Orleans wildlife habitat, home to tremendous wildlife diversity, faces increasing pressure

Posted 21 November 2016 at 6:56 am

Editor:

Ed Urbanik appears not to have understood what my earlier letter on wind turbines was saying. I used a barren landscape in Texas to illustrate the type of area where turbines would ideally be located.

I was not suggesting we should move power two thousand miles from a wind farm in Texas. In New York State, there are no areas that I know of as desolate as Roscoe, Texas.

In New York, putting turbines in extensively wooded areas with lower population densities absolutely makes more sense to me (in fact, existing New York “farms” tend to be located in such areas) and is advisable because doing so would add to habitat diversity in extensively wooded areas.

In Orleans County, woodland habitat is rarely extensive and what we have is under increasing pressure. Turbine setbacks and siting realities here will inevitably mean that many turbines will end up being located in woodlots.

The habitat diversity responsible for the tremendous variety of animal life in Orleans County would thereby be further compromised.

I stand by everything I actually said in my earlier letter.

Sincerely yours,

Gary Kent

Albion