March 5, 2015
Letters, Virginia

Envisioned wind turbines are in the path of a wildlife corridor

Letter: Envisioned wind turbines are in the path of a wildlife corridor | The Roanoke Times | March 5, 2015 | www.roanoke.com

In the Feb. 10 edition of The Roanoke Times there was an article about Apex Clean Energy’s desire to build wind turbine projects in Pulaski and Botetourt counties (“Pulaski Co. could see wind turbines”). The Botetourt project is to consist of 25 turbines, 500 feet tall, five miles northeast of Eagle Rock.

This puzzled me, for in The Roanoke Times Oct. 11 there was an article about several groups joining forces to protect one wildlife corridor on Purgatory Mountain that straddles northern Botetourt and southern Rockbridge counties (“Biologists puncture the ‘ribbon of risk’ “).

Two years ago, the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council and the Valley Conservation Council joined forces to ask the state of Virginia to name it a Special Project Area. The Virginia Outdoors Foundation board of trustees agreed.

I am familiar with the 5,000-acre tract where Apex wants to establish its wind turbine complex due to my hobby for the past four decades of horseback-riding. This tract covers both sides of North Mountain north to the national forest boundary.

Apex’s wind turbine industrial complex will be in the path of any wildlife movement coming north from the Purgatory Mountain region; also any wildlife coming across Garden Mountain from the direction of Purgatory Creek. I can’t understand how Apex’s wind turbine industry and the wildlife corridor can co-exist.

Years ago, I had the pleasure of witnessing a migration of night hawks in this area of Botetourt County. The small black hawks sailed silently under the treetops hardly moving their wings.

They passed as thick as they could fly, side by side, through the tress as far as I could see through the woods. It took 15 to 20 minutes for the flock to pass by.

ROBERT HUNDLEY

EAGLE ROCK


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/03/05/envisioned-wind-turbines-are-in-the-path-of-a-wildlife-corridor/