Tell the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission to not renew the military’s permit to access our public parks!
In 2015 the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission issued a 5-year permit allowing the U.S. Navy to occupy five Washington State Parks for “Naval training exercises”. The current permit expires on April 30, 2020. The permitting process is moving fast and with little notice to the public.
The Navy issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and is seeking to renew the permit to increase its scope and geography to include:
- Expanding the number of state parks from 5 to 29 [total sites the Navy seeks to occupy are 68 scattered all over Washington’s west coastal areas – not addressed here but also of public concern].
- 72-hour occupation per visit, 8 visits per year at each park.
- Camping outside of designated campsites and hidden in foliage where visitors might stumble upon camouflaged personnel.
- Up to 74 trainees and 148 advisers conducting simulated actions against threats, with the use of weapons that contain paint ball plastic capsules vs. live-fire ammunition.
- Delivery of military personnel either by submersible craft or land vehicle – coming onto the beach, sneaking undetected to vegetation above the high-water mark and hiding for several hours to observe park visitors.
While we honor our service men and women and support adequate training, we believe military operations and clandestine exercises impacting unsuspecting civilians is contrary to the Washington State Parks’ rules, goals and mission.
Our state parks are visited by millions of residents and tourists each year and are a huge economic stimulus to local business. If these public recreational spaces become military training grounds the businesses that rely on those visitors will very likely be damaged.
We must demand a full Environmental Impact Study (EIS); broad public notice and engagement; and a full cost and benefit analysis before any permitting is pursued.