Protect the land
The Advertiser-Tribune | Sep 12, 2018 | www.advertiser-tribune.com
I admire people who speak up. Those were excellent and well-researched letters to the editor written by Jim Feasel, Rick Coffman, Bob and Sandy Kennard and others concerning the proposed wind farms.
We must keep informed and press for what we believe is best for our community and county.
A farm girl all my life, my parents, my husband’s parents, along with my husband and I have lived off the land. I thank God every day for that privilege.
In recent years, the local soil and water conservation district has encouraged soil management practices, such as no-till, filter strips and cover crops in lieu of traditional tillage. This is all to preserve the valuable top soil. Let this not be all in vain.
No one has yet told me what becomes of all the soil extracted from the earth for the construction of the turbine base. As been reported, the soil is displaced with more than 300 cubic yards of concrete and steel reinforcement. This is the equivalent of nearly 60 large dump trucks.
The turbine companies that have encouraged land owners to sign leases most likely do not know the difference between valuable top soil and less-productive subsoil and do not care. All they care about is money and enticing the land owners to think the same. I wonder how many owners wished they would have not signed their initial lease. The soil is a precious natural resource. There are alternative locations to place these turbines, because none of the electric will remain in the area. Suggestions would be the spent strip mines (as mentioned in an earlier letter), large interchanges on our highway system, or even vacant, decaying industrial sites. It is a gift from God for us to use the soil for a short time while we are on earth to feed his people. We should respect the land.
I have also heard people remark that “the turbines will not be near, so it does not concern me.” For now, this may be true, but what does the future hold? The aggressiveness of the turbine companies and unreconcilable stubbornness of our two county commissioners may forever change the entire landscape of Seneca County. This is a beloved farming community in which to be proud and we wish to keep it this way.
It is our responsibility to care for and preserve the land God has given us to use and pass on to the next generation better than we obtained it. God is in control. Are we listening?
Ruth Hoepf, Tiffin
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/09/12/protect-the-land/