Windmills on Ice Mountain - Gamesa Wind Turbines

[Ice Man]

Letter to the editor, Altoona Mirror 3-12-08 http://altoonamirror.com/page/content.d ... ml?nav=737

Roads harm forests

POSTED: March 12, 2008

A recent letter to the editor promoted carving out roads to develop wind farms on our forested ridges. Roads are a major contributor to forest fragmentation because they divide large, forested landscapes into smaller patches and convert interior forest habitat into edge habitat.

Roads serve as a means of dispersal for many alien invasive plant species, with seed or plant parts inadvertently transported into unaffected areas. Ground disturbance associated with roads and road-related activities provides additional opportunities for the establishment of invasive non-native plant species.

Roads are the primary human-caused source of soil and water disturbances in forested environments. The generation of sediment within timber harvest units is most strongly related to road-building rather than the cutting of trees.

A 16-foot-wide road removes two acres of habitat per mile, and these clearings cause changes up to 300 feet into the forest. Interior forest is defined as forest more than 300 feet from an edge. For every mile of road constructed in an unbroken forest, we lose nearly 100 acres of interior forest habitat.

Interior forest wildlife includes species such as the wood thrush, the scarlet tanager, the ovenbird, the northern goshawk and the fisher.

Adverse effects of habitat fragmentation caused by roads associated with wind farms include:

-Changes in habitat vegetative composition — often to weedy and invasive species.

-Changes in the type and quality of the food base.

-Changes in microclimates because of the alteration of temperature and moisture regimes.

-Increases in edge effect, bringing together species that might otherwise not interact, potentially increasing rates of predation, competition and nest parasitism.

Areas such as Ice Mountain, near Tyrone, which is a county natural heritage area because of its large tracts of forest unfragmented by permanent infrastructure, should not be carved up to develop a wind farm.

Charlie Hoyer

Tyrone

[My2Cents]

Letter to the editor, Altoona Mirror 3-12-08 http://altoonamirror.com/page/content.d ... ml?nav=737

Roads harm forests

POSTED: March 12, 2008

A recent letter to the editor promoted carving out roads to develop wind farms on our forested ridges. Roads are a major contributor to forest fragmentation because they divide large, forested landscapes into smaller patches and convert interior forest habitat into edge habitat.

Roads serve as a means of dispersal for many alien invasive plant species, with seed or plant parts inadvertently transported into unaffected areas. Ground disturbance associated with roads and road-related activities provides additional opportunities for the establishment of invasive non-native plant species.

Roads are the primary human-caused source of soil and water disturbances in forested environments. The generation of sediment within timber harvest units is most strongly related to road-building rather than the cutting of trees.

A 16-foot-wide road removes two acres of habitat per mile, and these clearings cause changes up to 300 feet into the forest. Interior forest is defined as forest more than 300 feet from an edge. For every mile of road constructed in an unbroken forest, we lose nearly 100 acres of interior forest habitat.

Interior forest wildlife includes species such as the wood thrush, the scarlet tanager, the ovenbird, the northern goshawk and the fisher.

Adverse effects of habitat fragmentation caused by roads associated with wind farms include:

-Changes in habitat vegetative composition — often to weedy and invasive species.

-Changes in the type and quality of the food base.

-Changes in microclimates because of the alteration of temperature and moisture regimes.

-Increases in edge effect, bringing together species that might otherwise not interact, potentially increasing rates of predation, competition and nest parasitism.

Areas such as Ice Mountain, near Tyrone, which is a county natural heritage area because of its large tracts of forest unfragmented by permanent infrastructure, should not be carved up to develop a wind farm.

Charlie Hoyer

Tyrone

Please correct me if I am wrong with the following statements. I think somewhere in all of these pages, I read the following;
The "main road" leading to the ridge top, is to be 9 miles of existing road and 5 miles of new road. In order to accomadate all the heavy, grotesque, materials and equipment, this "road" leading up to these ridgetops (or anywhere else) has to be at least 50 - 60 feet wide.
Also, as this "farm" is being constructed, a 60 foot wide road is to be built from windmill to windmill.
Then, this is almost their exact words; "Once the wind farm is built and fully operational, the 60 footer, between each wind mill, will be reduced to 15 feet between each wind mill."
More "key words" to remember... built and FULLY operational.
Please note, I'm only speaking of the roads. There are many other things to be considered here, for example ; the clearing of approximately an acre per turbine, also, clearing an acre or more for at least 2 substations.... can you imagine how much destruction Ice Mountain is in for ?? All of this.... all of this..... in, and above, our watershed and our home town.

[80cobra]

Have you ever been back to ice mountain? There is a 60 ft. roadway up to it and it runs the whole way to Alder Run orchard its called the AT &T line its been there for thirty years. As far as forest go there is very little big timber on the water shed up on ice mountain, ive hunted there over the years , its mostly red brush and mountain laurel. The last time it was timbered off in the 80s it was hogged up ,alot of skidder landings ,roads and old tree tops. If you go out to the test tower that gamesa has set up its mostly red brush and very little big timber. How do you try to not fragment a forest that already has been by, the AT&t line, the roads, logging, and not to mention the Hoover road and the state game lands feilds over the top of the mountain to Sandy Ridge.

[My2Cents]

Have you ever been back to ice mountain? There is a 60 ft. roadway up to it and it runs the whole way to Alder Run orchard its called the AT &T line its been there for thirty years. As far as forest go there is very little big timber on the water shed up on ice mountain, ive hunted there over the years , its mostly red brush and mountain laurel. The last time it was timbered off in the 80s it was hogged up ,alot of skidder landings ,roads and old tree tops. If you go out to the test tower that gamesa has set up its mostly red brush and very little big timber. How do you try to not fragment a forest that already has been by, the AT&t line, the roads, logging, and not to mention the Hoover road and the state game lands feilds over the top of the mountain to Sandy Ridge.

I am just guessing 80cobra.... but, in answer to your question; I have never been on the roadway you are speaking of. I have, however, been up in and around that area, close by and personal. All that is there, is beauty and nature in itself... for all the reasons that have been presented over time, here on this board, that area should never be destroyed.

[80cobra]

I wouldn't be to concerned with the Tyrone Boroughs vote, if they got 50 signatures on a petion an refused to sale a useless piece of property in Snyder Township, to make into a public park,surely a petition with a 1000 signatures should do the trick. Unless they have a private agenda. Maybe thats why they are waiting for peoples input.

[sandstone]

Have you ever been back to ice mountain?

Yes.

There is a 60 ft. roadway up to it and it runs the whole way to Alder Run orchard its called the AT &T line its been there for thirty years.

I know. The AT+T line does fragment the forest, but the turbines, substations, and transmission line corridors won't be along the AT+T line. See the currently proposed turbine locations at http://sandyridgewindfarm.com/Resources.html

With about 14 miles of heavy-duty roadway planned for the Sandy Ridge Wind Farm, we can expect major forest fragmentation with increased invasion by edge-loving alien invasive plants such as ailanthus, Japanese stiltgrass, Japanese knotweed, barberry, and multiflora rose. This extensive road system also will cause a major loss of interior forest habitat. Interior forest is defined as forest more than 100 yards from an edge. With about 100 acres of interior forest lost per mile of roadway, we can expect to lose 1,400 acres of interior forest habitat, with the alterations described by Mr. Hoyer in his letter to the editor in today's Altoona Mirror.

The Pennsylvania Biological Survey has noted; “Another important, and often overlooked, impact of wind development is habitat fragmentation and its associated effects. These effects include reduced habitat area, habitat isolation and loss of species from an area, disruption of dispersal, increased edge effects and loss of core habitat, and facilitation of invasive species (Groom et al. 2006)."

Ice Mountain and its surrounding area are a Landscape Conservation Area described as being UNIQUE AND OF EXCEPTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE in the Blair County Natural Heritage Inventory. It is described as such because of its lack of permanent fragmenting infrastructure. Compared to other forests in Blair County, the forest on Ice Mountain and its surrounding landscape are relatively intact. It's impossible to construct 14 miles of heavy-duty road, substations, powerline rights-of-way, access and connecting roads, and associated infrastructure without destroying the characteristics that make this site UNIQUE AND OF EXCEPTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.

As far as forest go there is very little big timber on the water shed up on ice mountain, ive hunted there over the years , its mostly red brush and mountain laurel.

The absence of "big timber" is a result of excessive logging. No one ever said that the trees on Ice Mountain are old.

An unbiased assessment of the conservation value of Ice Mountain was done by the Blair County Planning Commission through the Blair County Natural Heritage Inventory about 5 years ago. Ice Mountain and its surrounding area were designated as a Landscape Conservation Area (Allegheny Front #1 LCA) and County Natural Heritage Area of Exceptional Significance. It was so designated because Ice Mountain represents a large block of unfragmented forest habitat important to forest-interior species, such as the bobcat, the fisher, the black-throated blue warbler, the black-throated green warbler, the scarlet tanager, and the hermit thrush. No major roads or infrastructure disrupt the forest's continuity.

The Executive Summary of the Blair County Natural Heritage Inventory describes Landscape Conservation Areas as “large contiguous areas that are important because of their size, open space, habitats, and/or inclusion of one or more Biological Diversity Areas.” It goes on to say;

“These large regions in relatively natural condition can be viewed as regional assets; they improve quality of life by providing a landscape imbued with a sense of beauty and wilderness, they provide a sustainable economic base, and their high ecological integrity offers unique capacity to support biodiversity and human health. Planning and stewardship efforts can preserve these functions of the landscape by limiting the overall amount of land converted to other uses, thereby minimizing fragmentation of these areas.”

The last time it was timbered off in the 80s it was hogged up ,alot of skidder landings ,roads and old tree tops. If you go out to the test tower that gamesa has set up its mostly red brush and very little big timber. How do you try to not fragment a forest that already has been by, the AT&t line, the roads, logging, and not to mention the Hoover road and the state game lands feilds over the top of the mountain to Sandy Ridge.

Other than the AT+T line you describe, which is minor compared to the changes that an industrial windplant would bring (25 turbines, substations, accessory buildings, transmission line corridors, 14 miles of permanent heavy-duty roads), the impacts you describe are temporary. Also remember that Hoover Road has already been "improved" by Gamesa and, as a result, its fragmentation effects have been increased. Gamesa claims that existing roadway will be used for some parts of the project, but those roads will be widened and have adjacent transmission line corridors, again increasing the fragmentation effects.

[My2Cents]

I wouldn't be to concerned with the Tyrone Boroughs vote, if they got 50 signatures on a petion an refused to sale a useless piece of property in Snyder Township, to make into a public park,surely a petition with a 1000 signatures should do the trick. Unless they have a private agenda. Maybe thats why they are waiting for peoples input.

I hope you are right cobra and I do not believe, at this point, there is any "private agenda" to worry about. We have a good council in place and we should all be very grateful that they did not just go ahead and cast a vote on this last Fall. If they would have, we would most likely be in the same predicament the other communities, south of us, are in right now.
1400 names on a petition says a lot and it is obvious that our council cares for our community and it's future. They are listening to both sides of this story and weighing the facts.
They are giving the people a chance to voice their opinions and concerns.
They are waiting for us.... they are asking for the publics opinion.
It is in our lap right now. If this thing falls through, we can only blame ourselves.
There is still more need for public awareness. As an example,there are many people misinformed into thinking the wind mills are going to generate electricity, specifically, for our town and all the utility bills will come down.

[sandstone]

I wouldn't be to concerned with the Tyrone Boroughs vote, if they got 50 signatures on a petion an refused to sale a useless piece of property in Snyder Township, to make into a public park,surely a petition with a 1000 signatures should do the trick.

The SAVE ICE MOUNTAIN petition has more than 1,400 signatures at this point.

[Ice Man]

I wouldn't be to concerned with the Tyrone Boroughs vote, if they got 50 signatures on a petion an refused to sale a useless piece of property in Snyder Township, to make into a public park,surely a petition with a 1000 signatures should do the trick. Unless they have a private agenda. Maybe thats why they are waiting for peoples input.

I hope you are right cobra and I do not believe, at this point, there is any "private agenda" to worry about. We have a good council in place and we should all be very grateful that they did not just go ahead and cast a vote on this last Fall. If they would have, we would most likely be in the same predicament the other communities, south of us, are in right now.
1400 names on a petition says a lot and it is obvious that our council cares for our community and it's future. They are listening to both sides of this story and weighing the facts.
They are giving the people a chance to voice their opinions and concerns.
They are waiting for us.... they are asking for the publics opinion.
It is in our lap right now. If this thing falls through, we can only blame ourselves.
There is still more need for public awareness. As an example,there are many people misinformed into thinking the wind mills are going to generate electricity, specifically, for our town and all the utility bills will come down.

With all the strong opposition to the windplant, if the majority of borough residents indicate in the polls that they don't want the windplant, then I think it would be very difficult for a council member to vote for the windplant.

[My2Cents]

This is a very good site and, indeed, answers a lot of questions.

http://www.stopillwind.org/lowerlevel.p ... pten_intro

[My2Cents]

This is a very good site and, indeed, answers a lot of questions.

http://www.stopillwind.org/lowerlevel.p ... pten_intro

As you are checking this site out, when you get a chance, please click onto the little box on the left side of the front page; "Simulation of wind plant atop Backbone Mountain in Western Maryland." You will be able to hear the sound of only 4 of the proposed 57....

[banksy]

I wonder if there are windmills on Brokeback Mountain?

[My2Cents]

I wonder if there are windmills on Brokeback Mountain?

Ya just had to... ya just couldn't stand it could ya ??

[banksy]

I wonder if there are windmills on Brokeback Mountain?

Ya just had to... ya just couldn't stand it could ya ?? :lol:

I tried not to hit enter; I even backspaced a couple of time. It just stood there asking to be said.

[Ice Man]

Tuesday, March 18, 6pm, Centre County Planning Commission, Bellefonte

Laura Jackson will present a 20 – 30 minute program on wind energy to the Centre County Planning Commission in Bellefonte. The meeting starts at 6 pm in the Willowbank County Office Building. This is a followup visit to Stan Kotala’s excellent presentation in February. It is anticipated that Gamesa’s SandyRidge Wind Project Director Josh Framel will be in the audience.

Willowbank County Office Building
420 Holmes Street
Bellefonte PA 16823-1488

Directions
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... te+PA&om=1

Laura Jackson is a science educator who recently retired from teaching environmental science and advanced biology at Bedford High School, in Bedford, Pa. She is now the director of Bedford’s Environmental Center. She has received many local and state teaching awards, including the NSF Presidential Award for Science Teaching and the Pennsylvania Outstanding Conservation Educator of the Year Award. Numerous grants have enabled her students to monitor local watersheds, participate in stream rehabilitation projects, and improve habitats for wildlife. She has presented many community programs on nature, photography, and conservation. For the last 2½ years she has researched industrial wind energy and its impact on human and wildlife communities.

Ms. Jackson is the chairperson of Save Our Allegheny Ridges (SOAR), a grassroots organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the historic, natural, and scenic integrity of Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountain ridges. Energy companies are constructing wind turbines on Pennsylvania’s mountains that fragment the forests, destroy wildlife habitat, and kill birds and bats. Our forested mountains sustain critical ecosystems that are threatened by this industry. SOAR members are active in educational efforts to help residents understand the real impact of wind turbines in rural communities, as well as working with government officials to develop ordinances to regulate wind turbine development on our forested mountains.

SOAR does not oppose wind energy when properly sited. Areas such as reclaimed strip mines, brown fields, and agricultural areas may be suitable for wind turbines, if sufficient pre-construction monitoring is conducted to determine environmental impacts.

More information about SOAR and industrial wind can be found on the Web site, http://www.saveouralleghenyridges.com.

Written comments may be submitted to SOAR, P.O. Box 178, Everett, PA 15537.