Updates

A New Forum

It's been difficult trying to keep up with current events using our main website , so we've developed an alternate way of posting ongoing information and dialogue in a weblog format. I went back and filled in the ads we've been running in The Valley News as well as some of our previous correspondence for your review and comment, and I'm planning to add new insights along the way, as time permits. Please bookmark "Updates" and check back from time to time to see how well we're keeping up with the ongoing wind power controversy in Cohocton. Thanks for visiting!

VN 9/13 - What about Fenner?

UPC Wind has brought at least 2 busloads of Cohocton residents to Fenner, NY to visit a small wind project that was developed there 5 years ago. Is this anything like what's being proposed in Cohocton? Our article this week's Valley News examines the question. For a more graphic comparison, visit this spot on our main website (while you're there you'll also come across a picture we created that became a front-page poster picture on the YES! Wind Power website.

VN 9/6 - Is This a War?

Emotions have been running high around town, and some people are starting to think we're in some kind of war. We'd like to see the tone of discussion settle down a bit to allow for more open dialogue. Read our article here, and then let us know what you think.

Steeped in History

This month's edition of The Smithsonian magazine has a wonderful article about the Finger Lakes region and the lasting inspirational effect the beauty of the had on Mark Twain. Few people know that his wife, Olivia Langdon, was from Elmira and that he spent two decades of summers here writing some of his most famous work, including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Twain called the view from his Elmira study "a fore-taste of heaven."

Another part of the article describes how William Pryor Letchworth's commitment to the environment became a living legacy:

"...the lifelong bachelor retired at age 48 to his country house, Glen Iris, to devote himself to philanthropy. In 1906, in a move that outflanked an electric power company wanting to build a dam on the property, he donated 1,000 acres for a preserve that would become Letchworth State Park."

You can read the online article here. If you enjoy this one, you might also appreciate another Smithsonian article on the global effect of hybrid corn that we referenced in July.

More Pictures Wanted!

We're looking for more pictures for our Flickr album (see box at right) and PowerPoint show of the Hills and Sky of Cohocton. Please send some of your best ones as JPG attachments so I can include them.

September Town Meetings

Special Meeting Cohocton Town Board
Wednesday, 9/6, 7:30 - 8:30 pm at the Atlanta Court Offices, 19 Main St, Atlanta, NY.

Regular Meeting Cohocton Planning Board
Thursday, 9/7, 7-8 pm at the Atlanta Court Offices.

Community Meeting with Senator George H. Winners, Jr.
Monday, 9/18, 12:00 - 12:30 pm, at the Cohocton Town Hall, 15 S. Main St., Cohocton, NY. Assemblyman Jim Baccalles will also attend.

Regular Meeting Cohocton Town Board
Wednesday, 9/19, 7:30 - 8:30 pm at the Atlanta Court Offices.

VN 8/30 - Eminent Domain?

Public utilities have the power to exercise the legal principle of "eminent domain" when their plans conflict with the interests of private property owners. Could this legal power be exercised in Cohocton? This week's Valley News article opens up the topic. We address other aspects of personal freedom on our main website here.

VN 8/23 - Money?

It's always helpful to pay attention to where the money is coming from and how it's being spent when a public project is under development. This Valley News article asks some unanswered questions that need to be addressed before any big decisions are made. Maybe the answers we get will be encouraging. Do you have any for us?

VN 8/16 - What Noise?

Noise is a big problem with industrial establishments of all kinds, and wind power installations are no exception. This week's Valley News article talks about wind turbine noise and the attempts the developer and its supporters have been making to minimize concerns about the problem. Click here to read the full article. You may also be interested in reading what we've posted about noise on our website.