I agree that there’s a serious possibility that alternative energy will impact the quality of natural beauty, not only on Monhegan, but many, many places that alternative energy is introduced.
Living in Vermont, I accept that. We will have to sacrifice some vistas, mountaintops. But for me, cell towers and telephone lines already pollute the visual environment – I try to look beyond that.
Monhegan is different – more unique, more fragile, more incredibly refreshing to the soul. From the little that I know and understand of the community of people living there year-round, it is fragile. Would disturbing the lobster grounds impact the community? Could the change in the aesthetics make some people, living there year-round, choose to leave? Could the change in aesthetics cause a decrease in the number of people drawn to the island in the summer?
My guess is that the economics of Monhegan is somewhat similar to Vermont – the cost of living outpaces the rate of earning. If the fishing and/or tourist-based income earnings drop then – like Vermont -the changes in the community economics threatens the sustainability of the community.So. I think that what I’m trying to say is that the economic and ecological impacts should be carefully studied before embarking on bringing capitol letters TECHNOLOGY to Monhegan.
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