York State Ornithological Association as reported by Audubon.
Balancing Renewable Energy and Conservation
Audubon strongly supports renewable energy development, but it must avoid, minimize, and meaningfully mitigate impacts to birds and the environment. The Washington County Grasslands are irreplaceable, and if New York is to lead on both climate and biodiversity, the state must ensure that renewable energy and wildlife conservation advance together—not in conflict. Protecting these grasslands protects the birds that define them and preserves a living legacy we cannot afford to lose.