Response to Fairfax forum
I would like to respond to some of the discussion which was held on Monday night in Fairfax concerning the proposed wind turbines on Georgia Mountain.
To Martha Staskus: You were asked by someone what the impact on the wildlife would be. You responded by shrugging your shoulders and saying that you hoped that there wouldn’t be an adverse impact. You followed that up by saying that you didn’t think there is any wildlife left on Georgia Mountain anyway, due to the heavy traffic on the four wheeler trails and the road leading up to the cell tower.
First let me say that I thought that shrugging your shoulders was very unprofessional. Did you do that because you really don’t know what the impact will be or is because you don’t care? I would like to know the answer to that question.
Secondly, how do you know if there is wildlife on Georgia Mountain? Have you spent years hiking, hunting, horsebackriding or just strolling through the woods up there? As Tammy Mossey tried to tell you, she and her family have spent countless hours hiking on the mountain and have seen an abundance of wildlife. My husband Scott and our two boys have hunted up there all of their lives, with great success, as have his father and uncle. My freezer has been well stocked with venision from Georgia Mountain. Many hunters from all over the area come up to hunt and on the first day of the season it’s common to hear shots from all over the mountain from my house. My friends and I have also spent a great amount of time horseback riding up there and have always had the pleasure of seeing deer, fox, hawks, owls and many other small types of wildlife.
To Peter Cross: You said that I would not see the turbines and I would not hear the turbines. How could you say that? You admitted to not even knowing where I live. You don’t know where I live because I am not an abutting landowner, and you are not required by law to notify me of any of your plans. Let me assure you that I will see the turbines, without even getting out of my favorite living room chair. We are one of the closest residents to the purposed site. I also suspect that I will hear the turbines, if I am to believe the testimony of people from all over the country and world who are living next to existing wind farms. But it’s that lack of consideration that has driven my negative reaction to your project more than anything. I don’t trust you.
To the people who spoke about global warming, and the fact that we are out of time and we need to do something quickly. Is that really fair to the Georgia Mountain residents? If wind farms are indeed economically feasible and the way to go, let’s do it, by all means….but do we want to just throw 2 or 3 turbines up on every small mountian and hill in Vermont, just because it’s ‘green’ and the stimulus money is there to spend? Or do we want Vermont to have a ‘grand plan’, as a whole and do some sensible siting of large wind farms in remote areas? Be careful, the next wind farm may be on your mountain.
Melodie McLane
1179 Georgia Mountain Road
Citizens for the Preservation of Georgia Mountain
14 May 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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