As America's AI boom drives a surge in data center construction, wildlife experts warn of growing threats to green spaces, waterways and animal habitats.
From Nevada's public lands to wildlife habitats in Virginia and Tennessee, several high-profile disputes are putting data center developers under pressure to address concerns over environmental protections.
Conservationists warn that replacing forests, open spaces and sensitive ecosystems with data center infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences. Beyond habitat loss, these facilities can require substantial amounts of electricity and water, while construction and operations may generate noise, artificial lighting and polluted runoff, potentially placing additional pressure on wildlife already threatened by drought and environmental change.
"Data centers built without careful consideration for wildlife could contribute to habitat loss and fragmentation," Aimee Delach, director of energy and biodiversity at Defenders of Wildlife, said in a statement.
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Her warning reflects a growing concern among conservationists: as demand for AI computing accelerates, environmental safeguards may struggle to keep pace with development.
Golf Courses Give Way to Data Center Proposals
The conflict is already visible in Pennsylvania, where Dauphin Highlands Golf Course, a public 18-hole course near Harrisburg, closed on October 12 after more than 30 years of operation.
The 228-acre property, which opened in 1995, is intended to become the site of a major data center development reportedly valued at more than $10 billion. Construction has been anticipated for 2027, although the project's local development approvals and technical plans have not been established in the records reviewed.
The closure was driven in part by the course's financial difficulties. Its owner, the Dauphin County General Authority, had accumulated approximately $13 million in debt. It was sold for $45.6 million to Harrisburg I LLC, an entity formed by Dallas-based Provident Realty, with the transaction finalized in June 2026.
Officials said the sale would allow the authority to repay the debt and generate additional tax revenue. A separate community benefits agreement approved in October included commitments to fund public safety and infrastructure projects.
Dauphin Highlands is not an isolated case. Briarwood Golf Club in York County, Pennsylvania, is also the subject of a proposed data center redevelopment, while Fountain Valley Golf Course in Farmington, Minnesota, which closed in 2022, is part of an approved development plan for a campus of up to 12 data centers. Other former golf courses have faced similar proposals, highlighting the growing competition between data center developers and recreational green spaces.
A golf course is not untouched wilderness. Such facilities can require intensive irrigation, mowing and chemical treatments. Nevertheless, they may also contain ponds, mature trees and vegetated areas that provide shelter and feeding grounds for birds, insects and other animals.
Conservationists Challenge Development on Public Lands
The debate has moved beyond privately owned properties and into disputes over public land.
In Nevada, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club's Toiyabe Chapter challenged federal approval of the proposed Townsite Data Center near Boulder City in July, arguing that the project threatened wildlife habitat and water resources, and had been approved without adequate environmental review or public consultation.
Patrick Donnelly, the Center for Biological Diversity's Great Basin director, delivered a forceful warning about the implications of allowing large technology developments on public land.
"Public lands are for wildlife and clean water, for recreation and spiritual renewal," Donnelly said in a statement. "They're not meant for big tech companies to spew air pollution and suck down water for AI and the surveillance state."
Olivia Tanager, executive director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter, warned the decision could have consequences well beyond the Nevada project.
"By cutting the public out of the process, they're trying to hand over Nevada's desert to billion-dollar tech companies without anyone getting a say," Tanager said. "If this isn't challenged, it won't stop in Boulder City—it will become the blueprint for data centers across public lands in the West."
The environmental groups secured an initial legal victory in September 2026, when a federal appeals panel halted construction after finding the challengers were likely to succeed in their argument that the Bureau of Land Management had improperly relied on an earlier environmental review for a different project.
In October, the Interior Board of Land Appeals set aside the original approval and returned the application to the Bureau of Land Management for further consideration. The ruling prevents the developer from proceeding under the original authorization but does not permanently cancel the project.
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Other environmental organizations have also called for broad changes to the way data centers are approved.
More Than Just Parks, a public-lands advocacy organization that operates a national tracker, argues that these facilities can consume significant amounts of water and electricity while shifting infrastructure costs onto the public. The group also says tax incentives and other benefits offered to developers should be weighed against the long-term costs of such projects.
"Too many of these projects move forward with little to no transparency and little meaningful public involvement," the organization said.
More Than Just Parks has developed an online tracker to help people investigate data center projects and their proximity to protected public land. The tool shows more than 300 data centers within 10 miles of public land.
The National Wildlife Federation has also called for stronger protections. A resolution adopted by the organization and its state and territorial affiliates urged policymakers to introduce regulatory safeguards and called on the data center industry to develop better practices.
"The National Wildlife Federation…calls upon policymakers at all levels of government to create the necessary regulatory and legislative safeguards, and for the data center industry to develop best practices, to align data center development with wildlife conservation, human well-being, and climate change mitigation and adaptation goals," the resolution reads.
Water Demand Could Threaten Endangered Fish Species
Water consumption can create serious challenges to native fauna, particularly in regions where rivers and streams already support vulnerable species.
Defenders of Wildlife highlighted the data center hub in The Dalles, Oregon, as an example of the pressures that growing computing infrastructure can place on freshwater ecosystems.
The region is home to data centers operated by Google. The nearby Dog River, a tributary of the Columbia River, supports habitat used by endangered coho salmon and bull trout, both of which rely on cold water.
According to Delach's analysis, proposals to divert additional water to meet growing demand could raise concerns about the temperature and quality of the river system. Reduced water flows can contribute to warmer water, while inadequately managed wastewater discharges can introduce additional heat or pollutants.
For cold-water species, such changes can affect the suitability of habitat on which their survival depends.
The risks depend on local conditions and the design of individual facilities. Not every data center uses the same cooling system or consumes the same quantity of water. However, where large developments compete with ecosystems and communities for limited supplies, conservationists argue that the environmental consequences must be examined before projects proceed. The stakes are particularly high in drought-prone regions, where rivers and streams may already be under pressure from climate change, agriculture and other demands.
Turtles, Bats and Birds Face Potential Risks in Virginia
Wildlife specialists in Southwest Virginia have also raised concerns about the possible consequences of data-center development for local species.
Chester Leonard, executive director of the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center, has warned that large developments can combine several pressures on wildlife.
"When they build them, we're dealing with habitat loss, we're dealing with water issues and the consumption that they're causing," Leonard told local outlet WDBJ7.
Among the animals of concern is the eastern box turtle, which has faced increasing habitat pressures and is listed as a species of high conservation need in Virginia.
Leonard warned that further reductions in available water could make survival and reproduction more difficult for these turtles, which depend on suitable terrestrial habitat and access to moist environments.
"Any more water loss is actually going to greatly impact these box turtles' ability to reproduce and to thrive in the wild," he said.
The potential impacts do not end with water availability. Data centers operate around the clock, and their construction and supporting infrastructure can introduce persistent noise and artificial light into previously quieter landscapes.
For some birds, artificial light can interfere with migration and other natural behaviors. Construction noise can disturb nesting areas, while habitat clearance can remove trees and vegetation used for shelter or breeding.
Documents published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated that Google's proposed data center in Botetourt County, Virginia, would involve clearing approximately 120 acres of forested habitat within the range of the endangered Indiana bat.
Google committed to restricting tree clearing to the period between October 15 and March 31 to reduce the risk of disturbing bat maternity colonies. However, such seasonal restrictions do not necessarily eliminate the broader environmental consequences of permanent habitat loss.
Leonard warned that bats may abandon areas disturbed by construction.
"I do know the bats are highly sensitive to loud noises," he said. "For example, if bats are nesting and let's say there's a lot of construction going on, they'll leave that area or they won't ever come back to it."
Unlike the Nevada project, the Virginia development has not been halted by the wildlife concerns. Botetourt County issued a land-disturbance permit for initial grading in August, and the county reported that grading began during the second week of September. Work can proceed in approved areas while certain additional state and federal environmental permits remain under review. The county says streams and wetlands must be avoided until the relevant permits are complete.
Newsweek has reached out to Google for comment.
Nashville Dispute Highlights Risks to Endangered Crayfish
In Tennessee, a proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo has prompted further concerns about the effects of development on nearby wildlife and waterways.
In June, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Southern Environmental Law Center sent a letter to Nashville officials and developer DC BLOX raising concerns about potential impacts on the endangered Nashville crayfish and nearby habitat.
The organizations highlighted the possibility that stormwater runoff could affect tributaries of Mill Creek, while artificial lighting and noise could disturb wildlife behavior and breeding.
Laurel Jobe, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity and a Nashville native, urged local authorities and the developer to reconsider the project. "Nashville doesn't want to risk people or wildlife being placed in harm's way for this data center," Jobe said in a statement.
"The people have spoken, and they've chosen to protect their neighbors, humans and animals alike. Now it's time for the city and DC BLOX to listen, step up and do the right thing."
Following extensive public opposition, including a petition that attracted more than 600,000 signatures, the Metro Council passed a temporary moratorium on new large-scale data centers and adopted additional rules for future development. The moratorium pauses relevant permit processing until December 1.
The Nashville Zoo's board also rejected a proposed compromise that would have allowed a smaller data center next to the zoo. The zoo has maintained that the facility's proximity to vulnerable species and neighboring communities has not been demonstrated to be safe.
In October, a federal judge dismissed DC BLOX's lawsuit challenging the city's actions and denied its request for a preliminary injunction. However, the ruling left open the possibility of the developer filing an amended complaint.
Newsweek has reached out to DC BLOX for comment.
Could Weaker Environmental Protections Increase the Risks?
Conservationists have expressed concern about changes to environmental permitting that may make it easier for certain developments to proceed without federal wetlands protections.
The Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency narrowed the range of wetlands covered under the federal Clean Water Act. The decision changed which wetlands and waterways qualify for federal protection, potentially leaving some areas more dependent on state and local safeguards.
Defenders of Wildlife argues that reduced protections for wetlands and smaller streams could increase the risk of habitat loss where construction affects waters that no longer qualify for federal permitting requirements. Wetlands and small streams can play important ecological roles. They can support amphibians, aquatic invertebrates and birds, store water, filter pollutants and connect larger ecosystems.
However, the precise legal requirements depend on the characteristics of each waterway and the applicable federal, state and local laws. Not all wetlands have lost federal protection, and other safeguards may still apply.
For wildlife advocates, the concern is that gaps in oversight could allow sensitive habitats to be damaged before their ecological value is fully considered.
The issue reinforces the importance of evaluating a project's environmental footprint before construction, including impacts that may occur outside the facility's immediate boundaries.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Rhian Morgan.
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