[Carpenter] Fw: MYSTIC EYES FOR GPC

[Frank Oberle]

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From: "Kevin Carpenter" <kevinc at mysticplains.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 11:20 AM
To: "Frank Oberle" <foberle at nemr.net>; "Carpenter Prairie in the Mystic 
Plains COA" <carpenter at mysticplains.org>
Subject: Re: [Carpenter] MYSTIC EYES FOR GPC

> All -
>
> I attempted to send this to Emily, but it was bounced as SPAM!  I'll try
> again...
>
> Emily -
>
> I recently had the pleasure of reading your article on the proposed
> Shuteye Creek wind farm.
>
> I am a member of the Missouri Prairie Foundation, which is member of the
> Missouri Grassland Coalition. My wife and I purchased a 121 acre farm in
> the Missouri Department of Conservation designated Mystic Plains
> Conservation Opportunity Area (in Adair County) about 2 years ago as
> part of our commitment to prairie restoration and restoration of habitat
> to endangered species like the Greater Prairie Chicken.
>
> The Greater Prairie Chicken is considered an indicator species within
> prairies - one animal that likely represents many, much like frogs serve
> as indicators of healthy wetlands.
>
> We believe our investment and desire to help endangered species is being
> seriously threatened by the proposed wind farm. Research shows that
> Prairie Chickens require large (thousands of acres) areas of open
> grassland and avoid areas with tall structures (be it tall trees that
> predator hawks perch on or wind mills that just look like tall predator
> perches). Of course, the taller the structure, the greater the sense of
> threat. Of course, wind mills tend to be MUCH taller than any natural
> structure and thus represent a greater threat. Additionally, recent
> observation indicates that primary social areas for the birds gravitate
> towards areas in excess of 1000 feet of elevation. Of course, these are
> prime wind mill sites - so we are in a state of conflict.
>
> I was curious if you could help us, if not directly, perhaps simply by
> helping us get in contact with some of the other opposition groups -
> like the "members of the Kirksville School Board and some Kirksvilel
> residents are against creating an enhanced enterprise zone".
>
> Can you help us in this or other ways? We are "swimming upstream" on
> this issue, fighting against potential tax revenue, jobs, and energy for
> creatures that have no say. Any assistance you can provide would be
> greatly appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kevin & Evia Carpenter
> Farm Owners, Adair County
>
> Below is a bit of reference material. Honestly, I cut & pasted this from
> some active conversations currently occurring between concerned
> individuals. Much of this was included in a letter (which I can provide
> you if you wish) to Jay Nixon cosigned by many of the conservations 
> groups.
>
> At least 15 million acres of Missouri, covering more than a third of the
> state, were prairie at the time of European settlement. Fewer than
> 90,000 acres remain - approximately 2/10th of 1 percent! The
> bio-diversity represented within native prairies is 2nd only to tropical
> rain forest and indo-pacific reefs on the planet <reference needed>. We
> are discovering new uses for this resource on a regular basis such as
> for potentially renewable bio-fuel feed stock, cap and trade carbon
> sequestering, and natural beef production.
>
> Today these prairie fragments have been recognized by the state as 9 of
> the 35 designated Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs). These COAs are
> being jointly managed by over 18 government and non-government
> organizations. Planned large scale commercial wind farms are a threat to
> the bio-diversity within these prairie fragments.
>
> We request that the state of Missouri protect the 9 grassland COAs from
> development of Wind Turbine or similar wildlife questionable commercial
> scale technologies. This could be accomplished by place a very small
> portion of the state, including the COAs themselves and a reasonable
> buffer zone, off-limits for such development. Doing so would have a huge
> positive impact to the states conservation efforts, while leaving 99+%
> of the state open for creating the jobs and power America needs.
> Landowners in the protected zone would, of course, still be free to
> install home class wind units for individual usage and potential feeding
> into the local power grid per existing state laws and incentive
> programs. These smaller units would have a minimal impact, since they
> are typically located near domestic housing and associated pre-existing
> infrastructure.
>
> Talking points:
>
> . Prairie is home to more than 800 native plants, thousands of native
> pollinators and other insects and invertebrates, and a diversity of
> vertebrate animals.
> . Prairie plant roots, some growing as deep at 15 feet, sequester
> carbon, build rich soil, help with groundwater recharge and protect
> streams.
> . Meat from cattle and bison raised on native tallgrass prairie is
> nutritious and delicious. Grazing by these animals provides excellent
> vegetation structure for wildlife. Cattle on prairie help cattle
> producers afford to keep prairie as prairie.
> . Many plants that are hardy and water-efficient for our home and
> corporate landscaping are native to Missouri's prairies. Our prairies
> are genetic reservoirs that can provide us with future resources to
> improve our lives
> . According to Charles Pappas, planner with the Missouri Department of
> Natural Resources Energy Center, the trend among wind energy companies
> is to site at least 150 to 250 towers on at least 10,000 acres. We
> understand that a current project in northeastern Missouri may affect
> 60,000 acres. Because so little of Missouri's original prairie remains,
> we are especially concerned with prairie habitat fragmentation that
> could occur with wind power of this scale within any of Missouri's nine
> grassland COAs, and most immediately in the Mystic Plains, Grand River
> Grasslands and Loess Hills Conservation Opportunity Areas in northern
> Missouri
>
> For more information on the Grassland Coalition and the Greater Prairie
> Chicken you might find the following links useful:
>
> http://mdc.mo.gov/landown/grass/coalition/partners.htm
> http://www.durrillgraphics.com/webpages/lektrek/htm/five.htm
> http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/missouri/files/missouri_grasslands.pdf
>
>



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