Wellfleet Withdrawal Prompts Renewed Concern

A petition drive against a wind turbine proposal at the Wellfleet Audubon Sanctuary seems like an unnecessary action, given the news “Wildlife sanctuary wind turbine proposal put on hold” (Provincetown Banner 10/17/13). Marilyn Miller’s article provides some clues: the Mass Audubon Society will ask the Zoning Board of Appeals to withdraw the special permit request “without prejudice.” This lack of a definitive finding will allow  the sanctuary to bring the proposal up at a later date. Opponents believe that means they will try to get it through a different committee instead.

The petition is for anyone who lives or pays taxes in Wellfleet, or who visits as a seasonal resident or tourist.

According to Miller, MAS Wellfleet’s director Bob Prescott said “the request to withdraw our application for a special permit does not mean we’ve abandoned our plan for a turbine.”

Nearly 100 letters against the turbine have been sent to Mass Audubon, according to Lilli-Ann Green, who said that the residents of five developments near the Sanctuary have expressed their opposition.