This letter, hand delivered to various members of the US Congress and Senate on July 13, 2005 by the NOOLF coalition pretty well states the problems with the Navy's move to place the OLF in Washington and Beaufort counties, NC.

Dear Congressional Member,

As concerned citizens of the United States of America, we respectfully request that you view the enclosed documentary and the information provided in this packet. Please study the Navy´s plan to build an OLF (Outlying Landing Field) in the heart of the Atlantic Flyway. The birds are protected by the International Migratory Bird Treaty. The Navy´s studies downplayed the substantial risk of collisions between jets and the huge flocks of large migratory birds that winter in the area, and minimized adverse impacts to a globally significant wildlife refuge. The OLF will displace farming families dating back several generations and homeowners. Respectfully, we ask that you encourage the Navy to pursue an OLF in a manner and location which satisfies the goals set forth in the BRAC process, namely efficiency, cost reduction, and cooperative training.

PROPOSED OLF WILL THREATEN

• Millitary Pilots, Farmers, Homeowners and Wildlife

Purpose of this OLF

• Concrete landing strip where repetitive flight operations are conducted by military pilots
• Aircraft carrier touch-and-go practice by F/A-18 E/F (Super Hornet) Aircraft
• Constant low-level flying at the airstrip and surrounding area 

Location of the proposed Navy OLF site

• Washington/Beaufort counties, adjacent to Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
• Albemarle/Pamlico peninsula in Northeastern North Carolina

Site selected, wrong site for an OLF

• Wildlife experts, military experts and scientific data concur -- wrong site for an OLF
•  Jeffrey J. Short, Colonel (ret.) USAFR, considered the "father" of the USAF Bird Avoidance Model: Letter to Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy Arny, April 2003 "
• In 25 years of dealing with military BASH issues, I cannot recall a worse place to situate an airfield for jet training."
• Scientific data from BAM (Bird Avoidance Model) and a recent radar study conducted by Ronald L. Merritt a former Chief of the USAF BASH (Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard) Task Force forecast severe risk of BASH: Letter to Navy Secretary England, October 2003
• "There are very few places in the United States where this level of threat exists."
• Dangerous to Navy pilots, aircraft, civilians and wildlife due to the likelihood of aircraft collisions with the hundreds of thousands of large migratory birds
• Will destroy the Pungo Unit of PLNWR, a waterfowl sanctuary, where migratory birds have been coming for hundreds of years ("A New Voyage to Carolina," 1709, John Lawson) 

OLF is not required

• Original reason for an OLF in North Carolina -- jet noise concerns
• Navy letter, October 2000: "It is precisely because of community concerns over jet noise that we are carefully exploring the establishment of an additional outlying field ..."
• Navy pre-selected the site, used "reverse engineering" and flawed data to make the Washington/Beaufort counties site the "best site.": Navy email, September 2002
• Split-siting brings no benefits: Navy email, September 2002
• OLF operations will become obsolete: Navy email, April 2003
• Existing facilities adequate: Navy FEIS, July 2003, 2-60

OLF will affect the economy negatively at the site area

• Devastate one of the poorest areas of North Carolina
• In contrast with existing OLFs this site is not close to a military base, will not receive economic benefits from the base

Navy disregarding key BRAC priorities: efficiency and joint operations

• The Navy will condemn over 30,000 acres for the purpose of constructing new facilities rather than using existing military facilities that would be more efficient and cost effective
• The Navy refuses to consider an ideal location where flight operations currently exist, Open Grounds Farm in Carteret County

Those opposed to the site selected for the OLF

• Military experts, wildlife experts, environmental, property rights, sportsman organizations, federal agencies, N.C. officials and agencies, citizens of Beaufort and Washington counties

OLF Site Issues and Concerns

• National issue:
• Safety of military pilots
• Protect a globally significant National Wildlife Refuge
• Waste of Federal Tax Dollars
• OLF at the Washington/Beaufort Counties site will result in the following:
• Danger for military pilots, citizens, wildlife, loss of 50+ million dollar aircraft
• Destruction of family farms established before Colonial times
• Loss of livelihood for future farming families, large number of agricultural related jobs
• Loss of over 30,000 acres (almost fifty square miles)
• Loss of thousands of dollars of county tax revenue, real estate values
• Loss of present and future natural resources that support ecotourism, tourism, sportsman activities, retirement communities, recreational communities
• Pollution:
• air, land, water, noise 100+ organizations and groups oppose the site Better locations for the OLF

Lawsuit

• January, 2004 ­ suit filed in federal district court against the U.S. Navy´s OLF site
• February 18, 2005 ­ permanent injunction against the U.S. Navy´s OLF issued
• Navy appealed permanent injunction, hearing July 20, 2005

U.S. Congress can help

• Encourage the Navy to pursue an OLF in a manner and location which satisfies the goals set forth in the BRAC process, namely efficiency, cost reduction, and cooperative training

The OLF is an important issue for North Carolina, and our nation.