The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“I don’t really know what it means”
Gunnison County is formulating a response to proposed low-altitude flight training from Cannon Air Force Base. Cannon AFB aircrews would complete three flights per day over 60,699 square miles of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, including all of Gunnison County. County staff is reviewing a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to fully understand the impacts on the Gunnison Valley.
“We’ve got staff from different disciplines reviewing the draft Environmental Assessment that came out recently. Our wildlife guy is looking at that and we’ve got planners, and we will submit further comments before the [November 5] deadline,” said County Manager Matthew Birnie.
It will be the second time the county has weighed in on the proposed flight plan. The Board of County Commissioners submitted a letter to the Cannon AFB public affairs office during the public scoping phase in November 2010. At the time, the commissioners (including then-seated Commissioner Jim Starr), “emphatically” recognized the need for a well-trained armed services but urged the completion of a full Environmental Impact Statement.
“Not all federal actions require a full EIS; but the Proposal by scope of geography, magnitude of activity, frequency of interface with humans and wildlife, intrusiveness of the potential of year around, seven day a week, 24 hour a day aircraft flights—coupled with lack of predictability—clearly is in the category of federal government agency action ‘significantly affecting the quality of the human environment’ and therefore requiring an EIS,” the letter stated.
The commissioners raised several issues for consideration, including the concern that flight patterns would interfere with emergency services or search and rescue flights, impact the Gunnison sage grouse and interrupt the tranquility of the region that attracts residents and tourists. They also wondered about the potential of wildfire caused by flight accidents.
The Gunnison Basin Sage Grouse Strategic Committee also sent a letter of concern to the Cannon AFB, stating among their concerns, “Aerial disturbance of sage grouse is known to disrupt their life-cycle and increase mortality.”
The draft EA released by the Cannon AFB issued a Finding of No Significant Impact, and did clarify some details about the training and its impacts. It stated that the intention of the flight training is “to ensure that aircraft power capabilities are not compromised and that the crew avoids potentially hazardous situations” in high-elevation, mountainous terrain. Aircraft commanders would have a minimum ranking of captain, five years of service and 1,000 hours of fly time.
Three five-hour missions would be flown per day, beginning at dusk. The flights would take place anywhere between 300 and 3,000 feet above ground level, and the EA estimates that any given flyover area would be flown over three times per month.
The EA cited the frequency of those flights as part of its reasoning that there would be no significant impact on wildlife and recreational uses. While some startle effect or annoyance may occur, there will be no long-term detrimental impacts. It also stated that, “Population centers would be avoided, but isolated locations could still experience an over flight.”
Although county staff is still reviewing the EA, the commissioners discussed the EA at a joint meeting with the Pitkin County Commissioners in Gunnison on Tuesday, September 27. Significant portions of Pitkin County also lie in the proposed training area.
Commissioner Hap Channell informed the Pitkin County Commissioners that he “can’t imagine that our position is going to change significantly from the letter” since the flight plan has not withdrawn any of Gunnison County.
The Pitkin commissioners agreed that a well-trained air force is important but there are very real impacts on the local level. Part of the challenge stemmed, they said, from not fully understanding what the flyovers would look or sound like.
“I, for instance, would like to have some sample flyovers—I don’t really know what it means,” said Pitkin commissioner Michael Owsley.
“Mike brings up a good point about a demonstration. This is a very short turnaround for the comment period. Perhaps there could be a joint request from Gunnison and Pitkin County that we have a flyover to have a sense of the noise and what it will do,” Pitkin Commissioner Rachel Richards added. Richards suggested that it could add validity to their feedback.
Commissioner Hap Channell agreed that a trial period might make sense, and the commissioners of both counties agreed to keep each other in the loop as they draft their responses to the EA.
“Let’s agree to at least exchange drafts at the county manager level so we can at least pick each other’s brains. Sometimes I think, yeah, there is an impact in having a unified voice but sometimes I think numbers count higher, and so separate letters that are worded differently with similar content can have a greater effect,” Channell said.
The full draft EA is available for review at the Gunnison County Library or online at www.cannon.af.mil/library/environment.asp. Cannon AFB is also hosting a community meeting at the College Center Ballroom at Western State College on October 13 from 6 to 9 p.m.
