BANGOR (AP) – The 400-foot turbines of a wind farm proposed for Mars Hill Mountain could be dangerous to migrating birds, according to two Maine groups.

Maine Audubon and the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife say a proposal by Evergreen Wind Power LLC to build a 33-turbine wind farm atop Mars Hill could be harmful to migrating birds.

Both groups have offered Evergreen their “technical assistance” in improving the proposed project.

More than 70 species of birds and several kinds of bats are believed to live near Mars Hill Mountain, although the area is not believed to be a major migration route.

But department biologists have argued that the ridge where the turbines would be placed may provide the updrafts that many songbirds and raptors like eagles and hawks use during migration.

Ken Elowe, head of Maine’s Bureau of Resource Management, wrote in a letter earlier this month that state biologists need to study at least one spring and one fall migration before they can OK the project.

Evergreen filed an application for the 50-megawatt project with the state Department of Environmental Protection in late January, and a decision is expected this spring. The power from as many as 33 turbines would generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 33,000 homes, according to the developer.

Elowe also raised concerns that until its application was filed, Evergreen never mentioned that the upland sandpiper, which the state lists as threatened, has been spotted in the vicinity of the development.

He wrote that the proposed development site should be surveyed to learn if construction would disturb the birds.

Wildlife ecologist Jody Jones of Maine Audubon wrote that while wind energy should be encouraged, Evergreen’s application doesn’t have enough information about how the turbines might affect local wildlife.

She added that tall, lighted structures like wind turbine can actually attract birds, particularly in fog.

Maine Audubon has proposed nighttime radar studies during migration season to ensure that Mars Hill is an appropriate location for Maine’s first wind farm.

Earlier this month, the state’s largest environmental organization endorsed the proposal.

The Natural Resources Council of Maine said Evergreen’s plan would reduce the impact of electric power generation on the environment and would be healthier for Mainers.

AP-ES-03-19-04 1051EST