Abstract
This thesis is composed of a literature review of wind energy developments and the consequent avian and bat species interactions and three manuscripts that are formatted for submission to peer-reviewed scientific journals. Chapter I outlines the major findings and limitations of wind energy research in North America. It is composed of a brief introduction to wind energy development and wildlife interactions, a review of previous research related to impacts on avian species, a review of previous research related to impacts on bat species and presentation of the goals of this study. All following chapters are formatted for submission into The Journal of Wildlife Management, a publication of The Wildlife Society. Chapter II and III explore the patterns of avian and bat mortality, respectively, at a utility-scale wind energy center in the Texas Panhandle. Chapter IV develops a predictive model for bat species mortality based on species' presence within and geophysical characteristics of a wind energy development along the Caprock Escarpment in Texas.