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The Red Wolf and the U.S. Navy

Navy OLF Planning Continues with Closed-door Meeting

Jess Edberg, Information Services, July 2005

U.S. Navy officials held a closed-door meeting July 19 in response to a February 18, 2005, permanent injunction against the Navy's plans for an Outlying Landing Field (OLF) in Washington and Beaufort Counties in North Carolina, which is within the Red Wolf Recovery area.

A Navy official described the meeting as an "Agency Information Meeting, at which the goal was to present the Navy's technical approach for completing the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) in the case of the OLF project, and to solicit resource agency input on the details of our approach." An SEIS will provide additional analysis of the environmental consequences associated with the construction and operation of the OLF. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with special expertise in the area of migratory waterfowl and wildlife refuges, has been asked to participate in the SEIS process as a cooperating agency. A notice of intent to prepare the SEIS was published in the June 24, 2005, Federal Register.

Still, some have said the July 19 closed-door meeting, which took place behind paper-covered windows, weakens the faith they have that the Navy will adequately consult local communities in the development of the OLF plan. The scope of the Navy's review and how open the process will be are still unclear. However, the Navy states that public comment meetings are still in the works and will be conducted after the SEIS is completed.

The U.S. Navy hopes to introduce 10 Super Hornet aircraft squadrons and their associated operations components to the Atlantic Fleet. These new aircraft would be housed at two different bases located in Virginia and North Carolina. The proposed OLF is a 30,000-acre site, within the Red Wolf Recovery area, located between the two bases and would be used in training to practice aircraft carrier landings and short-notice deployments. Development of the OLF is intended to meet national security requirements by providing training tactics intended to strengthen U.S. capabilities in the war against terrorism. Up to 13,607 practice landings and takeoffs are projected to occur each year, mostly at night. Current OLF locations have become inadequate for Navy training purposes due to the increased human presence in those areas and the corresponding increases in light pollution and complaints about noise from the OLF.

Opponents of this project fear the development will cause loss of access to critical habitat for recovering endangered species in the area, including the critically endangered red wolf. They argue that the OLF's current plans do not mitigate negative impacts, such as loss of habitat, noise interference and landing craft disturbances. The unknown effects to the recovery area are of concern to those focused on the success of the Red Wolf Recovery Program.

U.S. Navy's Proposal to Build an Outlying Landing Field (OLF)

Jess Edberg, Information Services, February 2005

On February 18, 2005, U.S. District Court Judge Terrance Boyle granted a permanent injunction against the U.S. Navy's planning, development or construction of an Outlying Landing Field (OLF) in Washington and Beaufort Counties of North Carolina without first complying with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).
The Navy first published a Notice of Intent to bring their newest generation of Hornet carrier jets, F/A-18 Super Hornets, to the east coast of North Carolina in June 2000. However, they did not indicate any plans for an OLF until October of that year. The 30,000-acre project was to be placed within the endangered red wolf recovery area as well as the Atlantic migratory bird flyway of coastal North Carolina.
In early 2004, two lawsuits were filed against the Navy in response to the proposal, one brought by two local counties and a second by environmental groups, both represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center with donated time. These lawsuits challenged the credibility of the NavyÕs Environmental Impact Statement submitted in July 2003, stating that the U.S. Navy failed to perform an objective review of both the need for a new OLF and the environmental impacts of the project.

Opponents of this project fear the development will cause loss of access to critical habitat for the recovering endangered species. They state that the OLF's Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) does not mitigate negative impacts, such as loss of habitat, noise interference and landing craft disturbances, nor does it acknowledge a relationship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its existing efforts toward red wolf recovery. The unknown destruction and disturbances to the recovery area are of concern to those focused on the success of the Red Wolf Recovery Program.

Reasons for constructing an OLF in this area include the low human population density, available airspace and proximity to Virginia Beach and New Bern bases. The Navy appealed the February 18 ruling at the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, on March 25 and awaits approval from the U.S. Solicitor General.

Click on the links below to learn more about Red Wolves:

Red Wolf Coalition

Red Wolf Recovery Project

Lawsuits filed by the Southern Evnironmental Law Center

The Navy's EIS

October 2003

The US Navy has proposed the development of 28,000 acres within the endangered Red Wolf recovery area as the site for the new Super Hornet Outlying Landing Field (OLF) and supporting buildings.

The US Navy plans to introduce 10 Super Hornet aircraft squadrons and their associated operations components to the Atlantic Fleet. The Super Hornet aircraft is an upgrade to the combat-experienced Hornet jet. These new aircraft will be housed at two different bases located in Virginia and North Carolina. The proposed OLF is located between the two bases and would be used in training to practice aircraft carrier landings and short-notice deployments. Development of the OLF is intended to meet national security requirements by providing training tactics intended to strengthen US capabilities in the war against terrorism.

The Navy reports the specific criteria for choosing the location of the proposed OLF were "low population density, lack of airspace conflicts and obstructions (tall buildings), as well as avoidance of extensive wetland complexes, public interests areas and ecologically sensitive areas." Presently, there are a hundred red wolves as well as native and migratory birds in the area. Environmental groups focused on the protection of the red wolf, native and migrating birds consider the proposed area to be developed to be ecologically sensitive.

Opponents of this project fear the development will cause loss of access to critical habitat for the recovering endangered species and interference with efforts to maintain genetic purity through monitoring coyote hybridization. The OLF's Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) does not mitigate negative impacts, such as loss of habitat, noise interference and landing craft disturbances. The FEIS also does not acknowledge a relationship with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and its existing efforts toward red wolf recovery projects. The unknown destruction and disturbances to the recovery area are of concern to those focused on the success of the Red Wolf Recovery Program. Red wolves are still recovering from the devastation from Hurricane Isabel, which destroyed the Sandy Ridge captive facility and took the life of a beloved wolf, #520.

Litigation is being prepared by the North Carolina Audubon society, in opposition to the development of the proposed OLF.

North Carolina Audubon Society