Published: July 19, 2008 11:20 pm            

OUTDOORS: Finding an alternative to oil is a must

With no end in sight for rising oil prices, we’re now in a scramble to find alternate sources of energy to fuel cars, boats, homes and industry.

It’s unlikely any one alternate source is going to do the job of replacing oil, but every little bit will help. That’s why I wonder why there are still people who object to harnessing the wind as one proven substitute for oil or coal.

Erecting large, wind-generating turbines does very little to disturb the environment and the few that are at present on the south shore of Lake Erie certainly haven’t harmed the fishing a bit. Regrettably, a few birds might have flown into the revolving blades, but the number is insignificant when compared to the harm done to wildlife by strip mining, clear cutting by the lumber industry or air pollution by coal-burning factories and power plants throughout the country.

Defending or promoting other forms of energy production might seem like a strange subject for an outdoor column, but it certainly affects outdoor activities from hunting and fishing, canoeing and kayaking to simply hiking through the woods. Strip mine operators will show videos of groomed landscapes and loudly proclaim what conscientious public servants they try to be. Nonsense, if not for environmentalists they would have simply walked away from the horror and destruction they subjected the land to. Laws now force them to undo the damage they have done, it’s as simple as that.

Oil interests will try to convince you we have an almost never-ending supply of oil and all we have to do is overturn some restrictions on where they can drill. At last one “big name” in the oil industry has spoken out and his voice might help in our search for something to replace oil and coal as power sources. T. Boone Pickens, one of the bigger of the big guns in oil, has said, “This is one mess we can’t drill our way out of.”

He is one of the very few oilmen who will admit we are running out of oil to drill for. It stands to reason that there is just so much oil within the earth and we are rapidly exhausting the supply. Now he is trying to promote the use of wind power as one way to eventually replace oil and coal. According to figures released, this country sends between $300 and $700 billion to Arab countries yearly for oil. Think how far that amount of money would go in research toward making us oil free.

There are many voices raised against the various alternate sources claiming they are too expensive, unsightly, noisy and let’s not forget, “not in my backyard.” You may not have noticed, but some people who objected to wind power not long ago are now on the wind-power bandwagon having found there is money to be made. There are farmers who are making more money now renting their land for wind-turbine erection than they ever did farming.

For those who think wind turbines are unsightly, take a good look at a strip-mined area or the results of a massive rupture of an oil tanker that fouls beaches for hundreds of miles of coastline and kills untold numbers of wildlife and fish. The amount of electrical power generated by wind turbines is not all that great yet, but it’s a start. Many of us would rather see wind-powered turbines erected in any of our lakes than the brown band of coal fired pollutants from the mid-west that can be seen daily drifting over the north side of Lake Ontario.

As I mentioned, wind-powered turbines might not be the best subject for a hunting and fishing column, but it’s something that has to be brought out and thought about. If we don’t find some thing or some way to power our gasoline engines, we might not go hunting or fishing again until we eventually do. Other countries have weaned themselves away from gasoline and we should have done it 50 years ago. Our governmental leaders who have long been cozy with oil and coal interests will do nothing until you demand they do. It’s our environment and our future and if we don’t take care of it nobody will.

n Assembly bill 11033 sponsored by Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, which would allow 14 and 15 year olds to hunt big game with a shotgun, needs some help from you. The bill is on its way to the governor’s desk and so far the governor has said he has received a “few letters” in regards to the bill, mostly against it. You have Monday to call the Governor’s office at 518-474-8390 and tell him you support Bill 11033. If we want hunters in the future, we must do our best to see to it they are started early.

n A bass fishing contest will be held Aug. 2 on the lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario. Registrations are now being accepted at A-1 Bait Supply at Lewiston Landing or via e-mail at Outdoorsniagara.com. The entry fee is $20 per person and there will be a $5 cash bash. Two fish will be allowed at weigh-in, which will be held at Lewiston Landing from 1 to 2 p.m. The prize money payback is 100 percent after expenses.

Joe Ognibene is a local sportsman who has covered the outdoor scene since 1957.



Sunday, July 20

- Final day of the Lake Ontario Counties Summer Derby. Awards ceremony to take place at Abe’s in Sodus Point, Wayne County. For more information, call 888-REEL-2-IN or log on to www.loc.org.

- Final day of the Wayne County/Sodus Bay Lake Ontario Pro-Am Salmon Team Tournament Series held out of Sodus Point. For more information, log on to www.lakeontarioproam.net.

- Final day of the Erie Canal Fishing Derby. The awards ceremony will take place July 27 in Gasport. For more information, log on to www.eriecanalderby.com or call Steve Harrington at 772-7972.



Monday, July 21

- Niagara County Federation of Conservation Clubs picnic meeting, 6 p.m., Cornell Cooperative Extension Niagara (Niagara County Fairgrounds). The Federation will unveil the Don Bronson Memorial Wall of Fame. Representatives from the Department of Environmental Conservation will also be on hand to give updates for the various state and regional programs. For more information, contact John Butcher at 433-1014.



Wednesday, July 23

- Somerset Conservation Club meeting, 7 p.m., Johnson Creek Road, Barker.



Thursday, July 24

- Wilson Conservation Club Auxiliary meeting, 7:30 p.m., 2934 Wilson-Cambria Road, Wilson.



Saturday, July 26

- Pistol permit class by professional instructor Jim Carr, 10 a.m., Gander Mountain, Young Street, Tonawanda. You must pre-register and pay the $49.99 fee. For more information, call 743-2300.

— Bill Hilts Jr.

        

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