Reflections

Yesterday (Wed) morning was a beautiful St Lawrence River morning.  My wife and I and a friend decided to take our sea kayaks for a paddle up river and catch the lull in the wind while it switched from north back to west.  The morning  was an iconic summer Cape Vincent morning.  Boats running about, people lounging  on their decks, people fishing and swimming.  It was a morning that makes you feel like summer is never ever going to end. When you slowly kayak by it all seems like a slow motion documentary of why so many of us love Cape Vincent and the river.  Winter seemed forever far away...but we all know better.  Each season has about 90 days. That means the the middle of the summer comes about Aug 4th not too  far away now. But by the Earth's movement we have been sliding toward winter since about June 21 which is the longest day of the year. 

 I have been battling against industrial wind in CV since the early summer 2006 when I got onto the comprehensive plan strategy and fighting against the wind corruption and what it meant.  That has been 7 summers and the time in between and frankly I am not sure I want to waste another summer on it as another summer slips away.

I am not going away nor is this blog...at least for now, but this blog and I are  going to take a rest,  maybe just post pictures of the scenic beauty of CV from time to time and hope people understand what might get taken away from us that we will never get back.  That actually was one of my goals in opening this blog to showcase the regional beauty and hope people wake up before it is too late. I have gotten away from that lately. As I talk to people around the community it seems like many are asleep not wanting to deal with it any longer and just hoping it will all go away. Probably just what BP is waiting for.  Just wear us down till we don't care and think any solution looks good as long as the "experts" say it is  right.  The experts give us the needed cover so we don't have to examine or think about it too much.  Just give us any damn wind law and let's move on seems to be the thinking. All our opinions  have  been stated and all that remains is the ceremony  of a  vote. Actually if you have been where I have been in the battle and know what I know this appeasement wind law was started long long ago when Mr. Hirschey took over WPEG and nothing much has changed.  And there is no one on that town board who will think in any way other than what Hirschey wants. As they say out  west...they all ride the Hirschey brand!  I have pretty clealy outlined my beliefs, and I don't think there is anybody who follows the CV wind battle who doesn't understand where I stand by now.  Basically considering  the circumstances I have said everything I need to say.

This and the fact that our town board has been locked down on only one solution to this wind battle with setback zoning and appeasement of Article X to the exclusion of everything else and not going to change their minds means to me there is nothing else to be done.  I opened this blog to give an alternative voice to what could be done to prohibit wind development and fight Article X, but that has fallen on deaf ears, so now we wait and cross our fingers.  Whatever happens now Hirschey and his board and the people who support them own it lock,stock, and barrel. I simply don't think that is going to work effectively.

So now it is time for me to relax and try to start unwinding from 6 years of this wind battle.
Please stop and take some time to enjoy the rest of the summer in our spectacular regional  surroundings.  It might be the last one where we all can do that!

Art Pundt