By Dan Alstott
Your editor asked me to write an introduction to this special section of The Riverwatch and suggested that some readers may not be completely aware of the past history of the controversy surrounding Camp Grayling, and that a brief chronology may be useful.
AMAC got started in September, 1987, about nine months after the inception of The Anglers and about the time of the first annual meeting of The Anglers.
The following items, in chronological order, highlight the first five years, from late in 1987 to the summer of 1992:
In the last five years we lost the Hanson lawsuit, the lawsuit regarding the EIS, and the military has prevailed in deploying the MLRS on Range 40, a polluted range.
As a result of the Consent Order the military began its testing of Camp Grayling's ranges. It found toxic contamination on Range 40, the north range, and it was listed as a state 307 site. Testing has continued on this range. (See articles by Mallory and Kevern.)
The deployment of the MLRS has proceeded, but the Guard can't fire the weapon without issuing a supplement to its original EIS.
The loss of the lawsuit was a grave disappointment. (See story by Gustafson.)
The final EIS for Camp Grayling was badly flawed after being rewritten a few times in the five years following the 1989 hearings. The good news is there were only three projects left in the original twenty in the draft EIS. Besides the MPRC there are a new bulk fuel facility and some storage buildings for heavy equipment.
We never had any problem with these projects. The lawsuit only involved the MPRC.
Of the deleted projects, the one that we feel best about is the cancellation of the originally proposed Assault Landing Strip (ALS) that was scheduled for construction along the Manistee River near Sharon in Kalkaska County. The ALS would have allowed huge C-130 aircraft to land and disgorge troops in a simulated combat setting before taking off again, creating new areas of noise disturbance and potential environmental hazards.
We can only say: good riddance!
The past three years have been a ride with many highs and lows. AMAC, however, intends to stay the course. We will continue our efforts to convince the political establishment that converting Camp Grayling to a more realistic training mission, in line with present world conditions, is not only the right thing to do but an absolute necessity. With that end we will work to eliminate high explosive weapons and bombs, further reduce noise, monitor and critique Range 40 pollution testing methods and findings, and continue to press for environmental protection.
The premise that part-time reserves trained but two weeks a year in the field with occasional weekend training can go into battle alongside regular troops was shown to be unfeasible in the Gulf War. However, reserves for support missions, not combat, were absolutely vital to the success of Desert Storm. Doctors, nurses, truck drivers, military police, and many others served with distinction in the Kuwait desert. It seems logical therefore that Camp Grayling can and should be converted to the training of the forces required when our regular combat troops go into battle. That is the appropriate role of the reserves, and therefore the proper role of the Michigan National Guard.
Concluding this introduction, I would like to emphasize that our next major project will be to conduct our own tests of Range 40 contamination. (See stories in this issue.) This project is expected to begin before the end of this year. It will be a major effort, designed and conducted by the best scientists in the state. If the results demonstrate serious contamination, then we may, as Bill Mallory suggests, "again be forced to seek legal remedies" if the Michigan DNR does not act.
We solicit your support.
RWOL
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