—by Keep Burke Beautiful

Click here to see a map showing the parcels of land which have been leased to wind companies in Burke.

The shaded areas indicate parcels recorded at the Franklin County Courthouse from August 2006 to November 2007, and are thus public record.  Leased property which is not recorded at the courthouse does not show up on this map.  In other words, the map is not complete.  Nevertheless it gives a good idea of what to expect in terms of wind turbines.

We believe the people in Burke should be aware of where the wind developers have leased land.

Bob and Karen Boyer
Janet and Ken Tacy
… and numerous other residents
Keep Burke Beautiful

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Editor’s (long) note:  RiverCityMalone and the members of Keep Burke Beautiful welcome thoughtful letters responding to this article and its map. 

As editor, however, I caution you that your letters (whether you consider wind turbines a marvelous idea, or consider them a disaster) must be courteous.  Letters must not be a tirade.  Thou shalt not belittle or demonize the people holding a view different from yours.  Thou shalt not ridicule. 

Don’t flog the issue with endless letters; exercise restraint.  Furthermore, your letter should address the point of this article, which is to show a map of leased “turbine” land in Burke.  The implications of the map will be cause for rejoicing among some people, and, among others, cause for deep sorrow.  Try to respect the feelings of the individual whose response to this map is different from yours.  Keep in mind that the other person is, above all, your neighbor. 

You are a community of people embedded in a landscape.  This fact is unalterable.  A community is a masterpiece, like the Sabra Field watercolor at the top of this article; it requires generations of painstaking work to create.  A community of people-and-landscape is a real and precious thing.  Let this knowledge inform the tone and ethic of your letter.

Finally, when you write and say that wind energy is the best thing to come to Burke over the last century, try to support your claim with hard evidence.  Alternatively, when you write and say that wind energy is the biggest catastrophe Burke has experienced in the last 100 years, likewise try to support your claim with hard evidence.  (“Hard evidence” is not Calvin Luther Martin saying wind energy is folly, nor is “hard evidence” the wind developers saying that wind energy is fabulous.) 

At the risk of flogging the subject, I repeat:  go ahead and disagree, but do it without venom, ridicule, dripping sarcasm, ranting, or any other form of abuse or disrespect.  Pretend you are standing next to the individual with whom you disagree.  You have your hand on his (her) arm in a friendly, neighborly way, and you are calmly yet earnestly and forthrightly telling him why you feel the way you do.  This works; it works well.  This is how a community discusses difficult issues—and, Lord knows, this is a thorny and complex issue for us all.