Nordhouse Views Will Not be Marred by Turbines

map of proposed turbine sites

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from the Manistee National Forest

The proposal to build 20 - 28 wind turbines in the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness has been withdrawn. White Pines Wind Farm LLC first submitted an application for a special use permit to the Huron-Manistee National Forest in August 2008. Since that time, a great deal of data has been collected, and public comment was received.

The project has had mixed reception. Although many people favor alternative energy, the placement of these turbines was problematic. The Nordhouse Dunes is the Lower Peninsula's (Michigan) only designated wilderness area. This means that not only are motorized tools/vehicles not allowed, but not even wheeled vehicles such as bicycles, canoe carts, etc. The purpose of wilderness to preserve areas with as little evidence of human interference as possible. The sight of the huge turbines above the trees was simply a hard pill to swallow for wilderness lovers.

White Pines Wind Farm, LLC, a subsidiary of BP has informed the Forest Service that they have reviewed recent wind resource data, and have decided to withdraw their proposal for Nordhouse Dunes. The project would have generated 50-70 MW of power.

See Commentary- White Pine Wind Farm
See Public Comment Sought on White Pine Wind Farm
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Commentary: White Pine Wind Farm

Patty O'Connell explains the locations of the proposed towers, at the Open House on Sept 30

by Joan H. Young

Yesterday I attended one of the open house sessions which provided further information about the proposal to place 15 wind turbines within the Manistee National Forest. I came away slightly better informed, but no more settled on how I feel about this proposed project. Many other people were there as well, and I heard a lot of people also bemoaning the difficulty of wholeheartedly endorsing this idea.

BP Alternative Energy provided a state-of-the-art virtual tour of the area where the turbines will be placed. Superimposed on a video of a drive down Forest Trail, approaching Lake Michigan Recreation Area (LMRA), are animations of the turbines. Thus you are able to visualize how much the towers will be seen. The answer is, from the road, not too much. Well, sort of... If some of the alternative tower sites are chosen, there are several towers which will be close to the road. And of course there are other places one might be, other than the road.

From the north viewing platform at LMRA only the tops of the towers will be visible. The virtual tour shows this. It also indicates that not much will be visible from the beach. However, the virtual tour does not point out at all the fact that the towers will be very visible from anywhere out on the water, looking back at the shoreline. I imagine they will be quite visible from the higher, south viewing platform. The virtual tour makers selected the sites to show us very carefully.

The Forest Service will be taking a lot of heat, I suspect, over this proposal. However, they are just doing their job. When Special Use Permits are requested, they are obligated to consider them. A bevy of rangers was on hand at the open house, politely answering questions and explaining things. I saw several posters, and the virtual display by the energy company, but I did not see any human representing them. Maybe they had just stepped out for a moment when I was there...

The roads which will be constructed and improved will be dirt roads; no new pavement will be laid down. Except for the eastern section between the substation and the main transmission line, all the cables will be underground.

Construction will disrupt the use of LMRA. There will be times when the access road will be closed, rendering that entire campground, beach, trail system, and other facilities inaccessible by vehicle. Of course this will be temporary.

I have come across other wind farms while hiking, particularly in New York State. In one place the North Country Trail passes quite close to the base of a turbine. And in another location there is a flock of turbines just a hill or so away. I have to say that in both of these cases, my reaction is positive. The turbines are big, yes, but impressive big, not ugly big. Somehow they don't cause the same visceral reaction of hatred that a single cell tower on a hilltop creates. They are very quiet.

And of course, they provide clean energy. It's estimated that the White Pine Wind Farm will produce 50-70 megawatts of power.

And now for the NIMBY part (Not In My Back Yard). I would love to endorse this project. But why, oh why, do they have to want to build it right next to the only designated wilderness in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, Nordhouse Dunes? Nordhouse is directly to the south of the project area. The ridge on which a great deal of that wilderness sits is higher than the turbine locations. So I suspect that there will be some spots within the wilderness from which you will be able to see them. And from a boat, I suspect that not many people can easily tell where the wilderness boundary is. They just look shoreward and see a beautiful, uncluttered coastline. Now.

Well, I have 12 days to decide what my comments to the Forest Service will be. I wonder what I will say.

See Public Comment Sought on White Pines Wind Turbine Project Near Nordhouse Dunes
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See Lake Michigan Recreation Area
See Nordhouse Dunes

Public Comment Sought on White Pines Wind Turbine Project Near Nordhouse Dunes

Proposed sites of wind turbines in Mason County, MI. (right click and view in new window or tab to see full size)

by Joan H. Young
from the Manistee National Forest

The Huron-Manistee National Forest is seeking public comments on a proposed wind turbine project called the White Pines Wind Farm Project. A five-page document can be obtained from Patrica O'Connell. See contact information below.

A brief summary of the points in the document follows:

This project proposes the erection of 20 to 28 wind turbines, each 262 feet high within the Manistee National Forest in the area near the Lake Michigan Recreation Area and just north of Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness. The turbines would generate between 50 and 70 megawatts of power and are estimated to have a life span of 30 years.

In addition to the turbines themselves, the following are components of the project:
     1. Approximately nine miles of road reconstruction, and five miles of new roads would be built.
     2. Over 40 miles of underground cable would be installed.
     3. A step-up transformer would be mounted on the base of each tower.
     4. An electrical substation of about 5 acres would be constructed on Morton Road.
     5. An above-ground transmission line would be installed to carry the power to the Pere Marquette- Stronach transmission line which already exists to the east of the project area. The right-of-way for this line will be 150 feet.
     6. Existing meteoroligical towers which are currently collecting data within the project area would remain in place.
     7. Three temporary staging areas would be located for concrete batch mixing, equipment storage, etc. These would be re-vegetated upon completion of construction
     8. A second substation on private land would be built where the new transmission line joins the Pere Marquette- Stronach transmission line.

There are two open houses scheduled for public scoping.
     1. September 30, 2008 at the Ramada Inn, 4079 W US 10, Ludington. The public is welcome between 4 and 7 pm.
     2. October 1, 2008 at the Days Inn, 1462 US 31, Manistee. The public is welcome between 4 and 7 pm.

Comments should be received by the Forest by October 12, 2008. You may comment via the email given below, or by downloading the pdf form and sending it to Patricia O'Connell (address also below).

Commentary by Joan H. Young:
Questions which spring instantly to mind about this project are:
     1. Will the turbines be visible from the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness?
     2. Will reconstruction of the roads change the back-country character of the area? In particular, Green Road is currently dirt and very pot-holed. Although it is much traveled, there are many unofficial pull-off camping spots on the east side of Nordhouse Dunes. Will improvement of this road increase the incursion of illegal motorized vehicles and promote increased speed by legal vehicles?
     3. Will the turbines change the character of the area in the Lake Michigan Recreation Area? Although this is not wilderness, the area certainly projects a wild feeling if one leaves the trail system, and is in many places less trampled than the Nordhouse Wilderness Area.

Contact Patricia O'Connell, Cadillac-Manistee Ranger District, Huron-Manistee National Forest, 412 Red Apple Road, Manistee, MI 49660, 231-723-2211 x 3119,
Comment to comments-eastern-huron-manistee-manistee@fs.fed.us
Download the White Pines Wind Farm comment form (a pdf)
These links are checked on the date of the article. As the article ages, some links may become invalid

Go To www.getoffthecouchnews.blogspot.com for all the news
See Lake Michigan Recreation Area
See Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness