BANG!!!

A siren sounds. The captain tells you and the other passengers that the ferry hit a wind turbine, and the hull is filling fast.

          The Cape is known for its incredible beaches. Every summer, tourists flock to here and the islands. But what if the skyline was filled with turbines? Would the Tourists still come? The wind turbines would put the Cape’s beauty, nature, and people at risk. Many people believe that putting the wind turbines in the sound will not have any impact on Cape Cod. While renewable energy is essential, wind turbines should not be put in Nantucket Sound.

Animals could be harmed during the project’s lifetime. The proposed project has the potential of violating several federal laws, including:

·        The Endangered Species Act

·        The Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)

·        The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)

·        The Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (FCMA)

Covering an area the size of Manhattan (25 square miles), the project would include 130 wind turbines and a 10-story electrical service platform, which will contain 40,000 gallons of oil, and 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel. Each turbine, alone, is 440 feet tall (How tall is that? The Statue of Liberty is 305 feet tall), and they will contain 190 gallons of oil.  Which means that 130 turbines hold over 24,700 gallons of oil! The site is only 4.8 miles away from Hyannisport, on Horseshoe Shoal. If an oil spill did occur (due to a natural disaster or shipping accident), it would only take 5 hours to reach Hyannis, or about 1 tide turn.  Horseshoe Shoal is an important spot to many marine mammals, fish, birds, and shellfish.  A spill could pollute the shellfish bed, so the amount of clean and healthy shellfish would be substantially small.  The area would be closed to Cape fishermen, which pull from the sea as much as 60% of their livelihood from fishing Horseshoe shoal. This would hurt many local shellfishermen.   Almost 6 million migratory birds fly through this area, including endangered species (like the Piping Plover). During foul weather, they may fly below the clouds, at the height of the turbine blades. This could result in a catastrophic killing of birds. Other animals that could be affected are: seals, including harp, hooded, harbor and gray, several species of dolphin, and endangered turtles, such as the loggerhead and leatherback.  

          Human safety is a factor too. The project’s location is dangerously close to ferry and shipping routes. The Steamship Authority and Hyline ferries carry at least 3 million passengers a year.  The Steamship Authority makes more then 14, 000 trips a year to Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard.  The turbines even have the potential of messing up air and marine radar, “within 1.5 nautical miles of the turbines,” says the British Chamber of Shipping.  The British Ministry of Defense states that the turbines can confuse radar, causing air traffic control to lose contact with airplanes.  The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) agrees. Finally, the Coast Guard is worried that the Cape Wind Project could limit search and rescue efforts in bad weather.

           Though many problems face the environment, and we, many people believe that the wind turbines in Nantucket Sound will improve our environment, it will (in time) make the sound worse than it already is! What can you do to stop Cape Wind from getting the okay from Washington? Write to congress (or the Massachusetts government) to say that the turbines should not be put in our sound. Or visit   www.saveoursound.org  for facts and information. Wind turbines may be a renewable resource, but, as Save Our Sound says, “Once our sound is gone, it’s gone forever”.

August '09: Take a Hike, Nature Walk or Nature Class!

My sister Jamie and I attended camp at the the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History that was all about nature: studying ponds and the creatures in them.   I enjoyed going out in the ponds and lakes and catching fish(especially with the seine net!), frogs, and pond life and then looking at them under microscopes and in tanks.  You should get out and check your local nature center for fun classes like this too! If you live on Cape Cod make sure you check out the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History www.ccmnh.org  for great classes all year round.

Doug, Colin and Abby


Jamie and her councelor, Mike


Jamie checking out water bug

KidSummer is sponsored by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. IFAW, the International Fund for Animal Welfare works from world headquarters here on Cape Cod and 16 offices around the globe to protect animals and our shared environment. IFAW focuses on finding practical solutions to animal welfare and conservation challenges that benefit both animals and people.