Martha Frey had been visiting relatives who are part of the St Cloud State University programme, based at Alnwick Castle.
But her vacation turned out to be something of a busman's holiday, because she is actively involved in a campaign to halt a m
assive wind farm development in her native upstate New York.
And when she heard about the inquiry sitting at the Northumberland Hall, into the 18-turbine scheme proposed for Middlemoor, she couldn't resist.
Martha is executive director of Otsego 2000, a small not-for-profit, private foundation devoted to protecting the environment in northern Otsego County.
She and her colleagues are currently challenging plans for the giant Jordanville Wind Farm, located south of the Mohawk Valley near Cooperstown, where she lives.
If built, it would dwarf the Middlemoor scheme, with an array of 49 turbines.
Martha said: "I couldn't believe it when I came to Alnwick, only to read about the wind farm proposals for Middlemoor in the Northumberland Gazette.
"Back home, we're facing the same kind of threat to our countryside, only on a much larger scale than here in England.
"It was very interesting to sit in on a day of the inquiry and hear about the issues local people are facing, and I will be reporting what happened here when I get back home."
Martha also praised the Gazette's daily online coverage, saying: "The newspaper covered the proceedings breathlessly, extensively and up to the minute, with updates in the mornings and afternoons throughout the course of the inquiry."
To read Martha's full article about her Alnwick experience, visit her local paper,
The Freemans Journal.
The full article contains 301 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
