Tehachapi News

The article fails to disclose the permanent impacts that wind turbines will have on the health of the surrounding habitats and overall quality of the local environment, going forward, if approved by the Board of Supervisors. Today, the ecosystem in the community of Old West Ranch is in the hands of truly, green-living self-sustaining residents, with alternative energy and no outside sources of electricity or utilities. The lands are close to pristine and remain so under the stewardship of the residents. Flocks of turkey vultures fly above an enchanted forest of very old pines and oaks. The endangered California condor was also sighted in the area. A tour of the area convinced me that Old West Ranch and the retention of other sanctuaries must be protected from destruction, no exceptions. If windmills can be installed with zero impact on the environment, fine. Anything less is unacceptable.

The mitigating away of the federal protection of the California condors is solely comprised on phasing out the sheep grazing near the turbines, where a sheep could possibly die and go unnoticed. The theory is that the condor flies down for a meal on carrion and is at risk of being wacked. So, take away the sheep and the problem goes away. Wrong. The scientists that brought these magnificent birds back from extinction worked hard to secure their continued survival. Why haven’t they been consulted and active participants in the decision making and mitigation process? Instead, politicians, hungry for tax and other revenues, continue the pattern of keeping a blind eye to the need to preserve the biodiversity of the ecosystems and resources that give us life and secures our basic needs for food, water and shelter. The unanimous decision lacks the use of sound judgment knowing the collateral disturbance and harassment to the wildlife, nesting areas, food and water sources, migratory paths, inadequate territories and collapse that will take place. It is difficult to imagine that the ecosystem will stay intact for long with the level of disturbance that the installation, maintenance and operation of the turbines will produce. Roads, noises, vibrations, loss of terrain and inadequate territory, habitat fragmentation are not conducive to a healthy ecosystem.

It is NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE to be forced to choose between green energy, economy, jobs, growth or whatever the Campbell soup crisis of the day happens to be OR the environment.

During the energy committee hearings in Congress in late October, it was stated by Sen. Kerry that scientists give a 10 year window before we really begin to experience the effects of climate change.

Map of planned wind farm (SW The.-Willow Springs/Highline):

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&q=tehachapi%2C%20ca&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

Link about turbine noise:

http://acousticecology.org/srwind.html

Link to: Kern Planning Commission meeting 11/12/09:

http://kern.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=1246

Wind energy impacts on habitats:http://www.windaction.org/faqs/18574

Effects on Wildlife:

http://www.vawind.org/Assets/Docs/Key%20Issues%2001-06-06.pdf

It’s time for man to put up a permanent fence that physically separates us from the rest of wildlife and ecosystems.  We have no understanding of what global warming really means to the future survival of life on earth. It will be more productive to redirect our attention to survival strategies to preserve the integrity of our life support systems rather than continue to engage in the distraction of yet another economic bubble called green energy. Let’s not throw the baby away with the bath water.

The bigger picture is the rezoning of open land in the Mojave Desert to wind, industrial, commercial and residential development that is found within the Kern County General Plan, approved in 2007. The Mojave Desert is the smallest of 4 contiguous desert areas in the U.S. and Mexico. Scientists that live and breathe global warming and have studied, observed, reported and peer reviewed by the scientific community, that ecosystems are collapsing rapidly because of development, chemicals, dumping into streams that poison those complex habitats and fossil fuel CO2 emissions. If allowed, this will result in more extinctions, more decentralization, urban sprawl and dependence on gasoline, more loss of fertile land and top soil that cannot be replaced in a lifetime, loss of water and food security, privatization of our resources that will continue to be doled out to us at a high cost. Basically, this amounts to banging a few morenails on the lids of our coffins. Link:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/desert.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/ofworld.htm&h=292&w=298&sz=6&tbnid=XWUB-ObX_hNFWM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnorth%2Bamerican%2Bdeserts&hl=en&usg=__jBGWLpmaU56Vl7s-6PLOeaH6oak=&ei=VwIHS6aZF4GwtAP5sK3sDA&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=6&ct=image&ved=0CBcQ9QEwBQ