Free Range Friday etc. ~ Culebra

First of all, this. It is so important that as many people show up as possible tomorrow to speak out against the project at Flamenco beach/hills. Let me state that I do believe in wind power for an alternative energy source. Readers of this blog will hopefully recall photos I took on my trip out West, where for miles there were windmills on ridgetops, miles with no houses, populations of tourists, stable ground miles. This is not the same thing at all that is being planned here by a man who obviously has no regard for Culebra, Culebrense, history, the land, visitors to one of the most beautiful beaches (officially as well as in our hearts) in the world.

When I say obviously, I don't mean, hey, I don't like you, Victor Gonzalez. I'm saying, he has - not will but has - destroyed the land, the rock forest, the flow of nature that protected such a special place. He has defied, not once, not twice, not three times, but many, many times legal injunctions denying his defacing the beach and adjacent areas, has continued to build physical structures to block access, has had armed patrols turning away visitors from public land, has intimidated by arrest those who would try to defy him, has threatened private land owners with dire consequences if they did not bow to his actions; basically he has laughed in the face of law and order for his own selfish gain. He has stolen a whole beach and not been stopped, by officials who should be protecting the land and waters. These are facts, not feelings.

He is just one man, a man with deep pockets and deep political connections and twisted motives, yes, but still a man who can be legally fought to keep from his appointed plan, which would destroy, even more, our lovely beach and hills of Flamenco. It's up to us. Be there.

From an email via Pam's list. There is a Spanish version of the newspaper article here -

They want to fill the landscape windmills Flamenco Beach on Culebra ... one of the most beautiful beaches in Puerto Rico and has one of the tourist destinations of our archipelago valisos ...

CULEBRA all lovers must go to defend Flamenco ...

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This Saturday, November 17 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm in the Multipurpose Center Culebra

Public Hearings for the Environmental Impact Statement Flamenco Punta Wind Farm,

Commercial Scale Wind Farm Covered in Energy Emergency Executive Order of Governor Luis Fortuño,

which limits citizen participation and allow the passage of this bill before culminating the quadrennium.

Soon, we will send a sample letter to be sent to the Environmental Quality Board those who can not get to the public hearings.

Public hearings for wind farm in Culebra

The wind power generators would be visible from the beach Flamenco

According to the information in the EIS, the wind farm will require an investment of at least $ 32 million. (Archive)

By Keila Lopez Alicea / keila.lopez @ elnuevodia.com

In the future, the view of the beach in Culebra Flamenco could include the impressive figures of five wind turbines to produce electricity in the island municipality.

Flamenco Punta Wind Farm is the name of the wind energy project that aims to establish northwest of the island, on a private estate near the iconic beach.

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Preliminary Project is available on the website of the Environmental Quality Board (EQB). This Saturday, a public hearing will be held in the island municipality for citizens to submit their comments on the project and can be taken into consideration in the evaluation process of the document.

The JCA spokeswoman Ana del Valle said the hearing will take place from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm in the Multipurpose Center of Culebra.

Urge To the public

The participation of citizens in the view is of vital importance to the residents of the island municipality, said the environmental leader and spokesman of the organization CORALations, Mary Ann Lucking.

"One of the main problems we have to address is the acidification of the oceans. Based on scientific evidence, based on location and based on the energy that can generate, whether they will cause more harm than good to build on the mountain, then it should be built. There is a community united against this project and we are ready to make known our opposition, "Lucking said.

According to the information in the EIS, the wind farm will require an investment of at least $ 32 million. Besides the five wind turbines for the project will also build an office, maintenance shop, four homes for managerial employees and visitors, two observation towers, a botanical garden, a farm produce, an electrical substation and a tank 10,000 gallons of reserve water.

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Yesterday Sue, Tom and I took four dogs over to the airport in San Juan to put them on planes to new destinations, new homes. After being fostered with much love for weeks and months by Sue, Tom and Teresa, they were healthy, happy and ready to find forever homes. So off we went. I didn't get photos of the big dogs Smokey and Tookie, because I'm an idiot. I was in charge of the pups and they kept me all wrapped around in my head, so sorry sorry sorry that I didn't get photos of these big, beautiful dogs!

I didn't realize I had the phone camera on a weird setting until the day was done. The puppies didn't care.

It was a beautiful morning to go across the sea.

The pups slept through most of the trip.

They weren't quite sure what was going on.

I'd love to see them adopted together. They are just too cute!

And then all the paperwork and shuttling around was done. We decided we needed some lunch and (here's where a little of the food part comes in; are you ready?) taking Al the Awesome Animal Taxi Guy's suggestion, we went...to Pueblo. He really likes the place and if I'd eaten what he'd eaten, I might have liked it more. However. I went with what looked so delicious and sounded so good (after trying to figure out how we ordered - it's a little strange, but really not at all once you know you just point and pay). There is was, a huge mound of rice, looking like fried rice, with, so it said, dorado. Weird but it sounded good to me. It wasn't. It so wasn't. And where was the dorado anyway? Sue, who ordered the same, couldn't find any in hers either.

I decided I'd bring my portion home to the chickens and Sue pointed out a take away container almost half out of the trashcan. It was also full of the same rice!! Then Sue added hers (we also got some fried chicken pieces - not quite identifiable, but good) and we were away. At the ferry terminal, I went to the Las Delicias hotel bar/restaurant just as they were closing, for a drink (advised by at least three men that they would stay open long enough for me to order and indeed, they did). Back in the terminal I was talking to Sue when one of those men came up to me, with my take out package in his hand. "You forgot this, I think' he said and then said, I told you they'd stay open for you (which one of the other guys said too, before he hit me up for 60 cents - why 60 cents, why not a dollar or 50 cents? - but I just happened to have 60 cents in my pocket and a drink in my hand...). These are the things we love about PR, random acts of kindness that aren't rare occurances.

This truck had one hell of a time trying to get on the ferry. The tide was nothing like it had been in the morning, so high that each vehicle emerging (and especially Dick and Kathy's van; she and I clutching each other in seconds of terror) looked like it was going to flip over sideways. I wanted to get a photo but, as Dick said to me later, So yeah, taking a photo of someone potentially dying wasn't something you wanted to do?. Like that.

Finally they loaded on a few other trucks, using weight and gravity to allow this one to clear the ramp. Then I got in trouble for taking the photo from one of the security guards. Two others were above me on some stairs saying nothing but this woman was feeling the power. Tuck gave me some advice of what to say to her, but I like not having jail cell fever, so I didn't.

Instead, I just stepped back and took more photos. Shoot me.

Watching the vehicles load is totally entertainment. Especially if you aren't the one driving.

This is the Isla Bonita, one of the new ferries. I haven't been on it yet (it was heading to Vieques) but I hear it really is nice. I'd like to check it out; big windows, fast fast fast and just cool looking.

Looking over the trucks to the big island in retreat.

The moon came up, a shadowed whole with one bright sliver that the phone camera could not capture. The stars came out, the wind came up, I turned over and slept until the engines changed pitch and woke me up. We were almost home and then we were home. And there was Teresa, waiting. We picked up a pizza she'd ordered, much much better than the rice I was still carrying. Another day in Paradox done. 

An email from Terrie was waiting for me this morning:

Midnight on our end & after a few delays/missed connections all dogs (Vanilla, Cocoa, Smokey, Tookie) finally arrived safely on the other end. 

Ok! Only a few dozen more to go (at which time there will be a few dozen more to go, repeat).

Moral(s) of today's lesson: 

1. Do let your heart be stolen by those in need, it only gets bigger by being given away.

2. Do not let your eyes be stolen by unknown piles of rice promising gustatorial pleasures (even the chickens turned up their beaks) without ordering a side you are sure you will enjoy.

Have a fricassee Friday! Do something fair and fine.