Ontario Bays Initiative, Inc. Statement
on
Wind Power Development in Our Service Area
Ontario Bays Initiative, Inc. is a land trust whose service area includes eight townships in western Jefferson County. OBI’s mission is to preserve and protect the unique landscapes, habitats, and ecologically-sensitive lands in our service area for the benefit of future generations.
The OBI board has carefully considered the possible impacts of locating industrial wind turbine complexes in our service area. While OBI embraces the development of renewable energy sources, where appropriate, we believe that these sources should be carefully sited. In each proposed wind turbine project the environmental and aesthetic costs of turbine development must be carefully considered.
The eastern Lake Ontario region hosts one of the greatest bi-annual bird migrations in eastern North America. This region is an important - and perhaps critical – overwintering site for many species of “mouse raptors” in the northeast. These birds are of great ecological value to our region. Industrial wind turbines will most certainly take a toll on these creatures through habitat impacts and possible direct mortality. In addition, our area contains several declining bat populations, including the federally endangered Indiana bat. Recent studies have shown that turbines are a serious threat to bats and may have significant impacts on their populations.
A part of OBI’s mission is to preserve scenic viewscapes for future generations to enjoy. These beautiful land and lake vistas will be altered forever with the addition of massive turbines.
Clearly, the siting of industrial wind turbines in many areas of the western Jefferson County area is at odds with OBI’s mission. Therefore, OBI has serious concerns about wind turbine development in this area and feels that such developments here are largely not in the best interest of human residents and our ecological communities.
The OBI board has carefully considered the possible impacts of locating industrial wind turbine complexes in our service area. While OBI embraces the development of renewable energy sources, where appropriate, we believe that these sources should be carefully sited. In each proposed wind turbine project the environmental and aesthetic costs of turbine development must be carefully considered.
The eastern Lake Ontario region hosts one of the greatest bi-annual bird migrations in eastern North America. This region is an important - and perhaps critical – overwintering site for many species of “mouse raptors” in the northeast. These birds are of great ecological value to our region. Industrial wind turbines will most certainly take a toll on these creatures through habitat impacts and possible direct mortality. In addition, our area contains several declining bat populations, including the federally endangered Indiana bat. Recent studies have shown that turbines are a serious threat to bats and may have significant impacts on their populations.
A part of OBI’s mission is to preserve scenic viewscapes for future generations to enjoy. These beautiful land and lake vistas will be altered forever with the addition of massive turbines.
Clearly, the siting of industrial wind turbines in many areas of the western Jefferson County area is at odds with OBI’s mission. Therefore, OBI has serious concerns about wind turbine development in this area and feels that such developments here are largely not in the best interest of human residents and our ecological communities.
Ontario Bays Initiative’s statement
on the proposed
Horse Creek Industrial Wind Farm
The Board of Directors of Ontario Bays Initiative wishes to place the following items on the record in regard to this proposed project:
Statement approved by the Ontario Bays Initiative Board on March 14, 2016.
- OBI is a non-profit land trust serving the northeastern Lake Ontario basin of New York.
- Our missions are the protection and management of biodiversity and open space within our service area.
- A large portion of the larger Horse Creek Project is located within our service area.
- While we favor development of alternative energy sources, such development must be carefully located. These projects must not have significant impacts on sensitive Ecological and Economic resources.
- It must be recognized that large scale renewable energy transforms rural landscapes into industrial zones with widespread consequences for wildlife, natural communities, and human beings living in the region.
- We are concerned that this project poses unacceptable risks to the following:
- Rare alvar natural communities and the karst geology that maintains them.
- Birds and bats using the migratory corridors that pass through this region. Species, including over 250 bird species and at least three federally listed bats, as well as many state listed bird, bat, and herptile species are present locally.
- Economic disruptions to our tourism economy from impacts on the scenic beauty of the region.
- Severe quality of life and economic impacts on local residents resulting from many factors including disruption of local groundwater, vibration through bedrock formations, and enhanced background noise.
Statement approved by the Ontario Bays Initiative Board on March 14, 2016.
Ontario Bays Initiative’s statement on the proposed
Big Galloo Island Industrial Wind Complex
The Board of Directors of Ontario Bays Initiative wishes to place the following items on the record in regard to this proposed project:
Statement approved by OBI board. July 17, 2017
Big Galloo Island Industrial Wind Complex
The Board of Directors of Ontario Bays Initiative wishes to place the following items on the record in regard to this proposed project:
- OBI is a non-profit land trust serving the New York portion of the northeastern Lake Ontario basin.
- Our missions are the protection and management of biodiversity as well as the creation and maintenance of open space areas within our region.
- The proposed project is located in the core of our service area and these large turbines will have scenic and other impacts on much of the area.
- While we favor thoughtful and responsible development of renewable energy alternatives, such developments must be carefully located. Projects in or adjacent to the Great Lakes have significant potential to impact both ecological and economic resources to an unacceptable degree.
- It must be recognized that large scale renewable energy development can transform sensitive rural landscapes into industrialized sacrifice zones. Such transformation has widespread consequences for wildlife, natural communities, and human beings living in these regions.
- We are concerned that this project poses unacceptable risks and potential damage to our region as follows:
- Islands in Lake Ontario, and indeed in many of the Great Lakes, represent a very limited, scarce resource. Proposed transformation of Big Galloo Island into an industrial site is very unwise. A report by the US National Parks Service recommends protection of all islands as parks. We strongly support such wise use and urge New York State to follow their own open space plan and protect the island as parkland.
- The location of this project next to the large colonial waterbirds colonies on adjacent Little Galloo Island makes it problematic at best. The potential damage to the largest Caspian Tern colony in the eastern Great Lakes and to the massive assemblage of other waterbirds is simply not worth the risk. Placing a turbine array in such a heavily used avian complex is unwise and irresponsible.
- This project lies along a major migration corridor for many species of birds. The shores and waters of the Great Lakes concentrate migrants moving through the region. Clearly placing large structures in or close to the Lakes and along these flight lines is questionable practice and should be avoided. The eastern Lake Ontario region hosts one bird and three bats on federal lists, as well as a myriad of state listed species. Placing an industrial wind complex amidst this avian flyway must not be permitted.
- Our region’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism related to the area’s scenic beauty. Preservation of that beauty is one of the considerations of our work. The economic impacts of large scale industrial development in sensitive scenic areas, including shorelines and islands, could be severe. The cost/benefit ratio of projects at these sites to the regional economy and ecology is not favorable. The energy gains of this project do not come close to counterbalancing the potential costs. Our communities are greatly impacted by these economic realities and any disruptions are very undesirable.
Statement approved by OBI board. July 17, 2017
