Experts slated at wind forum

Tuesday, May 1, 2007
By Scott Stafford, Berkshire Eagle Staff

Extensive turbine presentations put on by the Hoffmann Bird Club will focus on the impact of turbines on Berkshire County and birds.

A local bird-watchers club has set up what could be the most extensive public forum on the impacts and benefits of wind turbines to date in Berkshire County.

For event coordinator Matt Kelly, president of Hoffmann Bird Club, what started as a topic for the club's monthly meeting grew into a two-part informational forum, featuring seven experts on wind energy and bird behavior.

"Since the issue has such avid interest, we decided to make it a public forum," Kelly said. "And I don't think there has ever been one with this quality and quantity of speakers before."

In finding the participants for the forum, Kelly wanted to strike a balance between the two sides of the issue.

"I quickly found out many of them don't want to be labeled 'pro' or 'con,' " he said. "And since neither side is very happy with (the makeup of the panel), I think I'm doing something right in making sure that neither view will be eclipsed."

The first session of the two-part forum, "Windpower 101," will be Thursday at 7 p.m. at Koussevitzky Art Center at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield.

Question-and-answer opportunities

Sally Wright, a staff engineer at the University of Massachusetts Renewable Energy Research Laboratory, will focus on the most common questions about wind turbines and their effect on economics, birds, sound, vision and the environment. The audience can ask questions.

The second part of the forum, "Wind power: Avian friend or foe?" is an interactive panel discussion on Thursday, May 10, at 7 p.m. at Duffin Theater at Lenox Memorial High School, 197 East St.

During this session, six speakers will give a short presentation regarding the impact of wind-power technology, with the focus on the effects of birds and bats. Audience members can ask questions and make comments.

Theodore "Tad" Ames, president of Berkshire Natural Resources Council, will be moderator of the panel discussion.

"I think it is critical that people educate themselves on this," Ames said. "We need to develop objective and measurable ways to assess local impacts of wind facilities, as opposed to subjective and emotional means."

Calling climate change "the issue of our time," Ames said wind power is just one measure to reduce humanity's impact on the planet.

"It may be that it has impacts on other resources that we have spent decades trying to protect," Ames explained. "There are a number of complex issues connected with the siting and operation of wind turbine facilities, and we have to be sure that if a wind project goes forward, it does so under the highest standards."

Educating the public

One of the panelists, Nancy A. Nylen, associate director of the Center for Ecological Technology, which has an office in Pittsfield, said this kind of forum is important to help the public understand wind turbine technology.

"One of the things that we're pleased about is that it is a two-part event," she said. "The first one is an overall look, the second is a discussion of how it affects avian and bat populations."

She was hopeful that the discussions would have a "balanced approach."

"I think that people are concerned, and I think it's important for people to air their concerns and hear balanced answers," she said.

Balanced discussion

Ames said that from what he knows of the panelists, there would be a balanced discussion.

"This is a pretty balanced panel," he said. "I think it is made up of people known for their attention to the science and the data more than for the politics on the matter. I hope for a thoughtful, fact-based discussion, and that people will leave with new food for thought."

The Hoffmann Bird Club, established in 1940, is based in Berkshire County and conducts bird-watching excursions in the area. Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Web site at www.hoffmannbirdclub.org.