[Editor's Note: This is the fourth and final of a multi-part series of articles on the Grant County Commission special meeting addressing the proposal to expand training airspace over the county. This portion will address public comment.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

Almost half the Grant County Commission special session to hear about airspace optimization on Nov. 14, 2017 was dedicated to public comment. Commission Chairman Brett Kasten had requested that public comment be added to the agenda, and it came last after the presentations and commissioners' questions.

The first to speak was Brett Myrick of Gila, who thanked the presenters for their service. "I served SEAL Team 5." He explained that any four-prop planes people see are C-130s, but he commented: "The sound of a jet over you in the wilderness at 500 feet is not good." In 1998, he called Fort Bliss because he had been brought to the ground by the concussion of sound when he was in a slot canyon in the wilderness. He was told it was done by German pilots.

"I'm opposed to any military aircraft in the Gila Wilderness," Myrick said.

Ken Keppler said he served in Vietnam. "I see things in context. I was in Vietnam in 1965. My uncle was in the Pentagon and he was happy with having a war, because he knew there would be promotions. Without wars, without fear, no one gets promoted. With the industrial war machine, lieutenants can become captains. More pilots guarantee more promotions. There are better options for retirement. The U.S. makes money selling arms all over the world. They had to destroy homes in Raqqa to save them. The Sunnis want to get rid of the Shia. After they destroy the environment, they will bomb our homes."

Patrice Mutchnick of Gila Hot Springs said her late husband was an Army medic. "I'm happy to see the commission hasn't publicized their opinions. We support the troops, but it has to be balanced with the environment. We value our public lands. We live rural lives. We treat our neighbors kindly. At Gila Hot Springs, for the past 10 years there have been low level flights, buzzing the tops of the Forks Campground. We're dependent on the qualities of the environment. It seems the commission should join together. We are already subject to flyovers. We need to learn what we don't know. The commission should consider a task force, so we can keep accountable the Sheriff, the police department, the Forest Service and BLM."

Allyson Siwik of the Gila Resources Information Project and Gila Conservation Caolition thanked the commissioners for organizing the special session and the Air Force for agreeing to come.

She alleged that the expansion is of critical importance to more than the 100 or so in the room, "but I have signatures from 2,300 who oppose the expansion of flights. They are from people who live here and from people who don't live here but love to visit. They have sent an overwhelming message that the expanded airspace is incompatible with the Gila National Forest and Wilderness. We don't want it. We think it will have a huge impact. Other organization have signed onto the scoping comments. We are disappointed and believe it is unacceptable not to include us in the scope. We expect to see you back when the draft EIS is ready."

Donna Stevens, Upper Gila Watershed Alliance executive director, said the members of the group are concerned by the proposed expansion of flights over the wilderness. "We are really concerned by the chaff. It's a source of littering, but we are also concerned about the impacts on wildlife if they think it's food. My concern is noise. Studies show a huge problem with the impacts of noise. We live here for the wildernesses and the last free-flowing river, the Gila. We head into the forest for peace and quiet. If we can't go there for silence, where can we go? Silence is not the absence of anything, but the presence of everything."

Lance Grace from Alamogordo said he used to fly fighter jets—10 years in operations, 10 years as a test pilot and seven years as a contractor. "I have read a lot of misinformation about this proposal. It was cleared up by Alan. Alan did as good a job as anything I've heard. I found nothing wrong in what he said. I wanted to bring up some of nutty things I've read and heard. There will be no bombs, no rockets, only defensive chaff and flares. I used them a lot. I highly doubt a fire can start. In a flare, the contents come out of a canister, and as soon as they hit air, they combust and burn out in 3, 4 or 5 seconds. If the contents come out of the canister, it is close to zero to have ground combustion. Chaff is glass strands about 1 ½ to two times the size of a human hair, coated in aluminum. You won't be able to find a piece. It is the same components as the three most common components on the surface of the ground, oxygen, silicon and aluminum. There will be accidents. There will be noise, but supersonic will be in short spurts, no more than one to three minutes. It uses up too much fuel. I flew F-16s a few hundred hours. Yes, I am supportive of this proposal."

Nancy Hudson said she has raised her children here and the "Gila is dear to me. I'm proud you are so protective of your forest. I'm now from Alamogordo and in a group which works to support the men and women of the Air Force. I spend a lot of time in the Lincoln National Forest. It's beautiful—a different kind of beautiful from the Gila. The Lincoln is right next to Holloman. I don't notice the aircraft. Very, very seldom do I notice them. You see them, but they are not intrusive. I invite you to come to the Lincoln. When we lived near Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, we were near the flight pattern. They rattled the windows. We have sonic booms on occasion in Alamogordo, but they are high up and don't rattle the windows. Fifty-six percent of the flights are happening right there at the base. Much more frequently we hear the thunder and lightning. Yes, there is a lot of misinformation. Please know this mission is incredibly beneficial to our state. We in Alamogordo have committed to promote the Gila for our airmen and women to get out of town and visit the Gila."

Jake Roberts said he also came from Alamogordo to support the proposal. "I want to address what Commissioner Edwards said about livestock. I have spoken with ranchers, three in particular who are right in the flight patterns next to the base. They are not even a little concerned about effects. The calf population is normal. They have adapted; when the planes come over they don't even move their heads. I asked the ranchers about their concerns about falling debris. They were more concerned about the natural predators, such as coyotes, and their greatest loss is to lightning strikes. I also looked for information on impacts on hunting. Sunspot is the best hunting in the area, as well as the Mescalero area, which attracts champion hunters. They find no impact from the jet noise or flights. The most familiar hunting is for elk, mule deer and turkey. We do support the changes, which can have a huge economic impact on the region."

Shelby Hallmark said he is a hiker, horseback rider and trail advocate in the Gila. "It is important that you have come to Silver City. Our comments are different from Carlsbad, Truth or Consequences or Alamogordo. We come here to enjoy the diverse culture. We came for the forest and the incredible beauty. We enjoy living in the outdoors. My father-in-law was one of the General Dynamics engineers who worked on the design of the F-16 in Fort Worth. It's an achingly beautiful and effective machine, but it doesn't belong here over the solitude of the Gila. We don’t want to see anything dropping on Joe Saenz's horses, Becky Campbell's horses. This is a not-in-my-backyard argument for the nation's and the world's first wilderness—a model for every other wilderness. This is not an economic issue. This is about treasuring our country. So, please forget about Alternative 2."

Paul Pierce said he has been to two different meetings. "I live in Truth or Consequences and went to that meeting. You felt short-changed because you didn't have a scoping meeting. Well, there's another option. We are calling it the stealth EA (environmental assessment). It was in the library when we were having the meeting. The Air Force fragmented it to make it almost unreadable. It's the R-51-11 fly zone. You didn't get a scoping meeting. All we got was confusion. I would say 95 percent of those at the meeting thought they were commenting on the fly zone along our lake, our tourism industry. Actually, they were commenting on this EIS over the Gila. The NEPA will study a lot more and requires public hearings. The EIS is more comprehensive. A lot of things were left on the table. You should have had a scoping. There are tons of problems with the process."

Jeff Ray said: "With all due respect, I appreciate the opportunity to comment. The Gila country is near and dear to me. I have long sought healing introspection in the Gila Wilderness. I have serious problems with the escalated operations over Grant and Catron counties. I understand the importance of national defense, but I am also passionate about the protection of our wild lands and private lands." He talked about a memorable incident he experienced in Death Valley. "I climbed a knoll. Two low-flying jets came over me with a deafening explosive noise. I fell to the ground and felt as if I had been strafed. The pilots probably took great delight in entertaining themselves at my expense. I don't want those experiences here. I am in strong opposition, and I respectfully urge you to choose more appropriate options."

Don Luhrsen lives in the Lower Mimbres. "I've been around military aircraft in the southeast area of the state. You can't find a lot of chaff. The environment won't be impacted. At about 1,000 feet, you don't notice the impact of the flight it goes by so quickly. I spent 40 years with the Forest Service. I've been strafed by Warthogs, but the horses never went bronco on me. I'm sure there are horses that will. My cattle don't get excited by the C-130s. Not even the hospital helicopters bother the cattle. I'm not saying there aren't incidences when aircraft might be lower than you want. Fish and Wildlife Services flies under 500 feet in the wilderness checking on wolves, but that's apparently OK. I've been riding horses near Glenwood and have seen flares dropping, but the horses weren't bothered. I encourage you to have all the information. Let's not spread false information."

Peter Russell, who lives in Cliff, said the town seems to be in the center of the ellipse of the Lobos MOA. "I do think that those of us on private lands will be impacted. I hear there will be tens or hundreds or even thousands of flights at 500 knots and even 500 feet over my house. I couldn't live there in that house, which is my entire life savings I have invested in that house. It's living in a rural tranquil and peaceful area. People like me have come there for the peace. Those who grew up there stayed there for the same reason. If I have to abandon my home and my investment, and others have to abandon their homes, because we didn't come here to live under 10,000 sorties at 500 miles per hour and 500 feet over their houses, they will find they will not be able to sell their houses anywhere close to what they have invested. As we talk about the large economic values, we must consider the small values that are the reasons why people live there. And it is not, as I look at the criteria, which is what's best for commercial airspace and what's best for Holloman, and in the criteria on the Federal Register, I didn't see anything about what's best for me or the others who live there. I am quite concerned that the scoping has closed and although you will review our comments, they will not be in the scoping that will shape the EIS. So I think it's really important to reopen the scoping so everyone can make their comments for shaping the EIS. Thank you."

Jesse Franklin Owens said his focus is narrow. "A fire may have been caused by a flight. Flares dropped and a fire occurred. I have a second-hand account of an eyewitness, a rancher. It's not your Air Force Base but Monthan had a joint operation called Angel Thunder, so maybe you could get their reports, which might be helpful. I'm a fire fighter and there was a call out about 3:45 p.m. Other departments and the Forest Service were out there and it was about 800 acres. It was under moderate fire dangers. With right wind conditions, we can have major fires in moderate fire conditions. Don't just look at extreme conditions."

Robert Fischoff said he has lived in Silver City for a little less than two years, with 15 years in Santa Fe out of about 20 years in the Southwest. He said every morning, he can look out to his left and see Bear Mountain, on his right Signal Peak and in front of him Gomez Peak. "I'm extremely fortunate. I stand opposed to this proposal, but it's not for me. Of course, I enjoy the wilderness, as the first in the world. It represents the heart of what is good in the U.S. I feel like this proposal on the part of the Air Force is some kind of assault on everyone in the U.S. I feel like it's my job to act as guardian to protect this valuable place for the benefit of everyone else." He asked the commissioners to protect it.

Janet Wallet-Ortiz said she and her neighbors and her children are adamantly and vehemently opposed to this expansion. She said the military already has enough airspace. She listed her concerns, which she said are all equally important. Just because the Air Force has a new fighter plane, "does not mean you can violate our airspace with your war games. I concur with the Peaceful Skies Coalition." Wallet-Ortiz said the president is Carol Morrison, who receive daily emails from the Pentagon, "by the way."

"Our airspace should never be used for war," Wallet-Ortiz said. "The sonic booms cause car alarms to go off and break windows. The Air Force has to pay damages. This is an inverted war on all those wanting to live in peaceful rural areas." She alleged a businesswoman in Lordsburg said the C-130 "or something" flew over and shook the whole building, putting the people inside into shock until it passed. It affects children trying to concentrate in class, so it's a war on education, she said. It's fire danger when pilots shoot off flares, she said even if it burned up fast would still have the heat danger. "It's a war on the environment. The one million rounds of ammunition that would be fired annually on these practice flights and the in-flight fueling also causes contamination of the air. All these are flagrant violations of NEPA. Don't segment the NEPA. Reopen the scoping. You're getting paid. Don't turn our enchanted skies into nightmares."

Joan Bacon, who said she works with Becky Campbell on outfitting trips, said lead planes fly over and "we have to gather up the horses and mules and pick up the packs. I am totally against this expansion."

Joe Saenz, who is a wilderness guide and outfitter, said he has been subjected to fly overs since the 1970s. "They were already doing it then. I'm Apache. This is sacred country. I have seen them flying 300 feet off the ground and hot-dogging. It's affecting my business. There have been horse accidents over the years as a result of the flights. I have felt the earth shake more than from an earthquake. As an Apache, and a descendant of the people who were first here, there's a reason why this country has the first wilderness. It's our country and we took care of it. We want to take care of it still. From my point of view, what you're doing is you're lying. This is all lies. You're already doing what you say you're thinking about doing. As a resident and a business-owner here, you do not have my permission to fly over. You're doing it and you need to stop. Find some other place to fly. Take it over Mar-a-Lago. Fly over the cities. You are disturbing us and my child. We are telling you here—No. If I get in danger from the flares and fire, I will protect myself against those pilots."

"I am Indigo Crockett. I go to Aldo Leopold High School and I am 14 years old." She said she has a house up at Gila Hot Springs. She read part of a journal entry she wrote on a school trip. It included: "When a child in public school learns to read, they learn only one language. When that child matures they learn about their ancestors, so another language. When one enters the wilderness, they learn more about the earth, further back. The texts are hidden in trees, rocks and fossils. one learns another language." She said if schools taught from students' experiences the students would have more well-rounded educations. She suggested basing the curriculum on a traditional education and on experiences for a more well-rounded education. "However, we cannot take students into the wilderness if the peace and solitude are disrupted by obnoxious flyovers."

Ron Romero said he was from Belen, but visits the Gila a lot as a rafter, hiker, backpacker and camper. "I bring my seven-year-old granddaughter." He looked at the Air Force team and talked to them: "What you are proposing is unnecessary. You have thousands of square miles and tens of thousands of acres for flyovers. Unnecessary." He was reminded to speak only to the commissioners and tried to make jokes about talking to the Air Force people while looking at the commissioners.

He alleged that a hot-dogging pilot, in the Pecos Wilderneess, knocked him over flying at 100 feet. "Scared the bejesus out of me. He said he has a friend who lives at Gila Hot Springs. He was inside one of the caves. A hotdog buzzed him and shook the walls. "You have already weakened the walls. One day you're going to do that and some people from England or France are going to be crushed. Government overreach. Unnecessary. I don't believe anything about the flares or the chaff. It's not OK."

Michelle Connally said she lives in Gila Hot Springs in the center of the wilderness. "We have a real commitment to this wilderness." She read from the Wilderness Act. The definition is land in contrast to where man lives within the works of man, and wilderness is where the Earth and its community are untrammeled by man, where man is a visitor and does not remain. It is described as land undeveloped by man, retaining its primeval influence without permanent human habitation. Land that is protected and managed to preserve it as created by nature and has opportunities for solitude. It is at least 5,000 acres to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition. "Basically, this proposal violates the Wilderness Act."

Jeff Boyd said he and his wife live near the forest boundaries. "We frequently use the forest. We moved from Phoenix. Like many people we moved here to enjoy the tranquility, the clean air, the quiet." He alleged the proposal, besides destroying the quality of life, make him concerned about the viability of the community and would destroy businesses that rely on tourism. The quality of the forest would suffer substantially. "I don't think it would be the same community here." He questioned what 500 feet above ground means in mountains and canyons. "I've experienced when I've been above flights that went down the canyons." He described it as like being in Times Square in New York City, with five police cars going by. "And that's probably an underestimate. I was originally a chemical engineer. You don't see chaff, but aluminum is reactive. Yes, it is common, but it combines with other components to make a relatively inert compound. When you toss it on the ground it's gonna react with other things." He said chlorine is another common element, but nobody wants to breath chlorine gas. "The Gila National Forest is a gem among national forests in the Southwest. The soil and water quality will be degraded. This is not going to benefit our two counties. Alternative 2 will not add jobs; in fact it will hurt us."

Kasten said that concluded the public input portion.

"My closing comments would be the same as my opening comments at the rally," Browne said.

Kasten was thanking the visitors who talked about the proposal and thanked the public for civil discourse. Someone shouted: "We call for another meeting." Kasten asked the shouter to let him continue speaking.

The meeting adjourned.