Knock, Knock...Anybody Home in Cape Vincent???

                          Is This Really Worth Saving?  Apparently Jefferson County Thinks So!
                                              Robert Wehle State Park Website link:
               http://www.nysparks.com/PhotoGallery/Default.aspx?gal=Robert G. Wehle State Park 

   
Above is the precious scenic resource that is our Lake Ontario veiwshed.  Robert Wehle State Park near Henderson NY.  If you haven't been here make it a priority to take  the hike along the lake shore trail before it is too late, and it is ruined by Lake offshore wind development.  It is a spectacular visual experince of a still virtually wild lake shore.  This is a prime natural jewel in Jefferson County and the Golden Crescent. It will be dramatically and unacceptably impacted by the Galloo Is. Wind Project or any Lake off shore wind fiasco. When we sacrafice places like this to energy giant tax schemes what does it say about us as human beings?  If we are going to save places like this, then let's get down to the business of REALLY fighting to saving them, and not this half assed compromise, accomodation, and wind law appeasement scheme.

Brian Amaral of the Watertown Daily Times  has reported that the Jefferson County Planning and Development Committee will take a vote on Tuesday on a resolution to oppose wind turbines in the eastern basin of Lake Ontario.  Amaral also projects the resolution will pass.  Well for heaven’s sake can you imagine that!!!!! Some public body willing to OPPOSE wind turbines in a highly public manner. GOOD for them if this happens.

 Problem is that on land in one of the prime scenic locations along the Lake... Cape Vincent...the CV govt. and its boards don't have what it takes to take a similar stance.  They are still tinkering around with their comp plan and zoning in an effort to appease Gov. Cuomo's Article X. The same holds true with other river towns who refuse to oppose wind energy outright in their land use plans in some misguided effort to look fair and reasonable."  Fair and reasonable to what for God's sake!!!  To industrial wind developers and a State that is hell bent on raping our precious scenic natural resources on shore and in the Lake with a tax and energy scam basically design by Enron??? And the State has even passed a law taking away your ability to self govern when it comes to massive invasive energy development in and around your community.  So the County gets it pretty clearly but some of the towns that are in the County involved in the wind energy battle DON'T get it apparently.  Why hasn't Cape Vincent or other towns taken similar steps to pass resolutions to oppose Article X, and to oppose wind development in the Lake that comprises such a large part of their scenic resources and tourism draw?  Why are these officials afraid of the fight?  It's fear of Article X of course, and this means the State and the wind developers win by fear alone because they have everybody on the run in a tizzy. But I can’t wait to see what happens when Cuomo and these State politicians have to actually stand up behind the first efforts to preempt a local law…now that is going to be REAL interesting politically, and I doubt when push comes to shove that many politicians are going to have the eggs to stand behind that political disaster of preempting home rule on this issue. Cuomo might be their good buddy now but just wait. Politicians are well known for running for cover to save their own political asses when the heat is turned up by the actual constituents they need as voters.

           View of the Eastern Lake Onatrio Basin from Wescott Beach State Park overlook. The Wolfe 
                   Is. turbines can easily be seen from this spectacular location at over 20 miles or more.


Now what is interesting is that a County Planning Board will have to weigh in on whatever wind zoning Cape Vincent comes up with. NY General Municipal Law requires it.  Maybe their suggestion to Cape Vincent should be to get in line with the County thinking and prohibit wind turbines in their new zoning laws. It's kind of ridiculous to have the County opposing wind development in the Lake and then have wind farms popping up on land adjacent to the Lake which will be seen for miles out over the Lake like the Wolfe Island Wind Complex and create the same disaster. If you are going to oppose industrial wind in the Lake, then there is virtually NO logical justification to support it anywhere on land where the impacts on people would be even greater.

A serene evening on the Lake. 

Charity Shoal Light in Lake Ontario out off Tibbets Point in Cape Vincent.

These people need to get a grip on their wind thinking and their political thinking and be uniform in an approach to this fight.  Get the County to oppose wind development on land and in the Lake. Get the towns taking these ridiculous wind law half measures to do the same.  Then let Cuomo, a guy that is very likely to run for President, run around NY playing "Big Brother Government" with the very nasty political job of actually preempting numerous local laws that outright oppose the big govt. subsidy ridden green wind energy development fiasco that is now coming apart anyhow.  And the more local laws that prohibit wind, the more of a political disaster it is going to be for Cuomo to preempt them.

Gee I don't know, do you think maybe some republican or libertarian running for President against Cuomo on a less government, personal responsibility, self determination,  platform might take notice of  Cuomo's  “Big Brother”  green energy Article X disaster and cause him a presidential nightmare???   You betcha!!!!!  And I think we should use that power NOW to hang this Article  X  fiasco right around Cuomo’s  political neck.

Lone erratic glacial boulder on a limestone rock beach.  Robert Wehle State Park. 

Hey, it's just a dull boring flat horizon line.  Who cares right???!!!

Apparently not NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo or Pres. Obama!

What type of person sacrifices this spectacular beauty????

What type of person or govt. is willing to only protect  it half way???

Wake up people.  We fought wind energy effectively enough on a state wide basis that Cuomo finally had to take the drastic action to oppose the mounting opposition by threatening to actually preempting our local laws and control.  We are winning the battle. Why give it all away now to scare tactics and threats?  So what has happened to the republican backbone in this fight?  They are running around afraid this big democrat is going to twist their underwear into a bunch if they don’t behave on this wind energy issue.  

A spectacular bay on Lake Ontario

Above and below.  Sea kayaking along the spectacular cliffs of Galloo Island.

Do we fight to save these precious views for future generations...or do we send our childeren and grandchildren to see them as only history in museums?

Just like Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" song says:

"Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone...
...pave paradise and put up a parking lot"

Use this link to listen to  Joni Mitchell's 1970's song and
reflect on how relevent it is to Cape Vincent and our region. Who would have guessed she could have been singing about us in Cape Vincent and the 1000 Islands in 2012??? Pay real close attention to the lyrics, especially near the end of the song. How appropriate!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t79hUuE2vuI

It's up to you like the song says. Are we going to take all these views and put them in a view
 museum, and charge your children a $1.50 just to see them????