UnderSecretary Robert Bonnie: URGENT: Save the Olympic National Forest from War Jets!
I just signed the petition "UnderSecretary Robert Bonnie: URGENT: Save America's National Parks and Forests from War Jets!" and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name.
Our goal is to reach 2,500 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/undersecretary-robert-bonnie-urgent-save-america-s-national-parks-and-forests-from-war-jets?recruiter=220025&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive
The US Forest Service is deciding whether to permit the Navy to use the western half of Olympic Peninsula for an Electromagnetic Warfare Range. This Range would include airspace of Olympic National Park --- a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve --- and its adjacent National Forest lands.
The Warfare Range would also include the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, which provides important habitat for more than 29 species of marine mammals, including migrating Grey whales and millions of nesting seabirds. Bordered by hundreds of miles of rugged wilderness beaches, this Sanctuary offers an extraordinary refuge for both humans and wildlife. See:
The Range would envelope critical habitat for two species on the brink of extinction: the marbled murrelet and the northern spotted owl, which thrive only in quiet, undisturbed old-growth forests. It would permit squadrons of extremely loud Electronic Attack Growler war jets to practice 8-16 hours a day at elevations as low as 1200 feet. No studies have been done on the impacts this onslaught of noise would have on these sensitive species or other wildlife. The sound would most certainly destroy the serenity and wilderness experience for millions of visitors to Olympic National Park, which has recently been designated as the “quietest place” in America.
Each of these war jets will be carrying thousands of gallons of highly flammable fuel. An accidental jetcrash would be catastrophic, as recent Climate Changes have caused an unprecedented drought on the Olympic Peninsula and have rendered the Park’s ancient rainforests extremely vulnerable to fire. Because the roadless forested valleys are inaccessible to firefighters, a blaze can quickly burn out of control. Thousands of acres of the Park’s most primeval rainforest, the Queets, were recently consumed by a historic runaway wildfire that burned from May through October of 2015.
The long-term permit would allow the Range to accommodate “all future training needs” which would include the jamming of signals, a core component of electromagnetic warfare. The electronic attack jet-to-ground “radar jamming” will shoot down into the landscape subjecting people and wildlife to undisclosed levels of electromagnetic radiation. The latest scientific research has shown that such man-made electromagnetic radiation, even at extremely low levels, is harmful to many biological processes on a cellular level. See:
http://truth-out.org/news/item/28009-documents-show-navy-s-electromagnetic-warfare-training-would-harm-humans-and-wildlife
And:
The US military already has millions of acres of barren lands set aside for dangerous weapon testing and training. The Navy currently trains their pilots at Mountain Home, Idaho, which is only a 20-minute commute for the high speed jets from their base on Whidbey Island.
To thousands of concerned citizens, it is unconscionable that the US government would unnecessarily sacrifice this irreplaceable sanctuary and subject the health of citizens worldwide to harmful jetnoise, radiation, and other weaponry testing. Yet nothing less than a worldwide public outcry will prevent this impending tragedy from happening. The USFS is making their decision now, so time is of the essence! Please sign this petition and share it quickly using social media outreach to all you know. Thank you.
PETITION:
We, citizens of the world, request that the US Forest Service DENY the Navy a permit to use Olympic National Forest for Electromagnetic Warfare training. We join together to protect this priceless sanctuary --and the health of the humans and wildlife within it—from the unnecessary violence, harm and destruction of war weaponry. With this petition, we unite our hearts and voices in a protective “NO, NOT HERE!” and proclaim a resounding "YES!" to the sanctity of life on Earth.