{"id":36194,"date":"2026-09-03T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/?p=36194"},"modified":"2026-09-03T07:24:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T11:24:17","slug":"oregon-built-a-wind-solar-and-battery-site-for-100000-homes-but-a-10-ounce-endangered-squirrel-still-decides-when-crews-can-dig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/oregon-built-a-wind-solar-and-battery-site-for-100000-homes-but-a-10-ounce-endangered-squirrel-still-decides-when-crews-can-dig\/36194\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon built a wind, solar and battery site for 100,000 homes, but a 10-ounce endangered squirrel still decides when crews can dig"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Wheatridge, Oregon, there is a complex that produces renewable energy, combining wind, solar, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/say-goodbye-to-the-old-idea-of-generating-a-lot-of-solar-energy-and-then-forgetting-about-it-because-batteries-time-of-use-rates-and-self-consumption-are-starting-to-play-a-key-role-in-household-sa\/34381\/\">battery storage<\/a>. What makes it different from others is that its routine work must follow the rules of one of the region\u2019s smallest residents. The endangered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fws.gov\/species\/washington-ground-squirrel-urocitellus-washingtoni\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington ground squirrel<\/a> might weigh just 4.2 to 10.6 ounces, but its tiny presence affects where workers can dig, how trucks must move around the site, and how cables are protected. Although this animal lives underground for most of the year, there is a short period in which it spends time above ground, and this brings legal requirements for the eastern Oregon facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-65fd7c92\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-43f25107\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-d64a04df post-36195 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-energy resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-e7f6740e\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/a-new-reactor-turned-bottles-bags-and-car-plastics-into-hydrogen-and-the-carbon-problem-stayed-trapped-in-solid-material\/36195\/\">A new reactor turned bottles, bags and car plastics into hydrogen, and the carbon problem stayed trapped in solid material<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wheatridge brings together <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/golden-eagles-over-wyoming-may-miss-wind-turbines-a-blind-spot-in-their-vision-that-makes-renewables-unexpectedly-dangerous\/35595\/\">300 MW of wind<\/a> power, 50 MW of solar, and 30 MW of battery storage. All together, they can supply around 100,000 homes, with emission-free electricity. These numbers may seem impressive, but the facility has to follow a very detailed set of environmental rules \u2014 and one of the smallest residents of this site, plays a surprisingly significant role in them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"First-of-its-kind facility in Oregon stores wind and solar power\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EXiqLBGrKJ4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>YouTube: @KGWNews8<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A license with speed limit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oregon\u2019s site certificate is not just a voluntary commitment, it is a binding agreement between the state and operators. During construction and operation, trucks cannot exceed a speed of 20 mph on new or upgraded private access roads. As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/minnesotas-boswell-solar-project-brings-177675-panels-and-85-megawatts-to-a-coal-fired-site-inheriting-an-old-grid-connection-in-a-rare-test-of-how-infrastructure-shapes-renewable-cost\/35786\/\">solar array<\/a> has 3.2 miles of service roads, maintenance works are carried out in a controlled place, similar to school-zone speeds. (oregon.gov)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why is this so strict? The speed limit follows the habitat standard for fish and wildlife. The presence of squirrels results in even more specific rules before a worker can even get near a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/we-assumed-solar-farms-wrecked-the-countryside-but-research-shows-birds-and-insects-often-thrive-beneath-panels-where-shade-and-shelter-create-new-microhabitats\/33441\/\">suitable habitat<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spring surveys can stop construction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before starting any work, a qualified biologist with experience in locating Washington ground squirrels has to survey suitable habitat within 1,000 feet from the area where the work is planned. Such inspections can only be carried out from March 1 to May 31, and the validity of the results lasts for three years. If crews miss that window, construction could be forced to delay work until the following spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-aab60f72\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-bfb4109b\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-ca152b9f post-35959 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-environment resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-941b1f5a\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/workers-built-an-arizona-solar-farm-to-generate-electricity-beneath-the-desert-sun-but-tiny-burrowing-owls-moved-into-the-landscape-and-turned-part-of-the-energy-project-into-an-unexpected-nursery-fo\/35959\/\">Workers built an Arizona solar farm to generate electricity beneath the desert sun, but tiny burrowing owls moved into the landscape and turned part of the energy project into an unexpected nursery for their chicks<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once a colony is found, this changes how its surrounding land can be used. The area is classified as Category 1 habitat, which means that workers must stay out of that land and mark the restricted area in order to protect it and prevent temporary or permanent damage. For sites classified as Category 2, Statewide guidance from ODFW establishes a 785-foot buffer and places suitable habitat within about 5,000 feet. This also applies to the equipment: underground cables might need extra protection from rodents\u2019 teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eight months below surface<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This limited time for the survey season is explained by the species\u2019 unusual schedule. In general, Washington ground squirrels are active from midwinter to early summer. After this, they spend most of the year dormant underground. Adults weigh less than a burrito, from 4.2 to 10.6 ounces. <a href=\"https:\/\/swap.oregon.gov\/sgcn\/washington-ground-squirrel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ODFW<\/a> as endangered, some of its main limiting factors are habitat loss and fragmentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/washington-ground-squirrel-oregon-endangered-species.jpg\" alt=\"Washington ground squirrel standing above ground in its native habitat in the Pacific Northwest.\" class=\"wp-image-36297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/washington-ground-squirrel-oregon-endangered-species.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/washington-ground-squirrel-oregon-endangered-species-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/washington-ground-squirrel-oregon-endangered-species-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/washington-ground-squirrel-oregon-endangered-species-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/washington-ground-squirrel-oregon-endangered-species-150x84.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The endangered Washington ground squirrel spends much of the year underground, but its presence can determine where and when construction work is allowed in eastern Oregon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Protections renewed in 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These standards are updated. In May 2026, Oregon approved an amendment that separated the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/foxes-moved-into-a-solar-farm-and-turned-it-into-a-natural-habitat-as-the-panels-created-shade-shelter-and-a-surprising-new-ecosystem\/33313\/\">operating 50 MW solar facility<\/a> from the still unbuilt 100 MW Wagon Trail Solar project and gave more time for its construction deadline. Future works are subject to renewed certificates\u2019 rules on wildlife surveys, monitoring, and habitat protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-05b538bb\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-7b881317\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-9315e6a5 post-35843 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-energy resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-378d39e1\">Read More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/new-haven-placed-1900-solar-panels-on-a-former-landfill-producing-1-4-million-kilowatt-hours-yearly-for-200-homes-and-1-5-million-over-20-years-while-63-gigawatts-of-capacity-wait-across-4312-clo\/35843\/\">New Haven placed 1,900 solar panels on a former landfill, producing 1.4 million kilowatt-hours yearly for 200 homes and $1.5 million over 20 years, while 63 gigawatts of capacity wait across 4,312 closed sites<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the next phase is delayed again, biologists may have to inspect the area again and count the burrows again before crews can install new posts. Daily operations are also restricted, trucks are forced to travel along the designated private roads at a speed limit of 20 mph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The official statement was published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oregon.gov\/energy\/facilities\/pages\/wrefiii.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Department of Energy<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An endangered squirrel sets the rules at Oregon&#8217;s wind, solar and battery site: 20 mph limits, spring surveys and no-dig zones<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":36296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-energy","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36194"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36299,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36194\/revisions\/36299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ecoticias.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}