The North Palo Duro Canyon has an abundance of wildlife, ranging from deer and aoudad, coyotes, foxes and bobcats, to ospreys, eagles, owls and rattlesnakes. And that's just a tiny sampling of the species that call the canyon their home. Some of these animals, including the golden eagle, the bald eagle, the Palo Duro Mouse and the Horny Toad, are now listed as threatened species, making their survival even that much more important.
High-voltage transmission lines pose a threat to these animals and their survival, both in their presence and in the fire danger they pose. For example, it has been well-documented that eagles often die as a result of transmission lines due to collision with the lines or electrocution. Given the tower height, they and other bird species would be attracted to the towers for nest building, making it even more likely such an unfortunate event would occur.
In addition, if a transmission line led to a fire in the canyon due to an arc from lightning on the line or some other reason, such as damage to the line due to high winds or an aircraft collision with the lines, fire in the canyon would quickly spread. (See Fire Danger in the Canyon.) The heat and smoke would be trapped in the deep, narrow canyon and many, if not most, of the canyon animals would not survive.
In sum, structures which increase the risk of fire in the canyon or cause death to the vulnerable wildlife, such as high-voltage transmission lines, should not be placed near the canyon edge or across the canyon. For the animals' sake, we simply cannot afford to make this mistake.
