Hecate refiles application for 42-megawatt solar project

Map showing the proposed solar array locations of the Shepherd’s Run solar project.
Map courtesy of Hecate Energy LLC

Map showing the proposed solar array locations of the Shepherd’s Run solar project.
COPAKE — Hecate Energy LLC has filed responses to questions from New York’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting, which earlier this year kicked back the company’s application for a 42-megawatt solar farm as incomplete.
The project has been a topic for townspeople for years, having been first discussed in 2017. Then, it was planned as a 60-megawatt solar farm to be located near the intersection of Routes 23 and 7. But after Hecate lost control of 60 acres that were included in the project, the town sought a dismissal of the application, a motion that was granted in February 2024.
Hecate’s response then was to downscale the project at the same location and refile. On Dec. 23, 2024, it filed but its application was then rebuffed as incomplete with a long list of requested answers. Hecate’s latest filing on May 20 is a response to that ‘incomplete’ decision.
The project has drawn criticism and some support from citizen groups, and statelegislators have questioned it.
Days before the state’s decision, in February, State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-41, who chairs the Agriculture Committee, and State Assemblymember Didi Barrett, D-106, who chairs the Energy Committee, weighed in with concerns. Mayor Kamal Johnson of Hudson also wrote about that city’s questions regarding the siting of Shepherd’s Run on the watershed of the Taghkanic Creek, which supplies 100% of Hudson’s water supply.
Matt Levine, project manager, said, “After reviewing the notice from ORES from earlier this year, we worked to complete the application.
“As we move forward through the permit review process, we are committed to working with Copake, its residents and ORES to build a project that can help New York State meet its clean energy goals while supporting the economy and preserving the rural character of this special community.
“Shepherd’s Run has already been greatly improved by incorporating feedback from community members along the way, and we look forward to our continued working relationship in the future.”
Hecate’s latest filing, which amounts to more than 80 separate documents, is a response to the state’s detailed list of requests related to the project, which comprises approximately 723 acres.
The state requested additional information related to drawings depicting the extent of tree clearing, fencing and landscaping improvements. More information was requested about public health, safety and security, and about the visual impact of the project, including visual resources that would be affected and visibility from viewpoints. State regulators included requests for informationaboutsolar-glare as well as a lighting plan, and a survey of groundwater wells within 1000 feet of the site.
The state’s list of requests was extensive, and also covered categories such as terrestrial and aquatic ecology, wetlands, agricultural resources, transportation and socioeconomic impacts, as well as electric system effects and information about site restoration and decommissioning.
Town of Copake Supervisor Richard Wolf said the town attorney would review the latest filing and that would include an engineer assessment of the company’s responses.
Sensible Solar for Rural New York a citizen’s group, issued a statement: “There’s no good news in Hecate’s filing.There is still no evacuation plan for the Taconic Hills Schools is there’s a fire, and no commitment to meet NY State’s raw water standard to protect Hudson’s drinking water.In fact, we learned about more negative impacts of this ill-conceived project, such as: project construction will generate 1,500 tons of landfill waste, the new access road to several inverters does indeed go right across a protected waterway in violation of DEC regulations, solar panels are in fact planned for floodplain areas, and Hecate has refused to provide additional landscaping in certain areas, as requested by ORES.The more details we learn about Shepherd’s Run, the stronger we feel that this project is wrong for Copake.”
Friends of Columbia Solar, a citizen group that supports Shepherd’s Run, responded to the new filing with this statement: “We’re pleased that Hecate has hung in there with this project.We hope that ORES will find the application complete and move this project forward to the hearing stage, where we’ll welcome the opportunity to put facts in support of Shepherd’s Run before the public.We remain committed to focusing on the facts and the benefits this solar farm will bring to the community.
Below is a list of what Hecate said last week are major changes in response to community feedback.
—Reduced the fenced area to approximately 175 acres
—Added approximately 11 acres of shrub and tree plantings and revised landscaping to further minimize visual disturbances
—Added an Agrivoltaics Integration Plan that provides for sheep grazing in two of the array areas covering 73 acres
—Removed battery storage from the project scope
—Added extensive native tree and shrub planting to minimize sightlines for neighbors
—Support to extend/connect to local hiking trails or other passive recreational/educational opportunities
—Conducting local fire departments and first responder training
Including pollinator species seed mix within the landscaping plan
—Implementing a Net Conservation Benefit Plan for grassland birds to preserve more than 25 acres of additional habitat
—Incorporating wildlife-friendly rural style fencing instead of chain-link fencing
—Avoiding direct impacts to all state regulated Class I wetlands and developing a project with no net loss of wetlands
—Committing to not source solar panels from suppliers who utilize forced labor or that contain the environmental contaminant PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)
—Providing bidding opportunities to local suppliers and using local labor and purchasing when practicable
—Changing the location of a proposed access road.
Millerton News
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Millerton News

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Dee Salomon
Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.
You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.
These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.
So how do we ensure that there are sufficient caterpillars for them? That is the question, as caterpillars are very particular. Their butterfly or moth mothers cleverly attach their eggs to the very specific plants their tiny babies require. Once they hatch, the caterpillars eat the leaves of these plants until they are either picked off by birds to feed their young or create a chrysalis and turn into a moth or butterfly to repeat the cycle of life.
Some caterpillars are generalists and can survive on a variety of plants, but most — 90 percent, according to scientists — are specialists, relying on only one or two types of plants for survival. In their winged form, dietary restrictions ease as they source pollen more widely, but when it comes time to lay eggs, they use a keen sense of smell to find the specific plants that will help their young survive.
Research by Doug Tallamy shows that 90 percent of butterfly and moth species rely on just 14 percent of native plant species for food, which makes the planting of these “keystone” plants critical. Let’s review a few.
Goldenrod: Not all goldenrod is created equal. Old field goldenrod, (Solidago nemoralis), is a shorter and less aggressive alternative to the tall, aggressive goldenrod we are familiar with, as is wrinkleleaf goldenrod, (Solidago rugosa), a compact species that has arching sprays of bright yellow flowers supporting more than 100 species of insects. This species is deer-resistant with no serious pests or diseases. Last year, Mt. Cuba Center, a conservation center out of Delaware, focused its trials on goldenrod, and its research report, available online, is sortable not just by aesthetic attributes but also by the number of insects seen on each species.
Scarlet strawberry: (Fragaria virginiana), is one of the plants I have had great luck growing in the woodland. When there is a new sunny spot, which happens when a tree or large branch falls, I plant a few strawberries, which I dig out of a spot where they are thriving. These plants make a great groundcover and are especially nice used under trees for caterpillar “soft landings.”
Spotted Joe-Pye weed: We see this plant, (Eutrochium maculatum), on roadsides in late summer, but it looks as sharp as an ornamental in the hands of Michael Trapp, who, in the garden behind his shop in West Cornwall, encloses a bed of Joe-Pye weed with a short boxwood hedge, dignifying this plant that supports between 35 to 40 caterpillar species, including those that become the three-lined flower moth, Clymene moth, ruby tiger moth, Eupatorium borer moth and great spangled fritillary moth.
I am less familiar with fireweed, (Chamaenerion angustifolium), but will be adding it this year, as it may be the prettiest of the keystone plants in our region and attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth. I will let you know when I find a local nursery that stocks it and, when planted, how it fares here.
Also keep in mind this spring: smooth aster, (Symphyotrichum laeve); white yarrow, (Achillea millefolium); and the beautiful Canadian columbine, (Aquilegia canadensis), which is the first food for hummingbirds’ arrival in the Northwest Corner.
Dee Salomon ‘ungardens’ in Litchfield County.
Robin Roraback
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett
"The field of illustration is very close to my heart"
— Stephanie Plunkett
For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.
Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.
“The field of illustration is very close to my heart,” she said. Inspired by that example, she studied illustration at Pratt Institute and began her career as an illustrator before shifting toward museum work. An internship at the Brooklyn Museum proved pivotal. “It was inspiring to see the children come alive in front of art,” she recalled.
In addition to her curatorial work, Plunkett is the author of two children’s books, “Kongi and Potgi: A Cinderella Story from China” and “Sir Whong and the Golden Pig,” and has written or co-authored numerous books on illustration, including “Drawing Lessons from the Famous Artists School” and “Leo Lionni: Storyteller, Illustrator, Designer.” She earned an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and built a museum career that included positions at the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Heckscher Museum of Art before joining the Norman Rockwell Museum, where she has worked for 31 years.
But elevating illustration has meant challenging decades of critical skepticism.
“The goal has been to shine a light on this important American art form and to elevate public awareness of its artistic and cultural importance,”Plunkett said.
As a popular and widely circulated art, illustration is sometimes thought of as inferior to fine art, such as painting and sculpture. Plunkett considered why. She theorized that the 1913 New York Armory Show, the International Exhibition of Modern Art, with works by artists such as Picasso, Matisse and Duchamp, initially contributed to this evaluation. In the 1930s and ’40s, abstract expressionism became the art of the nation, and the rift widened further.
“Norman Rockwell became the antihero for many art critics of the time,” said Plunkett. “Illustration was viewed as too commercial and sentimental because of its emphasis on visual storytelling.”
Plunkett calls illustration “art with a job to do.” She explained, “Illustrators are adept at solving visual problems for their clients while expressing their own aesthetic and artistic vision.”

She noted that the line between the fine and applied arts “is much more porous now, with many artists working across platforms and styles.” She cited late-20th-century illustrators like Marshall Arisman, Barbara Nessim, Robert Cunningham, Bernie Fuchs and Mark English as illustrators who forged unique approaches to working and seeing.
Plunkett commented that people want to see the original illustrations. “Generally, Rockwell exhibitions bring high attendance. Currently, our traveling exhibition, ‘Norman Rockwell: From Camera to Canvas,’ is at the New Britain Museum of American Art, but we’ve traveled Rockwell and illustration to 45 states and several countries, including Japan, France, Italy and Germany.”
Nowadays, illustrators take on subjects that are important to them. “The children’s book industry is committed to sharing the richness and diversity of people and cultures with young readers.” Plunkett cited the late illustrator Jerry Pinkney’s commitment to this goal. As a boy, Pinkney found no books portraying children like him, and “his life’s mission as an artist was to present inspiring, positive images of children of color.”
The Norman Rockwell Museum and Rockwell Center seeds were sown when “Rockwell placed the first 199 artworks in the care and collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum upon its founding in 1969, some of which he personally acquired for the fledgling collection,” said Plunkett. “The museum’s current Rockwell holdings include 865 original artworks, the artist’s Stockbridge studio and an archive of 400,000 photographs, letters, props and first uses of the artist’s work. We also hold about 25,000 illustrations by other artists, from the historical to the contemporary.”
“We call ourselves the home for American illustration. We have a real commitment to illustrators and what they’ve accomplished,” said Plunkett.
The Norman Rockwell Museum is located at 9 Glendale Road, Stockbridge. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit
nrm.org
Brian Gersten
Craig Davis, co-founder and board chair of East Mountain House, an end-of-life care facility in Lakeville, will sponsor a March 5 screening of the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” at The Moviehouse in Millerton, followed by a discussion with attendees.
The film, which is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, follows the poet Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley as they are suddenly and unimaginably forced to navigate a terminal illness. The free screening invites audiences to gather not just for a film but for reflection on mortality, healing, connection and the ways communities support one another through difficult life transitions.
East Mountain House grew out of a realization that “there are so many issues with how we are taking care of our dying in our community,” said David. “We wanted to provide a solution for some people where they can die in a serene and calming home-like setting.” This compassionate approach at East Mountain House is carried out with the support of seven staff members and 42 volunteers who do everything from reading to residents, gardening, cooking, communicating with family members and assisting with therapeutic treatments. East Mountain House houses just two residents at a time, and staff and volunteers work around the clock to accommodate their needs.
In a culture where we are trained to panic when a loved one is dying, and where a clinical space like a hospital is the norm for many individuals at the end of their lives, Davis feels that East Mountain House is an alternative with a natural and organic approach to death. It’s a place where death can be celebrated and viewed as something that is simply a part of life. Davis’ vision for East Mountain House is more than a decade in the making, and he is eager to introduce his work and his perspective to locals at the upcoming community screening.
One of the reasons Davis was interested in sponsoring a screening of “Come See Me In The Good Light” was because the film gracefully explores themes of vulnerability, resilience and the search for meaning in the face of death. Through its deeply personal storytelling, the film highlights how people navigate loss, transformation and the desire to be seen for who they truly are. The documentary’s emphasis on compassion and human connection aligns closely with the mission of East Mountain House, making the post-film discussion a natural extension of the evening.
Davis hopes the event will serve as both a cultural offering and a community touchstone — an opportunity for neighbors to gather in a welcoming space, share ideas and reflect on the importance of end-of-life support systems. The screening is free and open to the public, though advance registration is recommended due to limited seating.
For registration, go to themoviehouse.net.

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