Facts or Fiction 8/24/06 Letter to the Editor

[Nancy]

What are the facts surrounding the UPPCO land sales at Bond Flowage?

According to UPPCO, Naterra’s preliminary plans, outlined in June, “only” called for 35 individual docks and up to 40 multiple slip piers around Bond Flowage. However, they failed to state the 40 multiple slip piers will accommodate up to 10 boat slips each. Do the math. Thirty-five individual private docks plus 40 private (10 slip) piers will accommodate 435 moored boats at Bond. Naterra's preliminary plans call 424 homesites. It is clear that Naterra, with Interior Township officials and UPPCO’s endorsement, is planning for a private boat slip on the project lands for each of the new lots. Naterra's new lot owners are not purchasing lakefront property; they should not have the exclusive rights to private docks.

UPPCO is trying to divert attention from their license agreement and has never explained how private lighted docks are “consistent with the purposes of protecting and enhancing the scenic, recreational and other environmental values of the project.” (Article 422 Order Approving Settlement & Issuing New License, 8/20/03).

UPPCO claims most of the 424 houses planned for Bond Flowage "will be barely noticeable". The easements UPPCO hopes to convey to Naterra for the new lot owners include the right to build trails no less than 4 feet in width (no maximum width given) and can clear brush and shrubbery of less than 2 inches in diameter (measured at the height of 5 feet from the ground). Calling it "brush and shrubbery" sounds better than cutting small trees in an area that is supposed to be managed for old-growth where no vegetative management (cutting of living plants shrubs and trees)would be allowed according to UPPCO’s license. Easements also include the right to remove dead or diseased trees. This amounts to cutting paths/trails through the project lands in areas that are supposed to be managed for all the public not just the landowners who purchased lots outside of the project lands.

UPPCO would like you to believe that private trails from 424 lots, to the shoreline to 435 private (lighted) boat slips in the project lands will be “barely noticeable”. I believe the beauty of the Bond Flowage, with its present undeveloped shoreline, will be lost forever.