To the editor:

Hold on there, Mr. Bates (Public Forum, Oct. 28). You have some misconceptions about wind turbines. I can’t argue with your dislike of the appearance of the wind machines, because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me the turbines are beautiful, graceful and a testament to human creativity.

But you’re dead wrong about the rest of your objections. I recently stood beside an operating turbine, one of 64 sited on a wind farm near Spearville, Kan. The only noise was a very soft whoosh. My companions and I conversed in normal voice tones.

Although each turbine must sit in the center of eight acres, it actually occupies only a small portion of that space. The remainder of each eight-acre area is planted to farm crops, soybeans in the case of the field where I stood. Not only is the farmer able to continue raising crops on most of his acres, he collects $5,000 a year for every turbine on his land. This dual use of farmland brings additional money into the local economy. Moreover, the wind farm does not use any water, unlike a coal-fired plant. The wind farm also employs a five-person maintenance crew, all of whom live in the community.

Shirley Domer,

Lawrence