Maryhill Museum of Art recently gained acclaim for being the first in the US to make money through wind farm leasing.

Executive director Colleen Schafroth said that money from the wind farm will fund the museum’s wish to increase its museum endowment by $2 million or more. “I think it benefits museum-goers in many ways. First of all, it ensures the museum is here for the next 20 years,” she added.

The income will also fund hiking trails, educational programs and performances, as well as support the preservation of the slopes of plants like lupine, arrowroot, phlox, and wild onion.

Wind power capabilities had been detected from the surrounding area of the museum since the 1970s when Klickitat County officials tested the riverfront ridges to determine wind trends. Attempts at lease were made by wind power companies in the 1990s. But it was only less than two decades later when the museum finally got a promising lease from the Cannon Power Group.

Through leasing 26 contiguous miles, the Cannon Power Group plans to create one of the country’s biggest wind farms next year. So far, the company has sheltered 32 raptor nests and around 200 cultural sites. It is expected that the wind farm will power 250,000 households annually.


- Sunshine T. Santiago

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Sources:

¹ http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/visit.html
² http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-33/1247149259212500...
³ http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/images/grounds1.jpg