The following was received in mid-April:
Dear Susan,
I love your online magazine and appreciate all the wonderful work that you are doing for those of us who love the area; thank you for carrying on Paul Malo's work. I have lived in New York my whole life, have spent summers in the islands since 1964, and have owned a house on Dodge Bay in Cape Vincent since 1996.
 I feel that a curse has been put on the islands, and it has so colored my feelings for the area that I feel ill. As I'm close to Cape Vincent, the threat of the wind turbines continues to hang, literally, over my head. I wonder that the "thousand islands life" has not taken on this cause. The beauty of the islands and the history of the area has always been a large part of your magazine; have I missed your response to the threat to this irreversible change to our beauty? Why are there no photos of the horrific view from Tibbett's point in your gallery? I can only think that people really don't understand how real a threat the turbines are to our peaceful, bucolic lifestyle, let alone the irreparable damage to our environment.
Where are the voices of protest? There is a small group in Cape Vincent that was formed at the early onset of the disclosure of the land leases being signed, WPEG, and the group has fought tirelessly for ethical management of this issue. But now that the turbines are on Wolfe Island, I fear that we are doomed. I think it's time to step up the pace. Please take a stand and shout this out in your magazine; more voices must be heard, more publicity has to be put forward to stop this - please.
What are your thoughts?
Ann Levy, Cape Vincent NY
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Ann is correct. TI Life should be doing something! It is crucial that all Thousand Island area year-round residents, summer-only residents, cruising sailors, and frequent visitors learn about wind farms and how they can affect our area.
The first wind farm, in the area, is on the north-west side of Wolfe Island, opposite Kingston.
Located on the NW end of Wolfe Island are 86 turbines which, by the end of June, will start producing sufficient energy to service about 75,000 homes. The wind farm is operated by Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation (CREC).
The company’s web site provides answers in their “Frequently Asked Questions”.
Behind the controversy created by the Wolfe Island project is the larger story of wind power along the US shore of the St. Lawrence River. What if more wind farms are created? Would this push (ugly) development into relatively-unspoiled landscape of a region known for its scenic beauty?
We understand that plans are underway for the construction of 96 new towers in Cape Vincent, 95 in Clayton, and 75 in the Town of Hammond. If these projects come to fruition that would mean 266 towers along the shore of the St. Lawrence River. Driving these developments is a combination of improved technology, federal (Canadian/US) tax credits, the volatile cost of fossil fuels, and a growing market for green power in and across North America.
Installation of windmills is being encouraged by Provincial and State legislation that pays the supplier (the wind company) a tariff per kWh at above-market rates. The concept is called Feed-in Tariff and is already in force in Ontario. It is being considered by several States in the United States and it is in use in California and Florida. The Feed-in Tariff system is a major form of subsidies to the generating companies.
Many residents oppose these projects – Wolfe Island had its share of controversy and raucous debate. Each of the US town and village councils will debate the zoning, noise, and management of these large-scale projects. Any of them could well set a precedent for other towns in defining the future of wind power in our area. It is a fact not lost on the environmental community where location issues surrounding wind power have exposed deep controversy.
Concern began back in 2005 with the creation of the National Wind Watch, a coalition of groups and individuals concerned with the expansion of industrial wind energy development in developed areas. The NWW website compiles hundreds of new releases each day from around the world. (a search using Cape Vincent, St. Lawrence County, NY or Wolfe Island, Kingston, ON will garner important news articles relating to wind power in the Thousand Islands).
The two well organized groups in the Thousand Islands include the Concerned Residents of Hammond (CROH) and the Wind Energy Ethics Group in Cape Vincent.
Susie Wood, a year-round resident of Hammond, whose family are long-time summer residents of Chippewa Bay circulated a recent email. Her advice is being taken seriously: "And please now, take a look at CROH's website. www.croh.org. CROH IS NOT ANTI-WIND. They are working to learn as much as possible about this type of power generation and the impact it might have on the town. They want what's best for the town. And they have lots of good information."
Community concerns
When the projects are completed, the turbines will be visible from numerous viewpoints along a 25-mile stretch of one of the most beautiful sections of St. Lawrence River. If you kayak, fish or cruise in your boat, you will be able to see these wind turbines: the Wolfe Island turbines are visible from the Admiralty Islands (off Gananoque) which are more than 12 miles to the east.
The CROH and WEEG website describe the concerns about noise, flicker, property value depreciation and heath.
To their members the economic and environmental costs must be determined and the final decisions for Wind Projects may prove to just be in the wrong place if built in the Thousand Islands.
Obviously wind-power projects need two things to be viable: a good wind source and access to power transmission lines. Making the decision that the Thousand Islands region is the right one is difficult.
TI Life cannot do either side justice in presenting the facts. It is vital that you, as a TI Life Readers, do your homework.
Controversy in the Past
Islanders have faced controversy in the past with the birth of Save the River in the late 1970s when United States Army Corps of Engineers planned winter navigation on the St. Lawrence River and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Organized under the name "Save the River", local citizens halted the process.
Also in 1975 the Canadian government officials announced plans to expand the St. Lawrence Islands National Park to take in 30-miles of islands. The SLINP budget would expand to allow expropriation of "all" Canadian islands, remove standing structures, and converting the islands into a wilderness park. TIARA, the Thousand Islands Area Residents Association, successfully fought this effort.
Grassroots organizations on both sides of the River organized and fought these issues successfully. They did so by becoming well informed and by combining their energies.
Conclusions?
The more you hunt for factual and up-to-date information, the more you will find.
An example is a search on Google News under the headings: Wind Power New York State or Ontario, from Tuesday, April 21, 2009 to Friday, May 1. We have attached more than 25 articles published on those dates on PAGE 2.
And, take Susie Wood’s advice. Susie recommends you drive to Cape Vincent or Kingston ON and see the Wolfe Island Wind Project. Read, Read and Read. Once you have determined how a wind project would affect your community, let your elected officials know. Contact township councils, Mayors, state and provincial governments and your federal representatives. Your opinion is important and you must be involved.
By Susan W. Smith, susansmith@thousandislandslife.com