Huntng restricted in Pine Grove Twp.

Borough officials have restricted hunting in a 50- to 60-acre radius around a Gamesa Energy USA wind-monitoring tower on borough-owned land at Adams Run Reservoir on Second Mountain in Pine Grove Township.

The Philadelphia-based company is working to build wind turbines on Second and Sharp mountains in the township and is completing an environmental study at the Adams Run Reservoir tower.

Borough Councilwoman Florence Strouphauer, also chairwoman of the Environmental Assets Committee, said Wednesday that a subcontractor from Gamesa who had been working in the area had a confrontation with an archery hunter in "early October."

"We are currently conducting fall migration studies for raptors. It's a four-month study period," Doug Copeland, senior project developer with Gamesa, said Wednesday.

According to Strouphauer, a subcontractor employee "arrived at the site to find a man and his son archery hunting there and they were very belligerent because the Gamesa employee had interrupted their hunt."

"Gamesa has always had a good relationship with hunters and doesn't want to destroy that relationship," Strouphauer said.

The subcontractor, from Curry and Kerlinger, Virginia, was not hurt and did not feel threatened, according to Copeland.

"The subcontractor never felt like his life was in danger - it was nothing like that - it was just the hunter was very agitated, very upset and I checked in with the borough," Copeland said.

The Adams Run Reservoir is on at least 215 acres of land about two miles north of the borough, off Route 125.

Strouphauer said the borough just learned of the issue Tuesday. She said Gamesa would post signs on the gate leading to the windmill testing site.

"There was Gamesa internal discussion before they decided what they should do and the end result was that they should call the borough," she said. "Only the portion where the wind-testing tower is located would be affected, and that's only about 50 to 60 acres."

"It's just that area around the (meteorological) tower, we just need folks to be aware we're up there," Copeland said. "Hunting and wind farms can coexist. We're just going to provide some signage so hunters won't be surprised if they see someone driving up in that area."

Copeland said an employee would not be at the site for the first day of rifle season Dec. 1.

Strouphauer said hunting is still allowed in the Black Creek Watershed area in Pine Grove Township, 700 to 800 acres of land off Echo Valley Road.

In November, the Pine Grove Township Zoning Hearing Board approved the erection of a 197-foot wind-monitoring tower on more than 216 acres of the borough property to determine if the area would be a good location for a wind farm.

Gamesa also erected a wind-testing tower on land owned by Blackwood Inc. on Sharp Mountain. The company plans to erect another 80-meter tower soon, according to Gamesa employee Sharon P. Barr.

Gamesa representatives have said the company will potentially erect 14 turbines at 2 megawatts each on Second Mountain and 25 turbines on Sharp Mountain.

The Locust Ridge Wind Farm in Brandonville was the seventh of 10 wind farms built so far in Pennsylvania and has a power purchase agreement with PPL EnergyPlus.

The operation, with 13 turbines in service since March 2007, is on 1,038 acres leased from Girard Estate.

The turbines produce enough electricity to power 6,500 to 8,000 homes.