Wolfe Island Windmills and Farm Tours…

Bison on the Pyke Farm, with the ubiquitous windmills of Wolfe Island in the background...

So last Sunday the whole family went on a tour organized by the NFU (National Farmer’s Union) of Wolfe Island to see some of the more interesting farms there. A surprisingly large number of people came out (around 60), despite the very humid weather. Although I did enjoy seeing the farms themselves, I think the strongest message that I took away from the day was one of hope – because of this obvious interest in local food demonstrated by the tour participants. A lot of them were farmers, but many were not, and were just curious to see the farms and the windmills.

Speaking of which – there is apparently quite a controversy over the windmills on Wolfe Island. Many are strongly in favour as they provide green power (enough capacity to power the whole city of Kingston) and income for the farmers. On the flip side are those concerned about health effects, migratory birds and bats, noise, the effect on the landscape, and underwater transmission of power. Throughout the day we heard various points of view, and discussed it amongst ourselves, and I came to the point where I realized that it was not a clear issue (at least not as clear as I thought before). Obviously there are some potential problems with any new technology, although I personally prefer these affects to those from coal and nuclear options. But the more I thought about it, the more I came to a point where it was enough to just know that there were a whole gradient of perspectives on the issue, and I didn’t need to decide which ONE was “correct”. But I guess that is ok to do from an observer’s perspective, and tougher if you are making decisions that affect people’s lives!

Leah walking to the beach for lunch during the NFU tour of the island...

Anyhow, the tour was a welcome break from farm life, which is starting to become a bit more of a routine, now that the newness is starting to wear off. Which I am half welcoming and half dreading. When things were new, every little act took extra effort because I had to figure it out – but now I can do things a lot more easily. On the other hand, the excitement of constant newness is starting to fade a wee bit as I get into patterns and habits. The good thing about life here so far is that there is so much variety, and soon, as summer starts to wind down, we will have a whole new set of tasks to work on – harvest, firewood, interior renovations, and more…