This letter is in regard to Harry Levine’s numerous letters to the editor and the June 29 issue of The Freeman’s Journal.

We had hoped that contentious issues regarding the Jordanville Wind Farm had been put to rest. Apparently Mr. Levine and Otsego 2000 both feel their viewpoint is more important than the majority of Stark and Warren residents and the unanimous view of their town boards.

There have been three separate hearings and numerous town board meetings. Mr. Cooper and Ms. Frye have expressed their view, many times for 15 or 20 minutes without interruption. Those in favor of the project tried to stay within their allotted four minutes.

Mr. Cooper spoke of doing "very well" on the issue of the Marcy South Power Line and the building of a public boat launch on Hyde Bay. I wonder if the hundreds of local fishermen as well as the residents of western Herkimer and Oneida County would agree with him.

As to his repeated use of the term pristine, in reference to Otsego Lake, the dictionary defines pristine as, "as it was in the earliest times or date _ original, primitive."

A beautiful lake, but pristine does not include being surrounded by housing development and a water level controlled by a dam.

Representative Nancy Iverson and Senator Seward’s aide Duncan Davie were exactly correct in calling the project a home rule issue. Ms. Iverson is quoted as saying, "Given that the project is in Herkimer County, I don’t know what say we would have in the matter. It is certainly a home rule issue. Home rule is a pretty important idea. I don’t think we can just go over and say you can’t do it." So very well expressed, thank you.

Perhaps Mr. Levine should pay attention. I doubt if we need his advice in selecting our town officials.

Notably missing from the article was the fact that the project will bring many tourists to the area. The tourist industry will be using it to attract more visitors to the Cooperstown area. Isn’t Cooperstown a tourist town? This would certainly benefit the working people of the area.

Bruce Bank

Jordanville, N.Y.

Attention: Residents of Cooperstown

My son and I will be traveling from California to your town for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony to honor our long-time hero, Tony Gwynn. We would like to secure a parking spot in town for the weekend.

If there are any residents interested in a weekend parking rental agreement, we would appreciate if you can contact us by email to discuss an arrangement.

Tom_Watson@alumni.usc.edu

Thank you!

Tom Watson

Carlsbad, Calif.

Birds are disppearing

The birds in our yard totally disappeared when the intense, widespread spraying of pesticides began in 1999 after the first case of the West Nile Virus was discovered in New York. About three years after this particularly intense period of pesticide spraying, I started to see an occasional bird in our yard. This summer, after eight long years, I am now finally seeing a more normal number of birds around our home.

Prior to 1999, we had so many blue jays that I was beginning to consider them a nuisance.

We had black-capped chickadees in our evergreens, nests of robins and cardinals, as well as bees and butterflies, but they all disappeared _ our yard felt absolutely sterile.

The June 15, 2007 edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports "Audubon Society calls for quick action after finding stunning declines in 16 once-common species over the past 40 years." Our birds have been disappearing for a long time. Yes, loss of habitat is a problem, but I believe our use of pesticides is an even bigger problem. According to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticides, pesticide use has increased 50-fold since 1950. The slow decline in our bird population parallels our increased use of pesticides.

National news recently reported honeybees are disappearing, which is a direct threat to our food supply. I believe our prolific use of pesticides, and other chemicals we pour on our lawns and golf courses is the major cause of our disappearing wildlife. The more we use poisons in our environment, the more wildlife disappears.

The black-capped chickadee has not returned to our yard yet, but I have hope that it will return again some day. For further research see: www.mercola.com/2002/aug/31/west_nile.htm. You will have to register, but the newsletter is free.

Please use natural, non-toxic means to control pesky bugs and weeds.

Mary Anderson

St. Paul, Minn.

HIV Testing Day

a success

Planned Parenthood of South Central New York celebrated National HIV Testing Day June 27 by offering anonymous, walk-in, free rapid HIV tests in Oneonta and Walton. We had a tremendous response from the community: agency wide, more than 70 people took advantage of the opportunity to learn their HIV status.

Fortunately, every day is free HIV Testing Day at Planned Parenthood in Oneonta, Sidney and Walton. The Otsego and Delaware Public Health Departments have designated Planned Parenthood as a clinic for county residents to get free HIV testing and free testing and treatment for some sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s).

Our other services, including annual exams, cancer screening, and family planning for women, men and teens are always affordable.

We can help patients who meet the eligibility requirements enroll in a free insurance program. Please call 800-230-7526 for more information.

There’s no need to wait for another "free" day to stay safe and healthy. We make that possible every day at Planned Parenthood.

Debra Marcus

Chief Executive Officer

Planned Parenthood of South Central New York, Inc.

Oneonta