From Gary Lewis:

Like many people, my wife, Peggy, and I moved to this area to escape development sprawl (in our case it was Poughkeepsie, just one county to the south). We were in awe of this region’s rural beauty.

Two hundred and twenty acres of solar panels on agricultural land will certainly change the landscape. We don’t believe, however, that the Shepherd's Run solar project will ruin the community, a fear expressed by many of our neighbors. What truly makes a community a great place to live is not its landscape, but its people. We have confidence in the people we have met over our ten years in the area — and that whatever the outcome of the proposed development, our community will remain strong by continuing to work together to create a better place to live, work, and play.

After we had several close calls with cars while road-biking near Poughkeepsie, safer, less-traveled roads were another reason for our move. Soon after moving, we were invited to join a Town of Copake–sponsored committee to promote the town as a road-biking destination. It was on this committee that I first got to know and appreciate the people of this area as much as its natural beauty. The committee included members of both major political parties, ages ranging from young twenties to retired, and locals, long-term transplants, and newcomers like us.

I was impressed by how smoothly we all worked together keeping our focus on creating an event that everyone in the community could participate in and benefit from. The committee sponsored the first Roe Jan Ramble — accepting my suggestion for one of my favorite local rides — and I became the “route master” for every subsequent Roe Jan Ramble. The Roe Jan Ramble has become a fantastic community celebration of our astounding rural landscape. The ride continues to grow and to introduce more and more people to this beautiful place we are fortunate to call home.

I have seen the same diversity, spirit, and enthusiasm from the community members who have organized in opposition to the Shepherd’s Run project. Even though I support the project, I am happy that there are so many passionate people willing to work so hard on behalf of their community. Although I have a different perspective on the project, I believe I share with the opponents the same good intention to do what is best for our community.

No community, including ours, will go unscathed unless we act swiftly and decisively to mitigate climate disruption caused by global warming. Although not perfect, the New York State Climate Act is precisely the kind of action we should all support and work through the legislative process. To meet its objectives, we need large solar projects, and they need to be efficient in order to be economically feasible. So, from my perspective, Shepherd’s Run is appropriately sized to the needs, and logically sited to be an efficient development project.

I agree, as a general matter, that any development this large is not in keeping with the character of the community as expressed in the thoughtful town plan. In this case, however, it is my opinion that the greater good of the community, from local to global, outweighs the potential harms, most of which can be mitigated.

For the last three years, the Roe Jan Ramble included six routes consisting of 10, 18, 25, 35, 50, and 62 miles, which wind through the towns of Copake, Hillsdale, and Ancram. There is not a single stretch of any route that passes the proposed site. In 10 years of the rides, only once did a route traverse Birch Hill Road to Route 23 to Hillsdale. We discontinued this ride because no one likes biking on Route 23, but if the solar project is built, featuring landscaping for screening and help from developer Hecate in extending the rail trail, even more beautiful biking will open in this area.

I do genuinely feel for those in proximity to the proposed site who will be most disrupted if the project is approved. Unfortunately, everyone is being impacted by climate change, and almost any large infrastructure project is going to negatively affect someone. In the history of our country, the brunt of those effects has been borne by disadvantaged communities. I do not think we can fairly avoid our responsibility to be part of the climate-mitigation solution, but I am willing to stand by my neighbors in their reasonable requests for mitigation.

This is why I fully support the ad hoc Working Group, whose set of recommendations addresses this need but does not include either a reduction in project size or relocation of the site. I do not believe these demands can or should be unilaterally levied upon Hecate, but they do serve as a solid basis for good-faith negotiations, or for consideration by ORES as permit conditions.

I don't claim to know what is best for this community, and I try to remain open to other perspectives and the possibility that I may be wrong. If the project is approved, I am prepared to work side by side with my neighbors to make it the best possible project it can be for this community. If it isn't approved, I hope its opponents will join with me to work just as hard to find other ways for our community to help mitigate climate disruption and to continue their efforts regarding issues they have raised, from protecting the Taghkanic watershed to becoming allies with the indigenous peoples who have been displaced from this land.

If the community continues to work together toward goals like these, we will all be winners.