What’s Good for the Goose
In his latest letter to the editor in Smoky Mountain News (8/19/09) the Canary Coalition’s executive director, Avram Friedman admonishes us to “stick to factual information” and calls Tonya Bottomley’s range of 40 to 70 acres per turbine, “grossly inaccurate” Ms....
More in the Wind than Megawatts
The chorus of katydids clamoring in the night air announces the impending fall. And with the arrival of fall comes the departure of millions of Neotropical migrants. Clearly 90 percent of the birds that nested in North America this past summer are either enroute or...
They’re Back
Actually they’ve been back for a while and now their bags are packed and they’re ready to go. But first, it’s time to eat. In early summer, every year, there is a buzz on most birding listservs regarding the dearth of hummingbirds. Usually by mid July or so there is a...
Bats Make Good Just in Time to Salvage Outing
“Oh lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.” That refrain from the old Animals song runs through my head every time I think about bats. Or I see images of women, running, screaming with arms flailing all around their heads to keep the bats out of their hair. Or...
You Say To-Mah-To, I Say To-Ma-To
At least Avram and I are talking. Want to join us? If we could generate enough kilowhats, whys, hows and wherefores maybe we could get a “wind forum” section going in Smoky Mountain News. Avram stated in his latest op-ed, “The most relevant part of Don Hendershot’s...
Conversation — What Conversation?
Regular readers of this column probably already know that I’ve run afoul of many regional environmental groups by questioning the environmental and ecological cost-benefits of placing industrial-scale wind farms on top of the mountain ridges across the Appalachians....