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“I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer..and I won the battle with it.”Fast rewind 2 months from now, it was the time of diwali when suddenly one night, I suffered from severe stomach pain in the right side of my lower abdomen. The pain was impossible for me to take. I was shivering badly which came with the pain I still guess so, because I wasn’t having cold or fever anyway. But the next day the pain was gone. The whole day there wasn’t any feeling of pain or anything really, so I ignored thinking it to be due to indigestion or anything minor. But it returned again. And this time it was around 3am to 6:30am approximately. And it repeated for next 2..3 days continuously. Finally an aunt of mine advised me to go for a checkup as these kind of pain should not be taken lightly. She was a nurse and she doubted it to be appendicitis as all my symptoms matched with it. I had stomach pain that too in the right side. It was the symptom of appendicitis.The next day my father took an appointment to see the doctor, though I was not in a mood to go through a checkup because the pain did not come back from that night after my aunt advised me so. Though my mother insisted and we went to the doctor. The doctor checked my abdomen and advised me an ultra sound test. And the reports came to be a tumour like mass covered my right ovary which was of size 5–6cm. I was shocked. I had no symptoms of it and it reached to such size that there is no way left else than surgery for it to be taken out of me.My whole family was shaken at the report and father decided not to do any treatment here in Assam and we went Bangalore where my brother was staying. My brother searched for the best hospital for such a treatment and also the best doctor for the case. We listed out two amongst all - Manipal and Narayana. And we selected Narayana for the treatment. (I’m mentioning every detail of my hospital and doctor so that if there is any reader or your belonging suffering same, you can trust the hospital blindly and also the doctor who treated me..because I’m experienced and trust me its the best.) We met this doctor Dr. Rohit Raghunath Ranade, an oncologist, gynecologist at Narayana Mazumder Shaw medical centre, a unit of Narayana. I will tell you later why this hospital is the best and also the doctor.So we met him and discussed what has happened till now. I showed him the ultra sound reports and he asked me few questions like… do my periods come regularly? Do I feel irritation while urinating? Do I get the feeling of hunger normally? Do I get tired at every little walk or work I do? And when was the last time I got my period…. My every activity and body function was normal, I had none of the above problems he asked. He asked me to do some blood tests and an MRI ( Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and meet him the next day with the reports. He doubted it to be a cyst as there was no symptoms for it to be a major anything. We became so happy at the news though he was not sure about it still it was a relief for us to hear that as cyst is not a harmfull thing and it can be taken out through micro surgery.We did accordingly, went through several blood tests and an MRI. My blood reports came normal, there was nothing in my blood and the MRI was a bit difficult for us to understand. Still the blood reports were a sign for us that nothing major happened to me. My parents took a breath of relief at the reports and was confident enough to step in the chamber to see the doc. We were expecting to hear it from the doc that “there is nothing to be worried of she will be fine either of medicines or with a small micro surgery thats it”…We met the doc with reports and he went through it thoroughly. And coming to the result he started his lines wid it… Ok! Look Arpita,you need to be strong first… your blood reports came normal..but the MRI shows something else…the mass is not a cyst as cyst only contains liquid in it. The mass is surrounding your right ovary and contains some solid particles in it and we doubt it to be“CANCER”.……………………………………………………….……………………………………………………….Yeah…thats how my body reacted at what he just said….was it a nightmare I was having?? I wana wake up NOWWW if it was so. Or did someone raised the temp.of AC..??? Why was I feeling so cold suddenly..?? Cancer…??? me??? How??? When??? Many questions came to my mind and I was unable to hear anything after that very line he said…but I had to wake up looking at the faces of my parents. My mother almost fainted and my father , after doc was explaining the procedure of treatment, he couldn’t control his tears any longer and he went out of the chamber. We followed him. Trust me…I never ever saw my father crying so hard in my entire life. He was crying just like a baby whose most precious toy is snatched by someone and he is crying loud for it to return back to him just the way it was. The way he was looking at me and crying so hard..that gave me strength to return back to him being his fit and healthy daughter again. All I knew is.. “ I HAVE to be fine and I have to survive this” . I did not shed a single tear after the news and was strong enough to go to the doctor and ask about the procedure further. He explained that I need an open surgery as micro surgery will be risky for the purpose. They want to bring the mass out leaving the particles intact and micro surgery will burst everything inside and the cancer germs might spread rapidly after it gets burst. So this was their plan… “they will cut open my lower abdomen..take out the right ovary along with its fallopin tube and immediately they will send it for frozen test which will give results within half n hour. Frozen test is a test where it shows 90% correct result whether the thing is cancerous or not. And if my frozen reports came positive i.e cancerous,, they will cut out my omentum which is a passage like organ connecting ovary and stomach because in case of ovarian cancer the germ first spreads in the stomach through omentum. So they will cut out it and also some nodes with it and send everything for biopsy test. And it will be followed by a chemo that I will recieve after the surgery.” That’s his plan.I got admitted on 28th Nov and on 29th Nov they did my surgery. It was a very painful experience of my life as I was the girl who was afraid of even a little injection. And the summary of my treatment is… the frozen reports came positive. They cut out my omentum and all…checked my whole abdomen. And at the end after the surgery every doctor said I am extremely lucky as the stage where I was diagnosed, only 12% to 13% people get to know at this stage. Most of the patients come at the very last stage when the doctors had nothing in their hands to do for them except trying to extend their lives a bit. They kept me in ICU for two days and then shifted me to the ward and after 4 days of surgery I got discharged.After 14 days we met the doctor with my biopsy reports and also they cut my stitches out. The doc summarised the whole treatment and also the reports to me in a nutshell. He said it was ovarian cancer stage 1(a) and nothing was spread. The cancer cells(malignant cells) were just about to spread and they cut everything out and now I am out of risk and can deal a normal life. Also I didnot need a chemo as it was stage 1(a). Cancer consists of three sub-stages…stage (a),(b),(c). And stage 1(a) doesnot require chemo. I can get married, have kids as my left ovary is totally fine my fallopin tube is fine..and also my uterus is normal functioning and I can conceive normally.And with this the nightmare was over from my life. My parents finally took a breath of relief after 1 long month of depression. My brother played a really big role in this whole phase. He became my most strongest mental strength and support. I guess without him I would have given up long back. My parents couldn’t give me mental support as they themselves needed it the most that time. But my brother never …even for a single time broke down in front of me though I knew it was an utter shock for him to see his little sister suffering from such disease. He constantly motivated me..explained every small details of the process and assured me a 100% cure of my condition. He is and will be the biggest blessing from God to me.Now let me tell you why my doc and my hospital is the best. The frozen test which was done is a special facility which Narayana has in it amongst very few hospitals in India. And also let me tell you its importance. After a surgery is done to a cancer affected area, once the cancer cells get contact with surgical tools or get contact with the air…it spreads rapidly within fraction of seconds. And biopsy test takes one week to show its result. That means within that one week your stage of cancer will increase. And if the reports came positive, again you have to go through a surgery to cut out the remaining affected area out. Take my case as an example, if the frozen test would not have done to me, and they would have waited for biopsy reports to come, my omentum would have not been removed as the reports did not come..and once the reports came they would have taken me for another surgery to take the remaining parts out. That means double pain and also in an increase of life risk. And why my doctor is best? Dr. Rohit in general is an amazing human being, super friendly and super positive in his attitude. You will not feel any risk or fear after talking to him about your problem even if it is cancer. That’s a very important thing a doctor should have in his behaviour and attitude. And he has been the 3rd best oncologist and gynecologist in Tata memorial cancer hospital, Mumbai. He is amongst the top 10 best oncologist, gynecologist doctors in India, you can search it in google. He has worked in best hospitals and also practiced abroad. Thus, he is the best. You will find a good friend in one of the best doctors of India.So this was the hardest time I went through and also i got over it. I would also talk a bit about ovarian cancer. First of all life is really unpredictable. You never know when you are taking your last breath or living your last day. Death is not in our hands but our health is. Specially for woman I am sharing my experience. Problems relating to ovary, uterus has been seen in almost 80% of woman now a days. No doctors could answer the question for why is this happening? And no..!! Sanitary pads has got no role in this problem. They cannot be the cause for ovarian cancer. My doc said. This is a silent killer and has got really no symptoms. So all you can do to protect yourself is to go through a body checkup once a year. Though there is no proper symotoms still there are few of it… I’m mentioning them below…You will have abnormal periods like heavy bleeding or very less bleeding or your periods will extend for 8..9 days.You will get no periods.You will have vaginal discharge. Some white substance will flow from your vagina abnormally.You will loose your appetite and weight.Your body colour will turn fading as there will be a great fall in your RBC(red blood cell) count. You can check your tongue and palm whether it is fading or is reddish.You will get back pain if the problem is related to your ovary and uterus.You will feel irritation while urinating and it will be followed by constipation too.For married woman I read in the symptoms chart, you will feel pain while intercourse if it is ovarian cancer.Sometimes it is genetic. So if you have a family history of such disease you must be in checkups once a year. I got it genetically as my cousin is also having 4th stage ovarian cancer.One more symptom is there which I and also some of the victims of such disease have seen personally. You will start looking very tired if you have that in your body even though you are super active and full of energy. Let me show you the difference.Picture 1.Picture 2Picture courtsey- my galleryPicture 1 is 15 days before I was diagnosed. And picture 2 is right after I was shifted to wards from ICU. Can you mark the difference in my face? Yes I’m talking about that difference. You will look pale and tired. Although you are not. But in the 2nd pic even after going through a major surgery I looked energetic. I hope I could explain it well.So these are the few symptoms that I know. If you are having any of it please …please get yourself examined once. Take good care of yourself girls. Donot neglect any discomfort you feel in your body. Get a body checkup once a year. And if possible, spread awareness to your belongings too. Life is very precious but you cannot deny the biggest truth of life too…i.e Death. So before death comes, live each and every moment of life to the fullest. Spread love, spread smile share happiness and stay healthy.Thank you.Edit1 :- I’m overwhelmed at the responses you all have shown. Thank you so much for all the wishes,prayers and blessings. These means a lot to me.Edit2 :- Someone in the comment section said money has helped me to beat the disease. I know money matters a lot. This hospital Narayana has got some special facilities for patients. Like if you are a government employee, you will be given treatment for free. Also they give free treatment to children. I hope this information will be helpfull.

(A2A) Since I don’t know what your preferences or your interests are, Derek, I’ll just assume that you will be looking for what’s unique to and in Oslo.Now, Oslo is a small, modest city. Just 763 000 people live within its city limits, although there are 1,5M people living in the Oslo metropolitan area. Before Norway found the North Sea oil, Oslo was the capital of a country which used to be poor.From 1380–1536, Norway was more or less a province of Denmark, and from 1537, Norway became a plundered colony under the Danish Crown, which introduced a multitude of some very ingenious taxes on the poor Norwegian farmers and their crofters, e.g. the Shoe Tax of 1711, a tax based on how many pair of shoes(!) a household spouted. Denmark robbed Norway of silver and copper, and also demanded that all Norwegian farms were to send one fully equipped soldier into the Danish army. But in 1814, after being on a losing streak in the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark traded Norway off to Sweden, from which Norway finally regained its Viking Age independence as late as 1905.[1]So don’t expect to find a multitude of grandiose old palaces or buildings in Oslo. But don’t let that stop you. Although still struggling to find its identity in this day and age,[2] Oslo most certainly has its charms, including some impressive attractions, if not all that many.A QUORA OSLO PRIMER FOR TOURISTSBy “attractions” I suppose you mean tourist attractions, and indeed there are some great sights to see. (Scroll down for pictures.)Frognerseteren and HolmenkollenFirstly, I suggest you ride the Metro (T-bane) no. 1 up through the very posh residential area of Holmenkollen, all the way up to Frognerseteren station on the cusp of Nordmarka. [3] From the Frognerseteren Restaurant, a five minute walk south of the station, you have an extraordinary, even sensational panoramic view of Oslo. Unless there is fog, you can literally see for miles; the Oslo Fjord to the south, the city far below you, and the rolling, forested hills surrounding you. The restaurant is a sight in itself, built in 1867 and famous for its legendary apple strudel.[4]From Frognerseteren you should just stroll a couple of hundred meters down the main road to the Holmenkollen Winter Olympic Arena, [5] where you can take the elevator up to the top of the ski jump, for some more spectacular scenic eye-candy.the frogner parkSecondly, it’s not exactly Machu Picchu, Ankor Vat or Stonehenge, as it is still not yet 100 years old, but the 850 meter long Frogner Park of 45 hectares is just as ambitious and grandiose, laden with 212 bronze and granite scultptures and other works by the Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland, among them the 14.12 metres (46.32 ft) tall Monolith.[6] If you bring a sandwich and buy yourself a cup of coffee in the kiosk by the gates, you can do some Norwegian-watching on one of the many Frognerparken lawns, as the park is very popular among Norwegians for jogging, dog walking, sun-bathing, ball-play and barbecue. There are also two restaurants in the park, and I’m sure you will enjoy the cozy Herregårdskroen on the far southern side of the park. [7] Tram no. 12 will take you straight from the city center to Frognerparken’s impressive wrought iron gates in just 10 minutes.[8]the Bygdøy peninsula museumsThirdly, and luckily for you, most of Oslo’s great museums are located on the Bygdøy peninsula. [9]Bus no. 30 will take you there in 25 minutes, [10] but instead you should most definitely take the tourist ferry and enjoy the short boat ride across the Oslo Fjord, where a shuttle service will be waiting to take you to the museums.[11]Kon-Tiki Museum (Kon-Tiki Museet) – houses exhibits from the expeditions of Thor Heyerdahl, including his original Kon-Tiki raft. [12]Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Norsk Folkemuseum) – an open-air museum with centuries old original timber buildings, relocated from towns and rural districts, but also a Saami indigenous birch lavvu built by traditional methods at the museum, as well as one of the very first gas stations in Norway.[13][14]Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskipshuset) – It’s one thing to watch Ragnar Lodbrok & co on your TV or computer, but it’s an entirely different matter to stand alongside the real (restored) Oseberg, Gokstad or Tune Viking ship. [15][16]Norwegian Maritime Museum (Norsk Maritimt Museum) – exhibits Norwegian coast culture and maritime history. [17]Fram Museum (Frammuseet) – site of the ship Fram used by Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, for his South Pole expedition. You can even walk onto the ship itself.[18]THREE GREAT MUSEUMShistoryIf you leave the Metro at the National Theatre station in the city center, you are just a stone’s throw away from the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. [19] Unfortunately, you will not be able to appreciate what I suspect most foreigners wille be very eager to see, namely their Viking Age exhibition, which re-opens in January 2019 after comprehensive restoration work. But if you are reading this in 2019, you know where to go.[20]However, there are several smaller exhibitions on display, like Oslo fjord pioneers - Oslo since the Ice Age, [21] as well as an exhibition of Medieval relics and objects.the National MuseumOne minute walk, and you are in the Norwegian national gallery of the arts and architecture. [22]The collection of old masters and modern art at the National Museum is one of the largest collections in Scandinavia. It consists of 4,500 paintings and 900 sculptures from antiquity until approximately 1945 as well as 50,000 works on paper (20,000 drawings and 30,000 graphic works) from the Middle Ages until today. The collection has also a large range of historical plaster casts from antiquity up to the renaissance. [23]There are also temporary exhibitions. As I write this, there is a Le Corbusier [24] exhibition on display at another city location, and the museum also prides itself in its several works of some of the great international masters like Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.the Munch museumThe National Museum spouts of course a large collection of the works of Edvard Munch, Norway’s greatest painter through all times. [25] But if you want to see more of his works, you should take the Metro to Tøyen station [26] on the East Side (Østkanten), to visit the Munch Museum, where most of his works are to be found. Right now, Andy Warhol’s Munch copies are also on display, e.g. Warhol’s pastiche of Much’s most famous painting, The Scream, an instant internet meme on the www. from day 1. [27]Across the road from the museum you will find the Oslo Botanical Gardens, where Norwegian trees, plants and shrubs are growing in a very tranquil and serene setting, a green oasis just a 10 minute walk from the city center. The gardens also includes the Norwegian Natural History Museum. [28]BUT HERE’S MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONIf you ask me for a true Norwegian experience, you should most certainly take to the woods, into Nordmarka, the Oslo forest, which stretches for miles into the north.[29] It is maybe the feature of Oslo which I personally appreciate most: A 20–35 minute Metro ride, and you are straight into the deep forest. You don’t even need trekking gear or boots, a pair of trainers will do just fine. If you know where to look for them, there are well kept dirt roads, prepared for even 80 year olds, small children and moderately disabled persons.take a walk on the wild woodland sideHere’s my personal suggestion: Take the Metro no. 5 to Sognsvann Station. [30] If you only have an hour to spare, you can enjoy the 2.5 km walk around this idyllic and beautiful lake.But if you are willing to spend 2–3 hours in the Oslo woods, you should definitely head north and go for a 5 km walk up to Ullevålseter. There you can enjoy the traditional Norwegian waffles with brown cheese or jam or other pastries, maybe some soup, and of course a cup of coffee, in the rustic Ullevålseter Restaurant, open until 5 pm all week except Mondays. Established in 1927, it was originally a mountain dairy farm, where the Ullevål farm sent its cattle out to pasture in the summer.[31]You will be perfectly safe. The non-aggressive Norwegian moose (elk) is extremely people-shy, and the most dangerous animal you may encounter on your trek, is the common European wasp (Vespula vulgaris), which is actually more frequent downtown and indeed more aggressive in public parks.[32]So are Norwegians. In the woods, it’s actually customary to nod or say hello to strangers, believe it or not!And if you are ready, willing and able, and have sufficent time on your hands to spend an entire day on Nordmarka trekking, here’s my Quora Nordmarka primer for your pleasure:What are the best hiking trails near Oslo?take a walk through Norwegian suburbia!When you are back at Sognsvann, you should walk to town. Yes, you heard me. It won’t take you much more than an hour. Then you will know what most of Norway looks like. The suburbia of the borough of Nordre Aker [33] consists mostly of single housing, which is how 50% of Norwegians live. Only 25% live in apartment buildings or townhouses, while the remaining 25% live in some kind of semi-detached or 1–2 storey chained housing.There is no way you can get lost, as long as you head south and downhill, and buses traverse the borough several places. Besides, you will probably hear the Metro in daytime, as the area is very quiet, with sparse traffic until people start returning from work after 3.30-4 pm. Soon you will be down by the Ring Road 3, the upper Oslo beltway, where there is a Metro station or bus stop for every 2-400 meters.Here’s my Quora guide to the area:What are the best neighborhoods in Oslo, Norway for a family?tourist informationNow, there are indeed other sights to see. Norwegians are of course proud of them and will most certainly have their personal favourites and recommendations. However, from an international point of view, for a tourist looking for something unique, I’d say the above are the only must-see locations for tourists. But, if you have time to spare, the tourist information at Jernbanetorget will help you find some more attractions, and they will recommend you buy an Oslo Pass, which will give you free entrance to museums as well as free public transport. [34] Or you can have a look at the Oslo pages of Visit Norway - Official travel guide to Norway on the internet.[35]off the beaten tourist track: real Norwegians!If you don’t want to spend your money in the usually bland and characterless tourist trap diners or the many very exclusive restaurants in the city center, and especially if you plan to visit the Munch Museum, here’s another personal recommendation.Galgeberg (Gallows Hill) lies a 10 minute walk east of Tøyen Metro station. It’s where they used to hang people. That’s where my two good friends Ole and Dino run their cozy and intimate local family restaurant Galgen (The Gallows), with some great inexpensive - at least by Oslo standards! - cuisine. Tasty Norwegian burgers, and, if you’re lucky, Today’s special might even be the best chili con carne in town, courtesy of Dino, Costa Rican style. Or Ole will be preparing traditional or seasonal Norwegian dishes (husmannskost; literally: crofter food) with his own personal twist.You may even have a chance of a conversation with the locals, something you will hardly ever experience in the city center, where almost nobody talks to strangers in restaurants, even if they sit next to you - or at least before they get drunk, that is. As long as you don’t interrupt 2–5 Norwegians engaged in conversation, but look for the relatively silent tables, you may be striking up a friendly conversation before you know it. The Galgen patio is a great place in summer, and the food is always based on fresh Norwegian produce. You will even get vegetarian dishes and a children’s menu. It will be a true 2018 Norwegian experience, I can promise you that.[36]Velkommen to Oslo, have a good time.Frognerseteren Restaurant: on top of the Oslo world. Great coffee too.View from the Holmenkollen ski jump: I can seee for miles!Bird’s eye view of Frognerparken.The Oseberg viking ship: - Eat your heart out, Ragnbar Lodbrok!Just a few of the many old original rural buildings at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (Folkemuseet) at Bygdøy.The Scream by Edvard Munch. Estimated value: $80M.The Botanical Gardens: the creek and the pond.Sognsvann, just a 25 minute tramcar to scenic desire.Yes, that’s actually a restaurant. Ullevålseter, an Oslo institution.For more facts about Oslo and Norway, check out my Quora blog:NORWAY EXPLAINED:Your guide to Norway and Norwegians by Morten JørgensenFootnotes[1] History of Norway - Wikipedia[2] Morten Jørgensen's answer to Why doesn't Oslo make it even in the Top 20 of the best cities of the world?[3] https://ruter.no/en/journey-planner/Mellom/Fra/(3010011)Jernbanetorget%20%5bT-bane%5d%20(Oslo)/til/(3012630)Frognerseteren%20%5bT-bane%5d%20(Oslo)/etter/#st:0,sp:0,bp:0[4] History - History - Frognerseteren Engelsk[5] Holmenkollen - Wikipedia[6] Frogner Park - Wikipedia[7] Herregårdskroen. Restaurant i Frognerparken, Oslo[8] https://ruter.no/en/journey-planner/Mellom/Fra/(3010011)Jernbanetorget%20%5bT-bane%5d%20(Oslo)/til/(1000026488)Frognerparken%20(Oslo)/etter/230720180515/#st:0,sp:0,bp:0[9] Bygdøy - Wikipedia[10] https://ruter.no/reiseplanlegger/Mellom/Fra/(3010011)Jernbanetorget%20%5bT-bane%5d%20(Oslo)/til/(3010162)Bygd%C3%B8ynes%20(ved%20KonTiki-museet)%20(Oslo)/etter/240720180815/#st:0,sp:0,bp:0[11] Bygdøyfergene[12] Kon-Tiki Museum - Wikipedia[13] http://Norwegian_Museum_of_Cultural_History[14] Lavvu - Wikipedia[15] Viking Ship Museum (Oslo) - Wikipedia[16] The story begins - Museum of Cultural History[17] Norwegian Maritime Museum - Wikipedia[18] Fram Museum - Wikipedia[19] Home - Museum of Cultural History[20] Coming soon: New Viking Age exhibition - Museum of Cultural History[21] Oslo fjord pioneers - Museum of Cultural History[22] Norway's largest collection of art, architecture and design[23] http://The collection of old masters and modern art at the National Museum is one of the largest collections in Scandinavia. It consists of 4,500 paintings and 900 sculptures from antiquity until approximately 1945 as well as 50,000 works on paper (20,000 drawings and 30,000 graphic works) from the middle ages until today. The collection has also a large range of historical plaster casts from antiquity up to the renaissance.[24] Le Corbusier - Wikipedia[25] Edvard Munch - Wikipedia[26] https://ruter.no/reiseplanlegger/Mellom/Fra/(3010011)Jernbanetorget%20%5bT-bane%5d%20(Oslo)/til/(3010600)T%C3%B8yen%20%5bT-bane%5d%20(Oslo)/etter/240720180815/#st:0,sp:0,bp:0[27] Exhibitions[28] Home - Natural History Museum[29] Nordmarka - Wikipedia[30] Journey Planner[31] Ullevålseter - Velkommen[32] Morten Jørgensen's answer to Are there a lot of insects in Norway during the summer?[33] Nordre Aker - Wikipedia[34] Oslo Visitor Centre - Tourist information centre in Oslo[35] Oslo Meetings, incentives, conferences and events – Visit Norway[36] Mat på Galgen

Summary: This is complete and utter fabrication.No whooping crane has been recorded as killed by wind farms, and no one except Jim Wiegand is saying that any have been killed by wind farms.While there was a large death rate of birds in 2008-2009 which is a cause for concern, Tom Stehn, the world’s leading authority on whooping cranes, attributed this in court testimony to drought caused by Texas water management practices.A record number of whooping cranes are expected to return Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas in fall of 2012.The US Fish and Wildlife Service, every major avian preservation organization and the wind industry are working closely together to ensure that there will be no impact on whooping cranes by wind farms.The biggest threat to whooping crane populations is global warming, and wind farms directly assist with slowing global warming.Why are whooping cranes important?Whooping cranes are an amazing success story in species preservation, having been built back up from a few dozen adults to their current stable population of several hundred. Agricultural destruction of their habitat and hunting in the 19th century brought them to the brink of extinction. Decades of effort by hundreds of organizations, individuals and volunteers brought them back. They are barely self-sustaining at present, and cannot afford to lose additional numbers as it would put them at risk. Many have seen the documentaries about ultra-light aircraft leading flocks to breeding grounds and back again, a key part of the strategy to bring these birds back. [1]What has been happening recently with their populations?The largest flock and the only self-sustaining one, breeds and nests in Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada and migrates 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in southern Texas. [2]In recent years, returns have been lower than anticipated, and worryingly so. The largest reduction occurred in the drought of 2008 and 2009 with the deaths of 8.5% of the wintering flock and almost 45% of the juveniles. A non-profit organization formed and sued the State of Texas for water management practices that caused too much salinity in marshes whooping cranes required. Cutting an interesting story short, the State of Texas lost. (I recommend reading the referenced article, as the gall of the State of Texas defence on this was astounding; they actually invented a desalination gland for whooping cranes that doesn't exist.)The person of note in the case was Tom Stehn, the most knowledgeable person in the world on whooping cranes, who had shepherded the Aransas flock from 40 birds to 247 birds over three decades of tirelessly working with them. If there’s a saint in this story, it’s Tom Stehn. He knew each bird, its parents and counted them obsessively. He traveled tens of thousands of miles surveying their territories and migration paths. Here’s what he said the cause was:As for the 23 Stehn was certain had died, he could identify each by territory and date. Because the deaths had occurred all across the refuge, he believed that drought was the culprit. “It was a high-mortality winter,” Stehn said, “and at that point, the food supply was not good. There were low numbers of crabs, and the wolfberry crop had not been good. And from my experience, that kind of screams out that trouble is brewing.”[3]He's also on record about wind farms and whooping cranes:Stehn and others say no whooping cranes have been killed by a wind turbine, though they remain concerned.[15]Any mortality of whooping cranes puts the species further at risk.Although the species numbers are slowly increasing, they are far below the level required for recovery. A population viability analysis done in 2004 found that an additional 3% mortality, i.e., less than 8 individuals annually, would cause the species to undergo a decline, and preclude recovery.That passage is from WHOOPING CRANES AND WIND DEVELOPMENT - AN ISSUE PAPER By Regions 2 and 6, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, April 2009. [4]While a change in whooping crane counting methodology is worrisome for many including Tom Stehn, there are positive signs.A record whooping crane flock is expected at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge for the second straight year. Refuge manager Dan Alonso said there could be enough cranes making their annual migration to the area to break last year's count of about 280."We're eagerly anticipating approximately 300 birds this year," Dan Alonso said.[18]What other threats exist for whooping crane populations?The International Recovery Plan for the Whooping Crane [5] lists the following as current threats and reasons for listing:human settlement/development, insufficient freshwater inflows, shooting, disturbance, disease, parasites, predation, food availability, sibling aggression, severe weather, loss of genetic diversity, climate change, red tide, chemical spills, collisions with power lines, fences, and other structures, collisions with aircraft and pesticides.Of these, several overlap with development of wind farms, hence the action plans around this technology:Potential negative impacts: human development, collisions with power lines, collisions with other structures (wind turbines)Areas wind farms are part of the solution for: insufficient freshwater inflows, severe weather, climate changeIn general, wind farms are not a threat to the whooping cranes when they are flying:Whooping cranes, the tallest birds in North America, fly at altitudes of between 500 and 5,000 feet — enough room to clear the turbines, which range in height from about 200 feet to 295 feet, and their blades, with diameters from 230 feet to 295 feet.Landing, take-off are the issuesThe problem, Stehn said, is that the cranes stop every night."It's actually the landing and taking off that's problematic," he said. "That's when they're most likely to encounter the turbines and transmission towers."[17]The biggest threat is that the shy birds will avoid operating wind farms, leading to a loss of migration habitat necessary for their survival, as they fly only during the day and often stop and start. The second biggest threat is that whooping cranes will collide with new power lines put up to accommodate wind farms.Avian preservation organizations are firmly in favour of wind farms as global warming and its related impacts are a much larger and harder to manage threat to avian populations than wind farms.[13] Here's the Audobon Society's testimony to Congress in favour of rapid growth of wind projects. They are clear and cautious about specific siting, but understand that wind energy helps bird populations much, much more than it harms them.As the threats of global warming loom ever larger, alternative energy sources like wind power are essential. Many new wind power projects will need to be constructed across the country as part of any serious nationwide effort to address global warming. [14]What is being done to ensure wind farms don’t harm whooping cranes?The US Fish and Wildlife Service, several major avian preservation organizations, wildlife biologists from several universities and the wind industry have been working on risk assessment and mitigation plans for a considerable period of time. Tom Stehn, the leading expert on whooping cranes and the person most responsible for their current comeback, worked closely with the team building the material, ensuring that the whooping cranes were protected.[12]The approaches are building on efforts that have been ongoing for decades:Marking of power lines to make them more visible, a technique shown to reduce sandhill crane collisions with power lines (Morkill 1990, Morkill and Anderson 1991, Brown and Drewien 1995), also helps reduce whooping crane mortality. Cooperative protection plans implemented by provincial, state, and Federal agencies are believed to have reduced losses due to shooting and disease (Lewis 1992). Forested riverine areas along the Platte River in Nebraska are being cleared to restore stopover habitat. Loss of critical winter habitat along the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way due to erosion has been reduced significantly through the use of concrete matting (Zang et al. 1993, Evans and Stehn 1997). Dredged material has been used to create winter habitat (Evans and Stehn 1997).[4]In addition, the careful surveying of the migration corridors and assessment of threats have led to substantial changes to power line placement away from migration corridors in addition to marking them.Wind farm siting is being assessed based on this migration corridor approach, and wind farms are mandated to watch for whooping cranes during migration season and shut down if they are spotted within a mile of the farm:A North Dakota wind farm may have to monitor the area for whooping cranes for years to come, even though the endangered big birds haven't been spotted since the facility began operating in 2010, federal regulators said.The Basin Electric Power Cooperative employs biologists to watch for whooping cranes at the facility south of Minot every spring and fall when the tallest birds in America follow their usual migration route between Canada and Texas.The Bismarck-based company is required to shut down its giant turbines if the birds come within a mile of the wind farm, according to the terms of a $250 million dollar loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service. The cranes are federally protected and number only a few hundred in the wild.[6]And:In 2010, monitoring for cranes was done at the Titan I wind facility in South Dakota. In the spring, a group of 5 whooping cranes spent 3 days approximately 2 miles from the project. The closest they were ever on the ground from a turbine was 1.2 miles. When they resumed migration, the nearest turbine was shut down in a very rapid response as the monitor called in that the cranes were flying. The cranes passed by that turbine at a distance of about one-half mile. In the fall, two groups of whooping cranes (2+1 and 2) flew within 0.5 and 0.3 miles from an operating turbine but did not seem to alter their flight behavior. [7]And:“If we see a whooping crane, we’ll start shutting down the towers as fast as we can,” said Daryl Hill, Basin Electric Power Cooperative’ssupervisor of media relations and communications. “But we’ve never had a sighting at our Minot project.” [16]The wind industry takes whooping crane preservation very seriously. As a whole and as individual wind developers they are holding themselves to high standards and are being held to very high standards by external monitoring organizations.Interestingly, in Aransas National Wildlife Preserve, small windmills are creating ponds to help whooping cranes:Alonso said recent rainfall of about 2 inches has replenished drinking water sources for the whoopers, and about 20 ponds created by windmill pumps are available for the birds to drink. [18]Who is Jim Wiegand, and is he a credible source of information about whooping crane mortality?Mr. Wiegand claims to be a professional wildlife biologist. Mr. Wiegand studied for an undergraduate degree in wildlife biology from the University of Berkeley about 40 years ago. There is no indication that he ever worked as a wildlife biologist in academics, government or for other organizations. He has no peer-reviewed material published. The only record Berkeley keeps online of him is an insect specimen he collected in 1973. Mr. Wiegand appears to be an antique / art seller [8], [9] and a self-taught artist of sorts [10].And, of course, he's the Vice-President of the anti-wind lobbyist group, Save the Eagles International (STEI) [11], which appears to consist of him and the President.He has written two analysis pieces, one on wind turbine bird kill counting methodology and one on whooping crane mortality, which completely contradict the findings of hundreds of PhDs, professionals and credible organizations working in the field. These are published on the Save the Eagles International website and a community blog under another person’s ID. They have not been peer reviewed in any accepted manner, and have appeared in no peer reviewed publications.He also spends large amounts of time and energy regurgitating portions of his analysis and STEI’s positions on comment boards of articles pertaining to wind farms, whether the stories have anything to do with avian mortality or not.In his volunteer position, Mr. Wiegand makes himself available to anti-wind journalists, who tout his credentials without checking and quote him very selectively.Selective quoting is important, as Mr. Wiegand has a constant refrain that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has engaged in a 28-year long cover-up of wind farm mortality, and believes that the very carefully worked out wildlife mortality counting methodologies employed at wind farms – methodologies developed and vetted by wildlife biologists, avian preservation groups and the wind industry – consistently undercount avian mortality. He is, effectively, a conspiracy theorist, but his chosen governmental organization to fear is the US Fish and Wildlife Service.If Mr. Wiegand can call himself a wildlife biologist, then all of those Psych majors working in call centers can call themselves Psychiatrists, and all of those guys flipping burgers who took Commerce can call themselves CEOs.Mr. Wiegand is not a credible source of information about wind farms and birds.What is Jim Wiegand saying about whooping crane mortality?In February 2012, Jim Wiegand published an article in a community blog called the Examiner, under regular anti-wind author Cathy Taibbi’s byline (Ms. Taibbi is also convinced that wind farms threaten the existence of entire avian populations despite evidence to the contrary, frequently quotes Mr. Wiegand extensively and often uses his photographs to illustrate her blog posts on the subject.) This was immediately linked to from the STEI stie, and is now regurgitated on anti-wind sites world-wide as gospel truth.Note that this article was quickly rejected by the LA Times once they had a look at it, something Mr. Wiegand asserts is a matter of suppression of the truth by corporate interests.It appears that someone at the top pulled the plug. I have had it happen before. You and I both know how the money works with these corporations.Mr. Wiegand rejects all of the evidence, all of the efforts and the sworn testimony of Tom Stehn. Instead, he claims hundreds of whooping crane have been killed over the past six years by wind turbines. He says that whooping cranes will be extinct in 5 years due to wind farms.He does this without any empirical evidence to support his hypothesis. He does this despite the fact that if as many whooping cranes had died in the past years as he says there would be no whooping cranes at all right now. He does this in direct contravention of the sworn testimony of Tom Stehn, the man who knows whooping cranes better than anyone and who worked with them directly for decades.And when questioned on any of this, Mr. Wiegand libels Tom Stehn, attacks the US Fish and Wildlife Service and defames all involved in the process.References:[1] http://www.savingcranes.org/whooping-crane.html[2] http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/aransas/whoopingcranes.html[3] Whooping Crane Man, http://whoopingcrane.com/2012/07/[4] WHOOPING CRANES AND WIND DEVELOPMENT - AN ISSUE PAPER By Regions 2 and 6, U. S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceApril 2009, ftp://wiley.kars.ku.edu/windresource/Whooping_Crane_and_Wind_Development_FWS_%20April%202009.pdf[5] International Recovery Plan for the Whooping Crane, http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1047&context=endangeredspeciesbull&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dinternational%2520whooping%2520crane%2520recovery%2520plan%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D1%26ved%3D0CCIQFjAA%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalcommons.unl.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1047%2526context%253Dendangeredspeciesbull%26ei%3DYSFGUK3fLI7bqwHTpoGACg%26usg%3DAFQjCNGvk-saxvbVoN2VCMMQJCrtnnUvkg%26sig2%3D7y4vb7KAVgdY3-p56pJg-Q#search=%22international%20whooping%20crane%20recovery%20plan%22[6] North Dakota wind farm still watching for whooping cranes, http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/67660/[7] Wind Farms and Whooping Cranes, http://whoopingcrane.com/wind-farms-and-whooping-cranes/[8] http://www.jimwiegand.com[9] Jim Wiegand's Fine Art Prints, now apparently defunct[10] http://www.gallery-worldwide.com/cmAuthor.jsp?id=3048&view=AUTH[11] savetheeaglesinternational.org/[12] http://whoopingcrane.com/wind-farms-and-whooping-cranes/[14] http://policy.audubon.org/audubon-congressional-testimony-wind-power[15] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23389384/ns/us_news-environment/t/wind-turbines-may-threaten-whooping-cranes/#.UEvPQEIZcuo[16] http://www.ect.coop/efficiency-conservation/environmental-stewardship/whooping-crane-monitoring-program/47302[17] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23389384/ns/us_news-environment/t/wind-turbines-may-threaten-whooping-cranes/#.UEytIEIZcuo[18] http://www.scrippsnews.biz/content/record-whooping-crane-flock-expected-2nd-year-texas?page=6Like my content? 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