Folly Lake-Wentworth Valley
Environmental Preservation Society

 
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Community Meeting
Sunday, May 4, 2008
3pm
Wentworth Recreation Centre

Preserve Our Scenic Valley

Construction of a wind power plant is being proposed for Wentworth Valley. An Ontario based company is proposing sixty nine 120 m or 400 foot high (36 stories) be erected on Higgins Mountain stretching from across the highway from Folly Lake to the ski area. Many (approx. 25) turbines would line the ridge of the Valley, in close proximity to homes. The 100MW industrial power facility would be one of the largest industrial wind power facilities in the country.

While realizing the benefits wind power and other renewable energies have on helping decrease the production of greenhouse gases and our reliance on traditional power sources, there are some concerns with a large wind development located in a rural community. These include: proximity to homes, noise and possible health effects, adverse light effects including a shadow flicker or strobe light on the ski hill and surrounding homes, decreased property values, the impact on wildlife and recreational trails and the aesthetic impact the wind turbines will have on the natural beauty of the Valley.

There is no comprehensive provincial policy governing the development of industrial wind power plants in Nova Scotia. Establishing wind turbine setbacks from homes and properties is left to the municipality.

The Folly Lake-Wentworth Valley Environmental Preservation Society is calling on the provincial government to place a moratorium on the development of industrial wind power facilities until a comprehensive policy is in place and further study is done on the potential impacts industrial wind power plants can have on a region.

 
 
 

Threat to Endangered Moose?
There is concern a large wind turbine farm could displace the endangered mainland moose (alces alces americana) population which makes the Cobequid Hills its home. According to the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, there is little infomation on the effect wind turbines could have on the moose population. Click here to read the Mainland Moose Recovery Plan conducted by department of natural resources.

Affect on Human Health?
Dr. Nina Pierpont, MD, PhD has been studying the affect of wind turbines on human health. She states in her works... "I am a physician and scientist; my expertise lies in clinical and environmental matters. Whether or not wind proves to be a viable source of power, it is absolutely essential that windmills not be sited any closer than 1.5 miles (2.4 kms) from people's homes or anywhere else people regularly congregate. (The closest home in Wentworth is 750m) (Highways are also a problem for motorists with seizure and migraine disorders and motion sensitivity, from the huge spinning blades and landscape-sweeping shadow flicker.) I consider a 1.5 mile set-back a minimum figure. In hilly or mountainous topographies, where valleys act as natural channels for noise, this 1.5 mile set-back should be extended anywhere from 2-3miles (3.2-4.8kms) miles from homes. Let me be clear: there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in the wind energy proposition that says windmills must be sited next door (often 1000 feet) to people's homes and workplaces. Siting, after all, is the crux of the issue. Irresponsible siting is what most of the uproar is about. Corporate economics favor building wind turbines in people's backyards; sound clinical medicine, however, does not."
For more information, click here.