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Navy Looks Elsewhere for Landing Field

Audubon North Carolina’s six-year battle to stop a jet landing field from devastating the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge has finally pushed the Navy to look at alternatives and abandon its original “preferred” site. “Site C,” just miles away from the refuge in Washington and Beaufort counties of eastern North Carolina had, until recently, remained on the top of the Navy’s list, even as both houses of the U.S. Congress pulled funding for any work at that site for the coming year.

On January 22, 2008, the Navy’s senior leaders announced that all the sites previously studied, including the Pocosin site, were no longer under consideration. Audubon applauds this move by the Navy.

Audubon has worked with many environmental and community partners since 2001 to build opposition to a jet landing field that would have put both pilots and the refuge at risk. Pocosin Lakes NWR is winter home to more than 100,000 large swans and geese each year. Supporting 31,000 jet operations each year in the midst of such a density of birds was simply unworkable.

In September 2007 representatives of the state and the Navy released six new locations that were under consideration in North Carolina for the field. Ten sites had previously been announced within Virginia.

Audubon presented its preliminary analysis of the six sites to a reformulated Governor’s Study Group on October 4th, concluding that while all sites deserved more study related to bird and environmental issues, none of the six had the overwhelming difficulties of the Pocosin Lakes or Mattamuskeet proposed sites, where 100,000s of large waterfowl winter.

The Navy has narrowed its focus for new locations to three sites in Virginia and two in North Carolina. Communities are rightly concerned about the potential impacts of a field at all the locations. The Navy promises to be much more attentive to community concerns as it evaluates alternatives. A final decision on a landing field site could be more than two years away.

Latest Developments:

• January 22, 2008: Audubon Applauds Navy’s Decision to Abandon Pocosin Lakes Site
• March 19, 2007: USFWS Director Hall Challenges Navy Conclusions
• February 23, 2007: NC Governor Easley Requests Congress Cut Funding for OLF
• February 23, 2007: Navy issues new, flawed study
• November 1, 2006: "Crash Course" -- Audubon magazine's Ted Williams tells all
• October 25, 2006: Environmentalists, Navy Reach Settlement on Airspace Issue
• August 30, 2006: Endangered Red Wolves on OLF Site
• December 7, 2005: Navy Plane and Birds Almost Collide in Test Flight
• September 7, 2005: Court of Appeals Rules Against Navy Landing Field in Eastern North Carolina

Additional Information:

• Fact Sheet on Landing Field.
• Map of Proposed Landing Field and Additional Military Operations Areas.
• Find full legal briefs and other useful information at the Southern Environmental Law Center web site.
• Follow local community actions and find media clips on the Navy battle at the NO-OLF web site.