URI Recreation & Tourism Study - Block Island Wind Farm

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by puppet

On a hot summer day..those giant fans are nice to cool things down.

Hahahaha.

Originally Posted by puppet

My only real comment is that they pollute the natural landscape. Like, where i once stared into a wild natural abyss and pondered my place in my natural environment...i now have 5 giant reminders of how Man is overcoming this planet. The open ocean view is forever ruined.

I don't think they pollute it because they are working to protect it in a small way.

I am always amazed by the extreme and political environmentalists that say we need to do all of these different things then balk when it comes to offshore wind. Or yet balk when the much maligned orange bull frog of Western Sri Lanka is attracted to solar arrays and cooks. Some people are incapable of being satisfied.

I do not see them as an eyesore but as a well intention-ed device that is capturing necessary energy in a reasonable and responsible manner - in fact there should be more (particularly visible from the Kennedy Compound).

There are opportunities where solar and wind make great sense and that deployment should be encouraged.

Originally Posted by puppet

I do play an odd mind trick while i am out there with my beedie eyes in the dark. I imagine the turbines to be 5 tall surfcasters into a good bite. Seems like every two seconds they turn on their headlamps to unhook a fish.

The cartoon illusion worked better when then light interval was unsynced. Now i think most of them are synced up with only one slighly out of tempo.

Deep thoughts by jack handy....
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

When you see them come of of fog they look like from War of the Worlds ; )

[puppet]

Originally Posted by JohnR

I do not see them as an eyesore but as a well intention-ed device that is capturing necessary energy in a reasonable and responsible manner - in fact there should be more (particularly visible from the Kennedy Compound).

I do not argue the good intentions and the good they are for our planet.

I just wish they would have parked them somewhere in a place I did
not care as much. For me they are an eyesore. Crawling around
those south side beaches, with no man made structures in view was
sort of a special experience...that can never be had again. It might
sound hokey or cheesey....but for me its true.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by puppet

I do not argue the good intentions and the good they are for our planet.

I just wish they would have parked them somewhere in a place I did
not care as much. For me they are an eyesore. Crawling around
those south side beaches, with no man made structures in view was
sort of a special experience...that can never be had again. It might
sound hokey or cheesey....but for me its true.

I get it - walking Cutty is like that.

For me they are a practical application in resource management - which mitigates the problem - for me.

[bobber]

I can't think of any impact on surf fishing..... boat guys will certainly have more to offer as I'm sure its changed the environment out where they are anchored on the bottom

[BFThunter]

Originally Posted by puppet

I do not argue the good intentions and the good they are for our planet.

I just wish they would have parked them somewhere in a place I did
not care as much. For me they are an eyesore. Crawling around
those south side beaches, with no man made structures in view was
sort of a special experience...that can never be had again. It might
sound hokey or cheesey....but for me its true.

I feel the same way.

[ivanputski]

Originally Posted by BFThunter

I feel the same way.

I also agree... The south side has always been THE place I would
go during the most stressful times in my life when I needed get away... (When My mom died, etc...) I always felt like i was far far away from the rest of the world, staring out into thousands of miles of ocean. The turbines definitely knock this feeling down a notch.


On a side note, here is something I have wondered from the start:

Everyone says its a step in the right direction for a cleaner environment, but to play devil's advocate for a second:
These turbines are in a saltwater environment... has anyone estimated their lifespan of productivity? How many years years until the cost hits the break even point? Do they corrode and fail before breaking even? Does anyone truly profit besides the company producing and servicing them? (I know the environment "profits", but are there environmental drawbacks by installing these?)

I'm not saying i feel this way, but I am a natural born skeptic who explore ALL sides before I decide if something is great or not.

[piemma]

last nov I met an old-timer , a Block resident. He was extremely vocal about how they ruined the view and pissed him off to no end. To me, I don't think they effect the surf fishing 1 iota. They are too far offshore to have any effect.