There is a proposed wind power site located in Herkimer County New York. This is adjacent to a 160 acre property that is currently being used as a tree resource by James R Hirst of East Penn Gardens, a supplier to Highland Hill Farm. This wind project called Top Notch, is proposed by PPM Atlantic Renewable a foreign owned wind power company. This company proposes to place about 56 wind turbines in the area near to the Hirst woodlot.

The turbines, hundreds of feet in the air will forever change the environment of the Top Notch area. Highland Hill Farm and East Penn Gardens Both will fight this project to the limit of their resources. According to James R. Hirst the ecology of his woodlot will be effected in many serious and detrimental ways. The natural bird and bat populations will be at risk, the air flows to and from the woodlot will change. As a result James estimates that the mean temperature change of his property will be up to 2 degrees Fahrenheit. This will of course influence evaporation rates for the woodlot and surrounding wetlands. Changing the temperature of the vicinity will effect the native trout streams. There are known endangered species living in the East Penn woodlots and wetlands. These species will be at risk of having their habitat being changed. James Hirst believes that this native and natural ecology of the woodlot will be at risk if the wind turbines are installed. Along with the changes to the East Penn woodlot and wetlands James reports that there will be shadow and windmill flicker problems as well as noise problems from 16 wind turbines that will be installed near and around his property on 3 sides. Bear in mind that birds are one of the best methods of controling insect populations. Birds eat insects, mice, and rats. Mice and rats carry the Lyme Tick. Insects harm and kill millions of people worldwide. It is no wonder that in countries like China where birds are not protected, has become the breeding grounds for many of the world most feared virsus such as bird flu and influenza viruses. Therefore killing birds and bat helps in the sread of diseases to man.

Highland Hill Farm is located in solid clay. We therefore like plants that grow well in dense, heavy, rather impermeable, NOT well-drained soils. One of the best growing arborvitae cultivars, the Green Giant, is a hybred of the Western Redcedar Tree. This arborvitae is our favorite tree to help block the effect operation of unsightly windmills. This is a great choice for the areas effected by windmills being installed by PPM Atlantic Renewable. Here is why: It is deer resistant, ez to plant, fast growing, and will help block the flow of air that must be available to operate windmills. Low or reduced air flow blocks the operation of windmills reducing noise and flicker of the mills. In addition wind mills that are not operating can not kill birds.

The hardiness zone the Green Giant Arborvita tolerates is from zone 5 to zone 8. That's where extreme cold temperatures get down to a temperate level of about 15 or 20 degrees in the winter (Zone 8), but also as low as a frigid level of 15 or 20 degrees BELOW zero (zone 5). Green giants are evergreens, being cedars. Their rapid growth rates can in ideal conditions reach 3 feet per year. Site requirements for the Green Giant Arborvita are sun to partial shade, moist well drained soil preferred (but still does well in clay), and protection from wind, at lest when young. These conditions are generally found near wind mills.

The Green Giant is a beautiful tree. It has an aesthetically fine form. It's conical, being narrow to broadly pyramidal, reaching from 50 feet to 80 feet in height in southeastern Pennsylvania. This tree can reach 120 feet in some locations. The width at the base of the cone is usually about 15 feet to 20 feet. The leaves are rich green making graceful foliage. This makes it a great choice for windmill mitagation.

Green Giants make a superb privacy screen. Since this tree grows fast and tall, it is sould be your first choice in plant mitagation selection. Not only visually, but there height can interfer with windmills catching the free flow of air by upsetting the wind patterns. It only takes a small decrease in wind velocity to stop some windmills as they do require a minimum operational windspeed to turn on. Small decreases in wind velocity on sites can render windmills unprofitable. They keep their foliage color year 'round, great for brightening bleak gray winter days with snow on the ground. Being evergreen, they will block windmills all year round. The cinnamon bright red bark when young turn rich russet brown with time crating a strong contrast with the needle leaves while helping to hide windmills.

Green Giants' flowers, their fruit are pretty little light brown half-inch female cones. (Just so you know, Green giants are females, so its okay to call the cones pretty.) The Green Giant is also a wonderful shade tree, casting a dark, dense shade. The wood is strong too, once the tree is beyond its youth.

This is an arborvita that should outlive even your grandchildren and for sure the windmills. There are Green Giants out west documented to be over 300 years old. Just don't plant these too close to the ocean, or roads in areas where there's a lot of salt used for snow removal. If you get over 100 inches of snowfall and more per year, no roadside Arborvita planting where salt is used, PLEASE. The greatest soldier of ancient Greece in the Trojan war had his one little weak spot, what proved to be a fatal flaw, and the "Achilles Heel" for Green Giant Arborvitae is hypersensitivity to salt.

If a windfarm comes to your area, you will need the fast growing Green Giant. You will want to protect your property from these Eagle chopping, bird and bat killing machines. Another major problem of windmills is a problem called shadow flicker. "Shadow flicker" - the effect of the sun shining at a low angle through the moving blades, which means they might have to be shut off at sunset and sunrise if built near houses or if a house is built near a windmill. This is an effect that wind farm operators try not to talk about. Public officials who want the tax dollars that are extracted from windmills fail to address this issue because less hours of operation means less tax dollars will be available. Public officials can take away your rights with a pen like a packman, a bit at a time. You may not get any compensation to boot. You can call them and tell them that their job is to protect your rights not take them away. Please help us save our farms value. They don't expect to be called. That is why you must do it. They remember the personal calls. Read this call to action and Help Us.

We just found out that there is a large wind mill farm being placed near our son's property in Herkimer County NY. He will probably lose future uses of his property. There will be what is called a 1250' setback requirement that means there will be no new devolopment within that zone. His properety will be in that zone. We have no problem with the windmills on the neighbors property, just don't take away our property rights because of the neighbors use of his property. This amounts to a taking without compensation. I would call this legislative conmdenation. It can happen to you. Bit by bit our public officials use zoning to suit their needs, not to protect ours. If one should not build with 1250' of a wind mill why is a wind mill allowed to be built allowed to be located with 1250' of an existing house? The answer is simple, the public officials don't care about the citizens, they only care about their private agenda.

Please call all the following officals and tell them to stop supporting this project:

Number of Members: Claudine Grande Phone: 315-866-6886

Mildred S Wheeler Phone: 315-866-3209

Dolores D Walawender Phone: 315-866-0137

Jean E Maneen -Phone: 315-894-2034

Gary G Jackson -Phone: 315-894-2579

Leonard Hendrix - Phone: 315-894-3211

Robert Hyde - Phone: 315-866-1898

John L Brezinski - Phone: 315-732-6397

Peter F Manno - Phone: 315-894-5454

Raymond Smith - Phone: 315-429-9433

If these publisc officials are not told how you feel they will do it to others. Please call all of these officials today!!

Here are their Email addresses:

Dolores D Walawender - District 3 (dee525@twcny.rr.com) Jean E Maneen - District 4 (missjeanie@aol.com) Gary G Jackson - District 5 (jacksong@twcny.rr.com) Leonard Hendrix - District 6 (diggerhend@aol.com)

Please Tell Them not to support this taking...Most concerns are centered on destruction of the vistas and a decrease in property values that will occur if the turbines are built. As farmers we cherish the beauty of our land and detest its destruction. Thanks, Bill Hirst

http://www.zone5trees.com , http://www.highlandhillfarm and http://www.seedlingsrus.com and http://www.greengiantarbs.com

About the Author

Bill's web site and farm specializes in The Green Giant Arborvitae...He is located in Doylestown and Milan Pa. Thbe web site is http://www.greengiantarbs.com