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The Heart of Henderson
PO Box 31
Henderson, NY 13650
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Board Meeting News
At The Heart of Henderson meeting Jan.17, 2010, Board Members were elected on an *interim* basis.
Full elections will be held on June 30, 2010.
Margaret Golovey
Vice President
Deborah Fargo
Secretary
Beverly Russell
It is our mission to protect the health, assets and quality of life of the residents in Henderson
as well as the environment and natural resources. We are a group of concerned Henderson property owners
whose mission is to inform our friends, family and neighbors in Henderson about the tremendous impacts an
industrial utility scale wind project will bring to our area.
The ultimate decision on the placement and likelihood of an industrial wind turbine
facility being placed throughout Henderson rests in the hands of the Henderson Town Board. We
demand the town governing bodies concerning this project to be well informed, ethical, legal,
honest and fair… and include the input of all property owners and residents of Henderson.
We promote smarter alternative energy sources that do provide sound scientific solutions.
Wind turbines do not make technical sense, economic sense, or environmental sense.
Wind turbine facilities are of high cost and low benefit. The minimal energy actually will go
out of this area.
Minutes Regarding Town Board Meeting - Jan. 20, 2010
POTENTIAL LOSS OF ESCROW $$ INTENDED TO SAVE HENDERSON FROM TRANSMISSION LINES!
PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR TOWN BOARD AND TELL THEM TO MOVE FORWARD ON ARTICLE 78 AGAINST THE GALLOO ISLAND WIND FARM AND SUBSEQUENT TRANSMISSION LINES THROUGH HENDERSON!
Click here for the Meeting Minutes
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The Latest Wind News - Updated Weekly!
Click here for a Wind Article Search From the Year 2003 to Today!
Click Titles for Complete Article
Henderson suing over Galloo OK
February 6, 2010
HOUNSFIELD TARGETED: Council says site approval lacks environmental,
public notice requirements . . . . . .
Henderson sues Hounsfield over wind farm approval
February 5, 2010
The town of Henderson is asking a judge to annul the town of Hounsfield Planning Board’s site
plan approval for the proposed Galloo Island Wind Farm. The Henderson Town Council filed . . . . . .
Wind PILOT
January 22, 2010
The Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency disregarded county lawmakers in resubmitting for
approval the same payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for the Galloo Island . . . . . .
The Latest Map of Proposed Turbines
Simulations of Proposed Galloo Island Turbines
all images © 2009 TerraMetricsGalloo Island Ground Level
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Galloo Island No Overlay
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Galloo Island Freighter View
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Galloo Island Nimby 250 feet
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Galloo Island Site Layout Map
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Galloo Island Surface View
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Galloo Island Site Overlay View
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Other Simulations
Horse Creek Wind Farm Residences View
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The ecologically rich Golden Crescent Region and 1000 Islands will be seriously impacted by industrial wind complexes. Five key issues are described below.
North-South Bird Migration Corridor
The Golden Crescent Region in Eastern Lake Ontario and the 1000 Islands are in a north-south bird migration corridor. In both spring and fall, large numbers of migrants pass through this region. By day, one can observe concentrations of the generally larger birds -- raptors (hawks and eagles), crows, and waterfowl birds (swans, ducks and geese) -- making their way to and from their summer or winter destinations. The small songbirds can often be heard migrating north or south by night. All these birds typically fly at low levels in the atmosphere, and tend to be highly concentrated along major water bodies such as the eastern Great Lakes. Their chance of turbine-induced mortality is therefore enhanced by these higher concentrations interacting with the presence of industrial wind complexes. An additional issue with wind complexes occurs with the disruption or destruction of bird habitats. This may be the case on nearby Wolfe Island where certain hawks and owls have traditionally wintered. The western section of this island has been transformed from rural grassland to an industrial wind complex. Further complicating the effects of this transformation on mortality and habitat loss are factors such as weather and time of year. Certain species, such as Canada or Snow Geese, for example, find themselves dealing with strong cold fronts or an early/late snowstorm, resulting in poor/no visibility due to fog or whiteouts. In these situations, the industrial wind complexes are a potentially serious, additional obstruction, and may cause unnecessary mortality.
Threatened/Endangered Species
In the Golden Crescent and 1000 Islands areas, one can observe several New York State endangered species such as the Short-eared Owl, Northern Harrier and Upland Sandpiper. Additionally, we are also concerned about the federally endangered indiana bat and its habitat in these areas. The problem is, these species have already suffered significant population declines, making them especially vulnerable to any other losses from factors such as industrial wind complexes. A second issue is loss of areas of migration staging and wintering habitat, particularly for mouse raptors such as the Northern Harrier and Short-eared Owl. Non-threatened species such as the Rough-legged Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk may also be impacted by habitat loss. In addition, some of these species have further enhanced risks because of normal life cycle and individual/competitive circumstances. An example is the Short-eared Owl, which often hunts below the turbine blades, but often flies high during food and courtship related chase behavior.
Management and Control of Invasive Species
The development of industrial wind complexes requires major, heavy equipment for building roads and preparing the turbine sites. It is imperative that during any project proposal, rigorous procedures be developed to ensure that seeds and root systems of invasive species, such as pale swallow-wort, are not spread or transported to other areas. That is, every possible contaminant that leaves the construction site must be eliminated. These procedures and processes would include sanitizing all equipment and personnel before leaving the construction site, and daily monitoring and inspection. The wind complex developer should pay for all sanitizing and for the inspectors necessary to assure procedures are followed.
Hydrology
Construction of industrial wind complexes in areas with very shallow soils (such as our region) requires that each tower be anchored into the (bed)rock. In the Golden Crescent Region and 1000 Islands, water flow is often subsurface, and any disturbance of this flow is a potentially serious issue. Of great concern is that disruption of flows may impact the groundwater wells that many residents/businesses depend on, as well as altering natural communities.
Bats
Certain bats, such as the indiana bat, are protected by the US Federal Endangered Species Act. Recently there have been major bat kills from a previously unknown disease (white nose syndrome) in Appalachia and the Northeast. This disease occurs among bats that winter in caves. These die-offs have resulted in significant Federal and New York State focus on corrective measures, such as protecting their habitat. In general, species do not become extinct from disease, as resistant individuals will eventually re-colonize in areas where populations have been reduced. However, wind turbines do not discriminate between healthy and sick indiana bats, and turbine mortality of disease survivors could eliminate the ability to rebuild populations. Indiana bats are present in the Golden Crescent Region and 1000 Islands and their habitat has been proactively protected by mitigation efforts.
In summary, major turbine complexes in this region represent a significant threat to his species.
Your Letters to Government Officials - Send us a copy!
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Galloo Island Cumulative Impact Letter
December 3, 2009
Stephen Tomasik
Project Manager
Energy Projects and Management
Division of Environmental Permits
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
625 Broadway - 4th Floor
Albany, New York 12233-1750
Dear Mr. Tomasik
I have previously corresponded with you about my concerns with various issues surrounding the proposed Hounsfield Wind Farm Project (Galloo Island) through my interest as a member of the planning board in the Town of Lyme and as Co- Chair of the recently formed Coalition for the Preservation of the Golden Crescent, an organization that includes representation from the various towns included in the Golden Crescent.
There are a number of issues that have not been adequately explored and for these reasons, the public comment period must be extended:
· I recently attended a presentation in Oswego by the NYPA about its intention to ask developers to bid on installing offshore wind turbine facilities in areas of Lake Ontario immediately adjacent to Galloo Island. This changes everything. It will be essential to consider the cumulative impact of the proposed Galloo Island Project with the offshore WTG fields proposed by NYPA and also the nearby and essentially contiguous onshore developments currently proposed in the towns of Cape Vincent, Lyme, Clayton, Orleans, and Hammond.
· These projects, if they go forward, will have a profound and enormous effect on everyone who calls the eastern end of Lake Ontario home. This area has been referred to historically as the Golden Crescent because of the beauty and uniqueness of the area.
· Because of New York’s home rule system, the enormity of the combined effects of these proposed projects has heretofore not been fully appreciated by the communities that will be impacted. The potential implications have only been recognized very late in the approval process. Only recently has there been any community reaction and only recently have the citizens of these communities begun to push back.
· There are many, many unanswered questions about the effects of these multiple proposed projects. Some of our concerns are related to the potential destruction of the delicate ecosystem of Lake Ontario, Galloo Island, the nearby islands, the Lakeshore and the rivers and streams flowing into the Lake.
· There is concern about the destruction of the view-shed, the recreational use of the Lake, its islands and beaches, including the many State Parklands that will be adversely affected.
· The area's fisheries will be negatively impacted.
· There will be a serious devaluation of lake front property and the seasonal based businesses such as cottages, campsites and marinas that are so significant to the local economy. This will also reduce the assessed values of the regions most valuable properties causing a painful realignment of tax revenue for the towns.
· Many of us have only recently learned that portions of Galloo Island are included in the DEC open space plans and that the DEC had attempted only a few years ago to acquire and preserve Galloo Island because of its habitat significance for a wide variety of living creatures. Other near by islands and Lakeshore areas are also included in the open space plan for similar ecological reasons.
As I and others in the area have learned more about this developing situation, we are appalled at the prospect of turning eastern Lake Ontario and Galloo Island, as well as many of our towns into an industrial complex for wind generation. Regardless of any so called mitigating actions, the combined effect of these proposed projects, on top of the already accomplished destruction on Wolfe Island, will seriously and negatively impact our local economy as well as the ecology and natural beauty of Eastern Lake Ontario and Galloo Island.
Proposals bringing cumulative change of this magnitude need to be considered very carefully in their entirety before any decisions are made to proceed with any of the individual projects. Please extend and appropriately augment your review. The residents of the area call upon the DEC to conduct a proper review of the cumulative effects of these proposed actions.
Sincerely,
Albert H. Bowers III
Co-Chair, The Coalition to Preserve the Golden Crescent
Albert H. Bowers III
Naval Architect and Maritime Consultant
PO Box 177
11891 Academy Street
Chaumont, NY 13622-0177
315-649-2191
315-408-8507 cellular
bertna@twcny.rr.com