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> Home > Our Issues > Successes > Outlying Landing Field Outlying Landing FieldSuccess!! The Navy announced on Tuesday, January 22 that it was scrapping plans for the Outlying Landing Field (OLF) in Beaufort and Washington counties, which would have devastated the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, an important retreat for migrating waterfowl covering 113,000 acres. The little guys – and not so little birds – won. Few thought the juggernaut could be opposed, but a grassroots coalition that grew to over 100 diverse interests persuaded the Navy to look elsewhere and policy makers to intervene. Sierra Club staff and volunteers were proud to be a part of this effort. Congressional BackgroundWith the proposed location of the jet landing field under increasingly intense political fire, the US House in May 2007 approved a defense spending bill that repealed authorization and cut off funds for the Navy's preferred site in northeastern North Carolina. US Representatives G.K. Butterfield and David Price were leaders in securing this outcome. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 is now before the Senate. Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr both expressed concerns about the project at the Navy's preferred location adjacent to a national wildlife refuge. Congressional action followed six years of intense community activism in addition to lawsuits filed by environmental and wildlife groups. Earlier in 2007, thousands of concerned citizens attended public hearings to respond to the updated Environmental Impact Statement in which the Navy re-affirmed its preference for the Washington/Beaufort county site. Lead by Governor Mike Easley, bipartisan political opposition to the project mounted steadily. OLF Background In 2000, the United States Navy proposed to place an outlying landing field (OLF) in Washington and Beaufort Counties, NC, rural farming communities in the northeastern part of the state. The purpose of the landing field is to allow pilots to practice jet aircraft carrier landings. The OLF would have seen thousands of such landings throughout the year, about one every fifteen minutes by the Navy’s estimate. The Navy planned to acquire thousands of acres around the airfield, including prime farmlands. The area was less than four miles from a major migratory stop for hundreds of thousands of tundra swans and snow geese. These are big birds. Tundra swans weigh 10 to 20 pounds, have a wingspan of 5 to 6 feet and fly at night, obviously dangerous for Navy pilots. The 10 squadrons of Super Hornet fighter jets that would have used the OLF would have been based primarily in Virginia. Only two squadrons would have been based at Cherry Point in Carteret County. Communities where the planes are based receive the economic benefit associated with a defense installation, in terms of good jobs and increased tax revenue. There would have been no net economic benefit to the farming communities of Washington and Beaufort Counties from hosting the OLF. Impact on wildlife To control the bird population, the Navy planned to use dogs, fireworks and poison. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission expressed grave concerns about the Navy’s proposal to use a highly toxic pesticide, Avitrol, which is banned for such uses in North Carolina. The Navy also acknowledged it might have used firearms to shoot large migratory birds. Dale Hall, director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, stated in a February public hearing that “We have a national wildlife refuge whose purpose is to pull birds in. The mission of the outlying landing field would be to push birds away." Impact on the pilots The solution Since the beginning, Sierra Club asked Governor Mike Easley and other elected officials to do everything within their power to dissuade the Navy from siting the OLF in Washington and Beaufort Counties. Local communities and over 100 diverse groups, ranging from Sierra Club and Audubon Society to Duck Unlimited, the National Rifle Association and the NAACP, all joined in the fight to get the Navy to choose a more suitable site. Sierra Club's volunteers and staff attended rallies and public hearings, advocated before state's executive branch and with members of Congress, and engaged the public on the issue. The Sierra Club worked in the NC General Assembly to pass legislation to improve the state's ability to negotiate with the federal government on future major federal land acquisition and usage---including any new land acquisitions by the Navy for proposed OLF sites. Resources North Carolinians Opposed to the OLF Audubon North Carolina More informationGov. Mike Easley Says Congress Needs to Withhold Funding (Feb. 23, 2007) Senator Dole's Letter coming out against the OLF N &O Story: Navy announces an end to plans for the OLF in Beaufort and Washington Counties |
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