[TN-Bird] Re: Fwd: Navy Landing Field threatens refuge in NC
- From: John Devereux Joslin <jdjoslin@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: TN-Bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2003 10:14:18 -0400
Thanks for alerting us to this situation, Hazel (SEE Articles below).
This seems to be an unbelievably stupid and outrageous preliminary
choice by the Navy to consider building a huge airstrip immediately nest
to a major wildlife preserve, thereby simultaneously endangering their
pilots, taking over peoples' private farms, AND degrading a major
national wildlife preserve, with 100,000 shorebirds, including Tundra
Swans. There is even talk of poisoning birds to protect the planes!
As you suggested, I went to the Audubon web site
(www.capitolconnect.com/audubon/summary.asp?subject=252), and wrote my
own short
Faxed letters to Acting Navy Secretary Hansford
Johnson, Congressman Zach Wamp, and Senators Alexander and Frist.
It was easy. Thanks again for alerting all of us to this important
issue. Even though this is not in Tennessee, I hope many of us who care
about birds will stand up for what is right here and send quick and easy
notes to those who are still on the fence on this important decision.
Dev Joslin
Oak Ridge, TN
HagieCas@xxxxxxx wrote:
> You'll probably hear this from other sources, but just to be sure!
> Hazel Cassel
>
> In a message dated 7/31/03 10:11:10 AM Central Daylight Time,
> WGOLDER@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
>
>> Subj: Navy Landing Field threatens refuge in NC
>> Date: 7/31/03 10:11:10 AM Central Daylight Time
>> From: WGOLDER@xxxxxxxxxxx
>> To: SEPART-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Sent from the Internet
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> All:
>> Please read below.
>> This is the worst place imaginable for a Navy landing field: for the
>> pilots and planes, not to mention the birds. Any and all input
>> would be greatly appreciated.
>> Thank you in advance.
>> Walker Golder
>> Audubon-North Carolina
>> more ionformation can be found on www.ncaudubon.org
>>
>> NAVY PLAN FOR LANDING FIELD THREATENS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE IN
>> NORTH CAROLINA
>>
>>
>>
>> The Navy has recommended building a jet landing field just a few
>> miles from a National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina. The plan
>> threatens the refuge, its wildlife, and the surrounding community.
>> We only have until AUGUST 18TH to let the Acting Secretary of the
>> Navy know it is a bad idea and to ask him to consider other options.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> The recommendation came as the Final Environmental Impact Statement
>> on proposed basing for the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet aircraft was
>> released July 18. At risk is the globally significant Pocosin Lakes
>> National Wildlife Refuge located on the Albemarle Peninsula of North
>> Carolina. The refuge is the historic winter grounds for 100,000
>> large migratory waterfowl, including Snow Geese and Tundra Swans
>> from as far away as Alaska and Arctic Canada. Bald Eagles, red
>> wolves, and many other significant wildlife species call the area
>> home.
>>
>>
>>
>> Throughout the EIS process, Audubon and many other conservation
>> groups, state and federal biologists, and even a senior military
>> safety expert warned the Navy of the severe risk of birds hitting
>> planes at the location and the massive disruption to refuge
>> operations and wildlife the 150 low-level flights per day would
>> cause. To try to "manage" the risks, the Navy has now announced
>> plans to buy-out or condemn 30,000 acres of family farms around the
>> 2,000-acre landing field and make it unappealing to birds. If that
>> doesn't work, they will harass the birds and even kill them if
>> necessary. Local citizens are in turmoil over the impacts to their
>> communities and livelihoods.
>>
>>
>>
>> Please contact the Navy Secretary and your congressional
>> representatives to let them know what a bad idea this is. For quick
>> action, go to Audubon's automated response website:
>> www.capitolconnect.com/audubon/summary.asp?subject=252
>>
>>
>>
>> Or, fax your own letter to Acting Secretary Hansford T. Johnson at
>> 703-697-3991; be sure to also alert your senators and
>> representatives so they can make sure the Navy does the right thing
>> and protects our natural heritage and communities.
>>
>>
>> more...
>>
>>
>>
>> From the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
>> Posted on Wed, Jul. 30, 2003
>> The Navy's bad choice: Pentagon shouldn't put fliers, planes at
>> risk in flyway
>>
>> If the Navy's top brass accepts the recommendation of a senior
>> official to build a practice jet landing field next to a national
>> wildlife refuge in northeastern North Carolina's Washington County,
>> it will be making a move that can be summed up in one word: stupid.
>>
>> How stupid? This stupid: Washington County and the Pocosin Lakes
>> National Wildlife Refuge are home each year to up to 100,000 tundra
>> swans and snow geese. They fly in each fall from Canada and Alaska
>> and stay until the late winter. They overnight on the waters of the
>> Pocosin lakes, flying each morning to nearby fields to spend part of
>> the day feeding before returning to the lakes in the evening.
>>
>> The birds are big. Tundra swans often have wingspans of 6 feet and
>> can weigh 17 pounds. We're not talking wrens and warblers here.
>> We're talking about big flying obstacles that will cause enormous
>> damage to the Navy's jet aircraft.
>>
>> Retired Air Force Col. Jeffrey Short studied and designed the
>> military's bird-aircraft strike hazard program. In 25 years of
>> dealing with programs intended to avoid collisions of birds and
>> military aircraft, he said, "I cannot recall a worse place to
>> situate an airfield for jet training." He told the Navy,
>> "Considering the significant bird strike hazards and their impact on
>> the mission, it would seem to be folly for the Navy -- and the U.S.
>> taxpayers -- to invest in the development" of the outlying landing
>> field near the wildlife refuge.
>>
>> The Navy is contemplating purchasing up to 30,000 acres around the
>> outlying land field it would construct so the jets can practice
>> landings. It hopes to alter the migratory waterfowl's feeding and
>> nesting habits to minimize the possibility of accidents. Instead,
>> the Navy should alter its plans.
>>
>> Washington County is as patriotic a place as you will find in this
>> pro-military state. But it is also building an economy around
>> eco-tourism. The region has an obvious economic interest in
>> protecting the environment, including some of the most important
>> winter feeding grounds along the Atlantic flyway.
>>
>> The Navy has other options, including near the Cherry Point Marine
>> Corps Air Station, where the landing field would make sense and
>> where it would be welcomed. Given the potential for accidents and
>> the existence of alternatives, the Navy and the Pentagon would make
>> a huge mistake siting the landing field in Washington County. It
>> makes no sense to put pilots, their aircraft and some of the Earth's
>> most spectacular waterfowl at risk of catastrophic collision.
>>
>> more...
>> From NPR:
>>
>> NPR's Morning Edition, Wednesday morning, July 30th. Y ou can
>> hear it on NPR's web site, www.npr.org, by searching under Morning
>> Edition for July 30, or by searching under "Roper"
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject: Navy Landing Field threatens refuge in NC
> Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2003 10:57:17 -0400
> From: "GOLDER, Walker" <WGOLDER@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: SEPART-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx All:Please read below. This is the
> worst place imaginable for a Navy landing field: for the pilots and
> planes, not to mention the birds. Any and all input would be greatly
> appreciated.Thank you in advance.Walker GolderAudubon-North
> Carolinamore ionformation can be found on www.ncaudubon.org
>
> NAVY PLAN FOR LANDING FIELD THREATENS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE IN
> NORTH CAROLINA<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
> "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
>
> The Navy has recommended building a jet landing field just a few miles
> from a National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina.The plan threatens
> the refuge, its wildlife, and the surrounding community.We only have
> until AUGUST 18TH to let the Acting Secretary of the Navy know it is a
> bad idea and to ask him to consider other options.
>
> The recommendation came as the Final Environmental Impact Statement on
> proposed basing for the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet aircraft was released
> July 18.At risk is the globally significant Pocosin Lakes National
> Wildlife Refuge located on the Albemarle Peninsula of North
> Carolina.The refuge is the historic winter grounds for 100,000 large
> migratory waterfowl, including Snow Geese and Tundra Swans from as far
> away as Alaska and Arctic Canada.Bald Eagles, red wolves, and many
> other significant wildlife species call the area home.
>
> Throughout the EIS process, Audubon and many other conservation
> groups, state and federal biologists, and even a senior military
> safety expert warned the Navy of the severe risk of birds hitting
> planes at the location and the massive disruption to refuge operations
> and wildlife the 150 low-level flights per day would cause.To try to
> "manage" the risks, the Navy has now announced plans to buy-out or
> condemn 30,000 acres of family farms around the 2,000-acre landing
> field and make it unappealing to birds. If that doesn't work, they
> will harass the birds and even kill them if necessary. Local citizens
> are in turmoil over the impacts to their communities and livelihoods.
>
> Please contact the Navy Secretary and your congressional
> representatives to let them know what a bad idea this is.For quick
> action, go to Audubon's automated response
> website:www.capitolconnect.com/audubon/summary.asp?subject=252
>
> Or, fax your own letter to Acting Secretary Hansford T. Johnson at
> 703-697-3991; be sure to also alert your senators and representatives
> so they can make sure the Navy does the right thing and protects our
> natural heritage and communities.
>
> more...
>
>
> From the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
> Posted on Wed, Jul. 30, 2003
>
> The Navy's bad choice: Pentagon shouldn't put fliers, planes at risk
> in flyway
>
> If the Navy's top brass accepts the recommendation of a senior
> official to build a practice jet landing field next to a national
> wildlife refuge in northeastern North Carolina's Washington County, it
> will be making a move that can be summed up in one word: stupid.
>
> How stupid? This stupid: Washington County and the Pocosin Lakes
> National Wildlife Refuge are home each year to up to 100,000 tundra
> swans and snow geese. They fly in each fall from Canada and Alaska and
> stay until the late winter. They overnight on the waters of the
> Pocosin lakes, flying each morning to nearby fields to spend part of
> the day feeding before returning to the lakes in the evening.
>
> The birds are big. Tundra swans often have wingspans of 6 feet and can
> weigh 17 pounds. We're not talking wrens and warblers here. We're
> talking about big flying obstacles that will cause enormous damage to
> the Navy's jet aircraft.
>
> Retired Air Force Col. Jeffrey Short studied and designed the
> military's bird-aircraft strike hazard program. In 25 years of dealing
> with programs intended to avoid collisions of birds and military
> aircraft, he said, "I cannot recall a worse place to situate an
> airfield for jet training." He told the Navy, "Considering the
> significant bird strike hazards and their impact on the mission, it
> would seem to be folly for the Navy -- and the U.S. taxpayers -- to
> invest in the development" of the outlying landing field near the
> wildlife refuge.
>
> The Navy is contemplating purchasing up to 30,000 acres around the
> outlying land field it would construct so the jets can practice
> landings. It hopes to alter the migratory waterfowl's feeding and
> nesting habits to minimize the possibility of accidents. Instead, the
> Navy should alter its plans.
>
> Washington County is as patriotic a place as you will find in this
> pro-military state. But it is also building an economy around
> eco-tourism. The region has an obvious economic interest in protecting
> the environment, including some of the most important winter feeding
> grounds along the Atlantic flyway.
>
> The Navy has other options, including near the Cherry Point Marine
> Corps Air Station, where the landing field would make sense and where
> it would be welcomed. Given the potential for accidents and the
> existence of alternatives, the Navy and the Pentagon would make a huge
> mistake siting the landing field in Washington County. It makes no
> sense to put pilots, their aircraft and some of the Earth's most
> spectacular waterfowl at risk of catastrophic collision.
>
> more...
> From NPR:
>
> NPR's Morning Edition, Wednesday morning, July 30th. Y ou can hear it
> on NPR's web site, www.npr.org, by searching under Morning Edition for
> July 30, or by searching under "Roper"
>
>
=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
The TN-Bird Net requires you to sign your messages with
first and last name, city (town) and state abbreviation.
-----------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send email to:
tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
TN-Bird Net Owner: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx (423) 764-3958
=========================================================
Other related posts:
- » [TN-Bird] Re: Fwd: Navy Landing Field threatens refuge in NC
