Giving thanks

Shoulder to shoulder: Sandra Goranson (APPEC), Garth Manning (CCSAGE) and Cheryl Anderson (PECFN)

A little celebration before the next battle begins

Afew dozen folks gathered at Karlo Estates winery on Friday night to thank the many people who have worked to resist the development of industrial wind turbines at Ostrander Point and elsewhere in the County over the past decade or more. Garth Manning, president of The County Coalition For Safe and Appropriate Green Energy’s (CCSAGE) offered his praise and hearty congratulations to the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists (PECFN) who mounted the successful legal appeal against the project based upon the devastating effect it would have on the natural systems at Ostrander Point in general as well as endangered species in particular.

Manning also praised the work of the Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County(APPEC), the organization that led the appeal against the Ostrander development on the grounds it would harm the health of those living nearby. The Tribunal, which heard the appeal, concluded it could not make the link between the harm some folks clearly endure and the massive turbines. But it did rule to revoke the approval of the project because it worried the threat posed by the development, particularly the roads network, upon the endangered Blanding’s Turtle would be devastating.

The jubilant mood was dampened somewhat by the fact that the developer has until August 3 to launch an appeal to the Tribunal’s decision. Another developer, Another developer, wpd Canada, is waiting for approval to construct 29 turbines in South Marsyburgh—very near the Ostrander Point site and nudging up against the internationally recognized Important Bird Area at Long Point.

Further sobering news was that both PECFN and APPEC still need to raise funds to pay its legal bills. Success at the Tribunal has helped them in recent weeks to close the gap, but more is needed.