Student tends to greenhouse plants

Senior Manuel Valle peers into his microscope and observes the mosaic patterns on his slide. The slide was produced by a company in North Carolina and stained specifically to help students identify different cellular structures. But the potted plant next to him, which serves to identify the slice of water lily on his slide, was grown in Strosacker's greenhouse under the watchful eye of junior Megan Saunders. 

For the past year and a half, Saunders has swept the floor, watered, pruned, potted and re-potted the plants that make up the Strosacker Greenhouse. At the beginning of Saunders' sophomore year, Renessa Cooper, associate professor of biology, asked her if she was interested in plants. Saunders said yes and was soon watching over the greenhouse and its silent inhabitants. 

"It's not a huge job," Saunders said. "But it's rewarding because you're working with your hands."

Cooper said the greenhouse produces plants needed for Biology 102, Evolution in Biodiversity and Botany. Occasionally, she'll take her students into the greenhouse to showcase the variety of plants, but in large, the florid room doesn't see too many visitors beyond the occasional student seeking extra credit, Cooper, the rare studier and Saunders.

"Visitors are welcome," Cooper said, "which is why we put a sign up." 

One whole wall of the structure is dedicated to aloe plants. The flowering plant grows so much that Cooper said she often gives them away. But the greenhouse takes plants too. Cooper said when students own plants which have grown too large and unruly for a dorm room, they donate it to the biology department. During winter break, she also takes in plants while students are away.

Saunders said she occasionally helps move plants to botany labs, but often she simply feeds the aloes, the agave plant (a relative to the plant responsible for tequila), the rubber plants and the two dwarf banana trees. A few times a month, they're fertilized. Saunders said the banana trees, now a bit dried out, looked fantastic at the end of the summer. Cooper said they have yet to produce fruit. 

One of the more colorful plants in the greenhouse, called the Anthurium, looks like it has an elongated grub jumping off a red leaf. 

"These are actually flowers along this spadix," Saunders said, pointing towards the little dots covering the yellow edifice. "The red thing is actually called a spathe, but it's just an altered leaf." 

Next, she points out a leafy plant with what looks like rice growing in the middle of its leaves.

"For the first couple of weeks I always thought it was covered in bugs so it sort of creeped me out when I saw it in the corner of my eye," Saunders said. The little growths are another method of disguising flowers. 

Cooper points out a variety of plants after her botany lab. One species has existed virtually unchanged since dinosaurs roamed. Another, the pencil plant, stretches over two rubber plants, flanked by the aloes. A smaller one is knocked over.  

"It's a jungle in there," She said. "But jungles are good."

The war over wind

Nearly 200 Reading residents flooded Owens High School auditorium last Monday in order to discuss a possible wind energy project affecting Reading Township. At the center of contention was an ordinance passed last December, which set the township standards for wind energy development.
The current ordinance was passed by the Reading Township Board after receiving recommendations from the Reading Planning Commission. But the Township Board had some recommendations eased, making it easier for wind turbines to be built and for residents to be outraged — particularly over possible health, such as sound from the turbines and property value issues.
Township attorney Kevin Shirk, who drafted the ordinance passed by the Reading Township Board, said the ordinance is one of the strictest in Michigan.
Shirk said he was concerned over the Planning Commission's initial article for sound level standards, which would have required a developer to make a background sound check from every property in the township — a standard he believed to be unenforceable.
"If a developer can prove an ordinance is unenforceable," Shirk said. "That ordinance will fall."
Instead, Shirk followed the Township Board's instructions to make the ordinance feasible while following the planning commission's recommendations as closely as possible.
Gretchen Oberdick, secretary for the Reading Planning Commission said the commission's recommendations should've been stronger. "If we could, I would like a do-over for this ordinance."
The current ordinance states that any sound emitted from a turbine cannot exceed 45 decibels at any participating property line. Nor can it exceed 40 decibels at the property line of any non-participating property. The state of Michigan suggests sound levels for wind turbine districts should not exceed 50 decibels. By comparison, a typical conversation between two people three feet apart is 60 to 70 decibels.
"All the data driven facts that we've amassed with the Wind Energy Association says 45 decibels are well within comfort levels of wind farms," Duke Energy spokesman Greg Efthimiou said.
Milton R. Howard, vice president of Wind Energy, a part of Duke Energy, had a letter circulated during the town hall meeting that said "an anti-wind energy group has been circulating misinformation... about the wind energy industry."
"These individuals," Howard wrote in a letter to the residents of Reading, "who may or may not be local residents, appear to be perpetuating myths about health effects form wind turbines, property value impacts, tax revenues and other topics."
Lee Tonnies, '75 Hillsdale alumnus, is the voice behind savereading.org, a website opposing wind turbines in Reading. Tonnies said she hasn't spread misinformation, and she's not against wind energy. She said she believes Reading doesn't have enough space for turbines to safely operate. She also said a study argued the announcement of turbines can drop property value up to 40 percent.
Efthimiou said the United States Department of Energy conducted a study finding no correlation between the presence of wind farms and loss in property value. He said a study done by the state of Michigan finds Reading to have enough resources for commercial wind energy, and that Duke Energy has been measuring wind power and direction for two years — taking into account height, different seasons and different times of the day.
The turbines, built by Duke Energy, may be spread out in a 12,000 acre area and provide up to 100 megawatts of energy to customers. Though Duke Energy has yet to announce the number of turbines to be built, Efthimiou said a typical utility-scale turbine provides anywhere between 1.5 to 2.3 megawatts. The current township overlay surrounds the city of Reading and borders Camden, Cambria and Allen Townships.
Currently, the township has a six-month moratorium on wind energy development, and will seek to review the ordinance. Duke Energy plans to hold an informational open house Saturday, March 12 in Reynolds Elementary School gymnasium in Reading.

Shooting the breeze about wind energy

Eleven tables lined the walls of the Reynolds Elementary School gymnasium in Reading, Mich. They had informational brochures, packets full of bulletin points and a video showing workers hurrying to construct a wind turbine. But it wasn't 350 students who were instructed on the potential benefits wind energy — it was Reading residents.
Recently, Reading township passed a controversial ordinance accelerating the possibility of wind turbines being built within the area. While some are in favor of the construction, others aren't, claiming the turbines are detrimental to both property and health.
Duke Energy, a company planning to build turbines in the area, held an open house last Saturday in order to alleviate concerns.
"I don't feel like I was getting the straight answer," Gretchen Oberdick said, who came to the event with several other friends and compared notes.
She said they were all getting different answers. Oberdick, who's the secretary for the Reading Planning Commission, also helps with a website, savereading.org, which opposes wind turbines in Reading township.
She's concerned about the turbines interfering with broadcast signals, which, she said, has been documented by the National Broadcast Society and the Michigan Broadcast Society.
She's also concerned that some FAA maps she brought on wind energy being considered bogus by representatives, she said.
Al Slusher, a local farmer, leased his land to Duke Energy two years ago. He believes the project will bring more revenue to the area. He's not convinced of potential health problems because he's dealt with turbines before.
"Several people said they're noisy," Slusher said. "I don't think you could whisper low enough to make as much noise as they do. They talked about health problems, but I'm sure these cell phones they put up to their ear cause more problems."
Milton Howard, vice president of wind development at Duke Energy, said if the project does go forward, land owners, especially farmers, will receive money from tax revenues.
"Farmers want this to happen," Howard said. "If they have a bad year, they don't have anything to lean on."
Duke Energy spokesman Greg Efthimiou said the open house would provide the opportunity for residents to ask questions about wind energy in Hillsdale County.
"I'd say about 90 percent of the people here are positive about the wind turbines," he said "I think about 5 percent are still concerned, and the other five are very concerned."
Reading Resident Bill Moyer said he favors wind energy because it's the only other resource Hillsdale has besides Hillsdale College. His wife Sandy Moyer said she was a bit more skeptical of wind energy.
Tom Galloway was one of the first Reading residents to be involved with the Hillsdale Windpower Project. Duke Energy called Galloway two-and-a-half years ago asking permission to place a meteorological tower on his property. He was in Iowa when they called. He said yes.
"If nothing more, it'll generate a little excitement in the area," Galloway said. "I call it the ‘neat factor.'"
Galloway said he believes it's a good opportunity and use of land.
Howard said the company has acquired about 9,000 acres of lease land agreements in Allen, Cambria and Camden township and hopes to gain 3,000 more for buffering space.
Overall, he said the open house was a success, allowing residents to become more informed.
"The more we can communicate, the better," he said.