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Windmills At Plum Island



Posting to New Hampshire Birds from Steve Grinley

Fellow Birders, On page A6 of today's Newburyport Daily News, there is an article about a Newbury Windmill Taskforce exploring possible town-owned sites on Plum Island on which to place wind turbines to generate electricity for Plum Island. The article is not viewable online without subscribing, so the jist is this: One prime site is a 5 acre parcel off Temple Boulevard (dirt road on left, just before Refuge gate), which abutts the Parker River National Wildlfe Refuge. The article notes that this parcel could accommodate 3 turbines and generate enough power for the Island. A couple of other smaller parcels are mentioned: one on Old Point Road (first left on the island) and at the point at the Newburyport north end of the Island. The task force, which includes representation from Solar Design Associates, "a Harvard-based energy conscious design firm", is proposing to bring a wind tower to the prime site during the winter (when winds are strongest)to collect data on wind currents.

The article points out that "What remains is fielding resistance from the large birding constituency in the area and bringing the whole town on board." I'm all for green energy, but we all know what wind turbines just north of Parking lot 1 will do to migrating hawks and passerines.

Let the resistance begin!

Steve Grinley Bird Watcher's Supply & Gift and Nature Shop at Joppa Flats Newburyport, MA USA BirdWSG@aol.com

Letter received by the webmaster.  2/11/2007

Dear Emmalee,

I am a resident on Plum Island and help with cleaning up the reservation when they have their spring cleaning.  I have three bird feeders and enjoy watching every bird that drops by.  I have started a Green company as the future of my children and all other depends on the population moving in that direction.

I am writing this letter in response to your article about the Wind Turbines that are proposed on the island.  Many advances have been made in Wind Technology and the news never gets to the people who matter.  Click here, http://www.awea.org/faq/sagrillo/swbirds.html , to see a study that was done on birds and wind turbines.  After reading it and doing some more of your own homework I hope you will rethink the matter of opposing the turbines.

Everytime I drive to Hampton Beach I look to my left crossing the bridge and see the SEABROOK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.  I scares me to think that not many people even look twice at this monster that will haunt us for thousands of years.  Do you know where they store the spent fuel???  I don't but someday in the future it may come back to haunt us.  Wind and Solar are renewable and though they don't always look pretty they are much less of a threat then Coal, Gas, Nuclear, and Oil power.

We can't keep living with the NOT IN MY BACKYARD mentality.  I Vote Green and I hope you will see it's not so bad. 

Sincerely,

John P Lagasse

President, Lagasse Green Corporation

johnlagasse@lagassegreen.com

Note from webmaster:  I have asked John for clarification of his business interests in this issue. His answer is below.
My Green Company is in it's infancy but I am looking into Solar Installations such as that placed on the Parker River Audubon Facility.  Along with that I am working on finding a supplier of Electric Vehicles to sell in this region.  Wind Turbines such as the one they are proposing at Plum Island are beyond the scope I am interested in.  I do believe the new wind technologies will do more benefit than harm to the world as a whole.  There is a Wind Turbine now in Boston and you can see it from Rte. 93.  I am not sure if that is the model they are thinking of erecting on the island but it gives people a look at what wind has to offer and what impact it will have on the landscape.