The Ontario Government is seeking public opinion on Gilead Power Corp.’s proposed wind energy project in Ostrander Point, Ontario. Use the information in this email to help draft your comments and submit them online by February 19, 2012.Blanding’s Turtle, Whip-poor-will, Henslow’s Sparrow, and Rusty Blackbird are all endangered species in Ontario.And all are threatened by a proposed wind energy project on Prince Edward County’s south shore.

Voice your concerns by February 19, 2012!

Gilead Power Corp. is proposing to build a wind energy plant in Ostrander Point Crown Land Block, one of the most significant sites for migrating birds in eastern Ontario and a globally important bird area. Every year, tens of thousands of birds stop to rest and re-fuel in Ostrander Point due to the area’s unique geography and diverse habitat.

Gilead’s proposed wind energy project would fragment and destroy habitat and pose a significant threat to birds, bats and endangered wildlife. Wind energy is green energy, but only if it does not come at the expense of our wildlife.

While Nature Canada recognizes wind energy is an important green energy solution, wind farms in the wrong place can be bad for wildlife.

The potential negative effects of Gilead’s proposed wind energy project include, among others:

Bird Deaths. Large numbers of migrating birds are at risk of colliding with moving turbine blades, turbine towers or overhead power lines.

Extinction of Endangered Species. The destruction and fragmentation of habitat threatens many endangered species that depend on Ostrander Point for survival.

Degraded Bird Communities. Displaced from their habitat by the presence and construction of turbines, the survival of significant communities of breeding birds – including 14 species of conservation concern – is compromised.

Bat Deaths. Spinning wind turbine blades create areas of low pressure that can rupture a bat’s lungs, leading to sudden death. Thousands of migratory bats pass through Ostrander Point each year.

Ostrander Point Crown Land Block is public land that the Ontario Government owns and manages on your behalf.  Let’s keep it healthy for wildlife. Tell the Ontario Ministry of the Environment to refuse Gilead’s application for a wind energy project at Ostrander Point Crown Land Block. Share your opinions today!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Submit comments online.
2. Send a hard copy letter to the Ministry of the Environment. Be sure to reference the EBR registry number: 011-5239, then send to:

Kristina Rudzki
Senior Project Evaluator
Ministry of the Environment
Operations Division
Environmental Approvals Branch
2 St. Clair Avenue West, Floor 12A
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1L5

Please send a copy of your letter to Nature Canada at 75 Albert Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 5E7, or email to tcheskey@naturecanada.ca.