Positive and negative comments, plus some suggested alternatives, were voiced by residents during the open house hosted by the U.S. Forest Service at Ludington's Ramada Inn. The three-hour event drew a large crowd, hovering around 50 people at various times, that sought information and provided feedback on the plan that would feature 20 to 28 420-foot-tall turbines on the forest land. ...Stanley Wilkosz, a Grand Haven resident who owns property near the proposed site of the wind farm, is concerned about the overall project, especially a proposal that could send overhead power lines through his property. "What I find with these big companies is they want everything and the private landowner gets screwed over," Wilkosz said.

The winds of public opinion blew in all directions Tuesday in response to a proposed commercial wind farm. The farm is proposed in the Huron-Manistee National Forest along the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Ludington.

Positive and negative comments, plus some suggested alternatives, were voiced by residents during the open house hosted by the U.S. Forest Service at Ludington's Ramada Inn. The three-hour event drew a large crowd, hovering around 50 people at various times, that sought information and provided feedback on the plan that would feature 20 to 28 420-foot-tall turbines on the forest land.

If the project proposed by White Pines Wind Farm LLC, a subsidiary of BP Alternative Energy, gains the necessary approval and is built north of Forest Trail in Mason County's Grant Township, the wind turbines would combine to produce up to 70 megawatts, enough to supply 20,000 homes.

"I'm not against alternative energy, but I'm against it going into a pristine forest," said Tom Hansen, who lives in Grant Township and often uses the forest for hunting and fishing.

He questioned the proposed locations for the turbines, calling them too close to Lake Michigan and in dunes areas.

"It just doesn't make sense," Hansen said, referring to the dunes areas. "For tourists and locals, that's one of the best areas."

John Rogers, a Mason County resident who likes to bike and run in the forest, called the proposed wind farm a plus for Michigan and the area.

"It sounds pretty interesting," Rogers said, while watching a virtual reality video showing where the wind turbines would be constructed and what the views would be for forest users. "It doesn't look like too much impact."

Those opinions and others were shared with U.S. Forest Service officials and their wind energy consultants during the open house. They were welcomed by officials, who plan on compiling the comments and developing alternatives to the initial proposal from BP Alternative Energy.

Jim Thompson, district ranger for the Cadillac Manistee District, said many of the comments he received focused on whether wind turbines are an appropriate use on national forest land, the proximity of the infrastructure to private lands and concerns about building more roads on the site.

"I'm very encouraged by the numbers that have turned out," Thompson said. "It shows an interest in the project."

The White Pines Wind Farm Project would occupy about 75 acres of Forest Service land over its proposed 30-year life. The project proposal states the wind farm is needed to help meet growing demand for reliable sources of clean, cost-effective, renewable energy for Michigan and the region.

The project is proposing to use Clipper Class II Liberty Series 2.5 megawatt wind turbines, which are manufactured in Iowa. The wind towers would feature a hub height of 262 feet with three fiberglass blades 153 feet in length.

In addition to the turbines, the project would include:

* About nine miles of road reconstruction and five miles of new road construction.

* Installation of more than 40 miles of underground electrical interconnections between turbines to collect and deliver electricity to a new substation.

* Construction of an electrical substation on a five-acre parcel in the forest service area.

* Installation of an above-ground transmission line to connect the wind farm substation to the existing transmission line running north-south along Quarterline Road.

* At least one of the three 199-foot monitoring towers would remain to collect data.

Stanley Wilkosz, a Grand Haven resident who owns property near the proposed site of the wind farm, is concerned about the overall project, especially a proposal that could send overhead power lines through his property.

"What I find with these big companies is they want everything and the private landowner gets screwed over," Wilkosz said.

Bob Williams, a Ludington resident who owns property adjacent to the national forest, said the additional roads will lead to more people accessing the forest land and potentially trespassing on his land.

"One reason we bought it was it's secluded," Williams said. "It's probably a good thing, but I have my doubts. Once you destroy something, it's hard to put it back."

Steve Koster, a consultant from Environmental Resources Management's office in Holland retained by the U.S. Forest Service, said the proposed site has three advantages for a wind farm: location along the Lake Michigan shoreline where the strongest winds are; the large tract of land with one owner to negotiate a potential agreement; and proximity to a connection point for the power grid.

Environmental Resources Management's company headquarters are in London and provides oversight for wind-farm projects all over the world.

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