WHERE IN THE COPPER COUNTRY WILL YOU BE ABLE TO VIEW THE PROPOSED TURBINES?
“if potential home builders or tourists are drawn to the community because of your view, that is likely to change.”
Background. The ground level elevation of the base of some of the proposed wind turbines is approximately 1,400 feet. BIG industrial wind turbines are going to rise at least 575 feet above this ground elevation. Those turbines would be 1,100 feet higher than the elevation on Sharon Avenue in Houghton. To provide perspective, the iconic Quincy Mine Shaft is 120 feet tall, the towers on the Mackinaw Bridge are 552 feet above the water, and Brockway Mountain is 728 feet above Superior.
Accordingly, we enlisted university engineering researchers to develop a sight analysis (i.e., viewshed maps) that show where one would see the top of the proposed turbines.
The Viewshed Maps. The three viewshed maps that you can download below show the locations in Adams Township, Stanton Township, and Houghton County where the top of a 575-foot turbines would be visable to a person standing or driving outside.
Red shows locations where top of 575-foot turbine blades are visable for the proposed Circle Power Scotia Wind Project. Green shows where the turbines would not be visable.
We know from review of U.S. Department of Energy reports that turbines are getting taller and taller. Therefore, future projects are likely to have even taller machines because of technology advances and thus industrialize/harmour scenic vistas even more.
The maps were generated using Geographical Information Software (GIS) (ArcMap 10.8) with public available maps for elevation and forest/woodland cover. The roads, township boundary, and county boundary came from searching the ArcGIS online database. Assumptions are: 1) turbine locations are estimated from Circle Power Scotia Wind Project map, and 2) all forest/woodland cover consists of 50-foot trees that are covered with needles/leaves (we know leaves are only present for 4-5 months in our area).
Our Viewshed Altered Forever. The shocking amount of red on the maps shows the visual blight of industrial wind turbines in our area. The visual blight associated with these 575-foot machines will be seen from your home, farm, and garden; and places you drive, boat, hunt, fish, and recreate.
Click on any of the maps below to view
(from left to right, Stanton Township, Adams Township, Houghton County)
You will see the very large impact on our enjoyment of the beautiful scenic vistas, (the RED AREAS are where the turbines will be visable) and especially in Stanton and Adams Township, but also throughout Houghton County and on Lake Superior). Roads are marked in black with lines.
“We are fearful that the installation of wind turbines will negatively impact these appealing attributes of the Keweenaw Peninsula; and that tourists, travelers along Lake Superior, and the residents and municipalities will have their experiences diminished.” Scenic Michigan, March 2022
University of Michigan researchers have commented that utility scale wind turbines are impossible to conceal and forever change the landscape. The red lights atop the tower (required by Federal Aviation Administration) are visible at even farther distances at night. The University of Michigan authors further stated “this is particularly relevant in communities where aesthetic considerations are a high priority – for example, areas where the economy is based on tourism or a high number of people live in the area for its rural characteristics. “ Planning and Zoning News, Renewable Energy in Michigan, March/April 2020 38(5):2-16 http://pznews.net/
Read Letter from Scenic Michigan that expresses their concerns about industrial wind development in the Keweenaw.
“The nature of our work at Scenic Michigan is what has brought this wind turbine development to my attention. I am very familiar with the Keweenaw Peninsula and the natural resources that your county offers as one of Michigan’s most incredible scenic vistas. A development of this scale has the potential to diminish these views, which are nationally known as a fall color destination, snowmobiling and skiing attraction, and nationally recognized dark skies location. We are fearful that the installation of wind turbines will negatively impact these appealing attributes of the Keweenaw Peninsula; and that tourists, travelers along Lake Superior, and the residents and municipalities will have their experiences diminished.”