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Dear Editor;
Let's talk about wind turbines. Most people are not aware of the proposed massive Canadian wind turbine project called Pattern LLC. This wind turbine project would encompass areas of Iowa County and Lafayette County totaling approximately 25,000 acres, or 300 square miles and hold 170 wind turbines each 600 + feet tall. How tall is that? Picture the Statue of Liberty which is 305 feet tall. Picture the Wisconsin State Capitol building which is 284 feet tall. 600 feet is twice as tall as these two familiar structures.
Do you own or know anyone who owns property in this designated area? If so, Pattern associates are soliciting lease contracts and landowners should be aware that the contract is about 60 pages long and you would be advised to have your own lawyer and read the fine print. Actually, just don't sign the contract.
Beware. There are too many things wrong with this project.
1) It is not needed for Wisconsin's energy usage. The energy produced will be sent elsewhere or nowhere if no one buys it.
2) It would be located totally on Driftless Area land. (My greatest objection.)
3) It would change our rural community into an industrial community and once that is established, more will come, because it would have precedence.
4) Property values of all real-estate, not just the farms, would be affected negatively.
5) Health factors have been sited all over the country at established wind farms. The constant sound of the working turbines, the flickering lights, and shadow patterns have affected many people by causing sleep interruption, headaches, psychic disturbances, and other recorded problems. For your reference, many internet websites have depicted these problems.
6) Big businesses get their way because laws have been enacted to benefit them. That is one of the reasons that this project is so little known. They were able to offer contracts to landowners without any community input about how we want our land to develope. This has been happening for over a year now and still very few people are aware of what is going on, and sadly this is happening all over our state.
7) Yes, we need to produce clean energy. But know that less obtrusive methods of clean energy production and transmission are available now and currently can benefit from incentives through Focus on Energy (a partner with Wisconsin utilities).
So, let's put a stop to this wind turbine take over. Stop and interact with our local and state governments to insist that they function for the benefit of our total community.

Jean Luecke
Dodgeville, WI