Down a grinding, dirt access road near the southern end of Monroe County stands a place straight out of Thoreau's Walden: a log cabin that looks like its shouldered a century of snowy winters rises along Dugan Creek. The people who work, manage and own the land holdings of Stokoe Farms still go there in the fall for a harvest family cookout and celebration.
The cabin looks out on 300 acres of prime, Genesee River basin fields that host winter wheat again. But in just a few springs, the same land will host a quarter of one of the largest solar farms Monroe County has ever seen.
- The Stokoe family has leased the land to Invenergy
- The firm hopes to add 600,000 solar panels along the river
- Proposed panels can't be seen from the road
- The project is still in the permitting process
Suzanne Stokoe and her family leased the land to Invenergy, the firm proposing a 1,200 acre array of energy generation known as Horseshoe Solar. Stokoe is one of five land owners leasing property for the solar farm. If approved, it would create a crescent of 600,000 solar panels along the river on land in both Rush and Caledonia.
"Solar energy leases can really help a farm diversify a small portion of their land and generate a significantly higher known income," said Stokoe. "We're not selling off this land for developing. We still own this land, and solar panels make a very small disturbance to the property."
She says revenue from the solar lease would enable her family business to remain viable.
The family has farmed soil in Wheatland and Caledonia since 1812. It's known by most around Rochester as the place to go for Christmas trees, hayrides and pumpkin patches.
Stokoe says her family's property rights also allow the family to turn their land from amber waves of grain to glass fields of green.
"We're very conscious of what neighbors have to see and what they think," she said. "So this sight is completely remote and not visible from the road."
The view is what brought most of the questions from citizens at Invenergy's latest open house for the Horseshoe Solar project. Nearly 100 people stopped in at the shelter behind Rush Town Hall to learn about the specifics of the project, which pledges to generate enough energy to power 35,000 to 50,000 local homes.
Susan Stanton was one of those who wanted to learn more. Her family's Claude Bragdon-designed home in Rush overlooks the Genesee.
"Change is inevitable. Either adapt or die," Stanton said. "But I want some reassurances: that my house, that I know is eligible for the national register for historic places, will not lose that eligibility because of that loss of view."
Invengergy is at the beginning of the state's lengthy solar project permitting process. The earliest that the project could be online is 2022.