I am bothered by an ongoing controversy between bird lovers and energy developers that is taking place on the shores of Lake Erie near Port Clinton.

As most people who have any connection to the outdoors surely know, that part of the Ohio north coast is an internationally known bird migration area. It takes in two major international flyways.

Twice each year, thousands — maybe millions — of birds cross Lake Erie during natural migration.

And in recent years, the number of people who flock to the north coast to view the many species of migrating birds in places like Magee Marsh, Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge and Metzger Marsh has swelled. I saw one estimate of 175,000 visitors last spring.

It is what is known to the Ohio and National Audubon Society as an Important Bird Area. While there are many IBOs across the country – including some in Ohio like Caesar Creek Lake, Buck Creek State Park and Cowan Lake State Park – Ohio’s north coast is one of the most cherished.

To say that part of Ohio is known for its bird migration is an understatement. It is also the center of the state’s bald eagle restoration activity.

The shores of Lake Erie are also known for another natural activity – wind. Any angler who has driven to Lake Erie from the Miami Valley only to be “blown off the lake” by high winds, will tell you all about Lake Erie wind.

These days, wind also means energy – clean, free energy. The thing is, I have a fondness for both – birds and all wildlife – but also for wind energy.

So what’s the answer for the north coast? I say let’s move the proposed wind turbine.

You can move the turbine and still obtain maximum power. It doesn’t have to be at Camp Perry, right in the middle of two major flyways.

Take the Blue Creek Wind Farm as an example. The 152-turbine facility is located in the northwest Ohio counties of Van Wert and Paulding. The farm, which covers more land than the city of Dayton, is not located in an area known for high bird or bat activity. Yet, the winds average 14 mph, plenty to keep the huge turbines going at maximum almost all the time.

That Blue Creek Wind Farm is not located near any large cities. Ohio State University is about to buy from Blue Creek 25 percent of the power needs for its Columbus main campus. And a large chunk of Blue Creek power is sold annually to the city of Akron. Neither is anywhere near Van Wert.

The developers of Blue Creek did their homework. They worked with ODNR and others to determine the impact on birds and bats.

“There is a low risk to birds and bats,” said Greenville native Dan Litchfield, Blue Creek project developer for Iberdrola Renewables. “You can’t have a wind turbine with zero risk. But nationally about 150,000 birds or bats are killed by wind turbines each year. Compare that to about 55 million killed by buildings. Cats and cars also kill a great deal more than wind turbines each year.”

If you have never seen a wind farm up close, check out Blue Creek from U.S. 30 north of Lima. The farm stretches from Van Wert to the Indiana line. There’s a kiosk in a rest area that sits right next to one of those giant turbines, explaining the farm and wind energy in general.

Like real estate, it seems the key to wind turbines is location, location, location – both for viable winds and for protecting the environment. Perhaps wind turbines don’t kill a great number of birds nationally, but those wind turbines aren’t located in a major migration area.

The win-win (or is it wind-wind?) is to build the turbine, but not on the lake’s south shore on the west side of Port Clinton. There are plenty of other windy places around … close to Grand Lake St. Marys perhaps.