I spoke with the expert juwi had at the open house, Dr. Mark Thayer of San Diego State University. He admitted that the studies do not look at the number of turbines in proximity to the houses. It seems most houses have just a few within a 1-2 mile radius. According to the filed plans, there will be six or seven within a half-mile of us, 17 within 1 mile, and 35-37 within 2 miles! And we are not unique; many other homes around here are in the same boat.

What would happen if your home lost 40 percent or more of its value? This is the agonizing reality for residents and property owners in Chipmonk, Knapp Creek, the Four Mile and the Birch Run. ...Recently, the assessment rolls in Wolfe Island (on the St. Lawrence Seaway) were reduced by $3 million dollars because homes in close proximity to turbines lost value.

A wind "farm" creates an easement in gross over neighboring, non-participating property that impairs value. Thus, it is tantamount to an "inverse condemnation", or regulatory taking of private property rights.....an uncompensated taking.

I sent away for a list of property assessment reductions from MPAC for Wolfe Island Township (home to the province's second largest wind farm). This list, provided through the Freedom of Information Act, clearly shows all the assessment reductions since that wind farm became operational in 2009. The list shows 78 significant assessment reductions since 2008 totalling $3 million. The six largest reductions were over $100 000 each

What we discovered was absolutely shocking to all of us. In spite of several years of mounting evidence pointing to serious problems with industrial wind energy installations in terms of health, property values, water quality, wildlife, and agricultural land degradation, the Government of Ontario continues to pursue, at breakneck speed, the approval and development of these projects.

Across Ontario, rural residents among turbines are finding their houses un-saleable. Would you buy a house among 86 industrial wind turbines, 28 of them visible from the home and the nearest just 750 metres away? Some of the homes on Wolfe Island are within 500 metres of the nearest turbine.

Here in Northumberland, we live in one of the most beautiful counties east of Toronto. But, I am not sure our local governments really appreciate the effect of what is not in place for safety and environmental issues, and future protection from visual and noise pollution. Why the focus on large wind farms? They are not environmentally friendly and pose a real danger for wildlife and its future in the area. ...In addition, there is the visual pollution of the hills we use to attract tourists.

Wind developers should take this case very seriously. And in this case, Canadian Hydro Developers - the wind developer in question - should have done a better job of siting the substation in an appropriate place.

There have been numerous papers written recently concerning the question of whether property values are affected by nearby wind farms. It's not a great leap of faith to realize that major structures close to residences like electrical transmission towers, highways, train tracks and wind turbines all affect the market value of our homes.

Does "Wind Turbine Syndrome," in which sufferers complain of fear, increased heartbeat and other symptoms, really exist? Will turbines reduce the value of nearby property? ...As more of the generators spring up around the country, local resistance seems to be on the rise.

From debris in the roadway to overhead electric lines in neighborhoods or across the visual fields of great buildings or works of art, most people knew what visual pollution was. They still know, but those who hold onto their "greenness" like a religious conviction simply ignore it. Now we can count the U.S. Department of Energy among the extremist groups.

The town supervisor talks of how the record shows, where there is municipal water service, the building of homes will follow. What he fails to mention is that where there is the possibility of an industrial wind park that the "for sale" signs start to show up in the area as one can plainly see when driving through the village of Cape Vincent, including the one on Mr. Rienbeck's house which has been for sale for well over a year.

My house and land is in Prattsburgh, across from turbine sites for the Ecogen wind project, and my wife owns adjacent property in Naples, Ontario County. I've heard some people say "what's happening in the hills with the wind turbines won't affect me." What these folks may not yet realize is that, if these turbines are allowed to damage the value of adjacent properties, their taxes will go up. And the first step in this one-two process has just started.

The state of Massachusetts through the Green Communities Act is about to set standards for responsible development of land-based commercial wind turbines. The current standards for setbacks are the least protective in the world. Many of the communities south of Boston have seen concerned citizens' groups spring up in protest of the placement of commercial wind turbines too close to residential property.

Property values must ultimately be determined through professional appraisals and, if necessary, appeals. Meanwhile to confirm the obvious, ask a prospective buyer if they would still be interested in purchasing your home after learning that wind turbines will be constructed within the view shed of your property. Wyoming County landowners who are planning to "escape" the future onslaught of wind farms must be advised that the marketing of potentially encumbered property requires full disclosure ...Do not sacrifice your quality of life and that of your children as well as your most important financial investment by remaining passive and silent.

A landmark court ruling has ordered that Jane Davis be given a discount on her council tax because her £170,000 home has been rendered worthless by a wind turbine 1,000 yards away. This is effectively an official admission that wind farms, which are accused of 'spoiling countryside views and producing a deafening roar', have a negative effect on house prices. ...One of these impacts is of course safety. In June this year a 16-foot wind turbine blade smashed through a farmhouse roof in Northern Ireland as the farmer and his family slept inside.

Whether the reports of health hazards are true or not is almost irrelevant. Just the fact that many people are truly concerned about the potential health effects of living near a wind farm, or the electromagnetic radiation from high voltage electrical wires, is reason enough to try to avoid buying a property that is close to power lines. It's a simple law of economics: As demand for a product goes down, so does its price. When you have a certain number of people avoiding a certain property, for whatever reason, the price of that property will be negatively affected.

As a veteran of the wind turbine war over East Hill in Cherry Valley, I have advice for residents of Fulton and Richmondville.

Given two identical houses at the same price, one with wind turbines on the horizon, which would you buy? No prizes for guessing that the twirling monsters would be a deterrent. But the British Wind Energy Association dismisses this as a "myth about windfarms - their impact on house prices". It is hardly surprising that a trade organisation uses "spin" to sell its windmills, but I wonder how it will react to the news in Denmark's Copenhagen Post (July 30) that its government is drafting a proposal suggesting that "homeowners living in the shadow of the 150-metre giants be compensated for lost property value where values have been brought down by the presence of nearby wind turbines".