The Biggest Army Landgrab since the Indian Wars

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PIÑON CANYON EXPANSION

• The Biggest Army Land-grab since the Indian Wars

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Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site

• Established 1983
• 237,000 acres
• Acquired for 26 million
• About half of that was through condemnation.

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Pinon Canyon Expansion (s)

• Officially, the proposed expansion would increase
  the site by 418,000 acres

• But leaked Army documents suggest that future
  expansion may involve 2,500,000 acres or more,
  extending the maneuver site to the Kansas and
  Oklahoma borders.

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While driving across Southeastern Colorado
highways few people see the entire picture of
what is really out here.
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There are things that you cant see from the
highway.
Red Rocks along the Purgatory River
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Red rock canyons that cut deep into the land.
Red Rock Area, Purgatory River Valley
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Unique geological formations
Picketwire Canyon, Currently National Forest
Service Property
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The Purgatory River, eligible for Wild and Scenic
River designation
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The Santa Fe Trail has several sections that run
through the area. Old homestead sites are also
numerous.
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Ruins of Hispanic placitas
Delores Ruins, Picketwire Canyon, National Forest
Service
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Americas longest dinosaur track wayis in the
area of interest.
Allosaurus dinosaur track, Picketwire Canyon, NFS
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Hidden away in the canyons are the evidences of
4000 years of habitation.
Pictogrpah, Purgatory River Valley, Private
Property
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Ancient People from the Past
Pictograph, Purgatory River Valley
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People still live there
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An Unbroken Current of Life
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Colorado Springs Independent, August 10-16, 2006,
artwork by Greg Cravens, www.cravenscartoon.com
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The Army says there is no Plan

• There is no plan.Col. Terry Wolff, Deputy
  Commander of the 7th Infantry Division, Fort
  Carson, February 24, 2006
• Nothing has been decided yet.William
  Armbrewster, deputy assistant Army secretary, May
  14, 2006
• After the Army approves the plan we can
  actually start talking
• The Army has been compiling a list of potential
  willing sellers. Pinon
  Canyon Outreach Coordinator Karen Edge

(source LaJunta Tribune-Democrat)
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Out of the Armys own mouth "This acquisition
initiative, if properly executed, can also
benefit from an extremely pro-military climate in
Southeast Colorado that is more amenable to
accepting expansion as part of the Global War on
Terrorism than some other areas of the country.
Analysis of Alternatives Study,
Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Apr. 2005
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NOT 4 SALE- Pueblo Meeting

• On May 13th 400 Ranchers converged upon Pueblo
  and told the U.S. Army and Sen. Ken Salazar that
  their land is not for sale.
• My family's ranch is not for sale.Otero County
  Commissioner Kevin Karney
• We were fooled once, we are not going to be
  fooled twice, Sparky Turner, aid to former
  Senator Hank Brown

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Building necessity for Expansion

• Increase Fort Carson troop strength to 26,000
  soldiers by 20081
• Establishment of Division West- training for more
  than 200,000 National Guard and Reserve troops2

1Maj. John Gossart before the Senate Armed
Services Committee. Pueblo Chieftain, Monday
June 05, 2006  2Colorado Springs Gazette, August
22, 2006
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Litany of Broken Army Promises
No Live Fire No Future Expansion
Payment in Lieu of Taxes Economic Boon
to Local Businesses
Small Arms Live fire was approved in 2004 and
full-scale live-fire exercises were approved in
2005
Army Documents indicate plans for expansions as
large as 2.5 million acres.
PILT payments never came through and the
liability is now being cancelled.
The Army has done most of its contracting with
businesses in Colorado Springs.
22
Things Change

• You are right we told you that we werent
  going to do this, but I am also telling you the
  situation has changed, Fort Carsons Tom
  Warren

In 1982 during the first land acquisition for
the site, Army officials told the public that
there would never be live fire conducted at the
site, but the world has changed and the mission
of the Army has changed dramatically. Now we have
to have live fire at the site. Fort Carsons Tom
Warren
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New Promise No condemnation

• We want to work with only willing sellers.
  
  Outreach Coordinator Karen Edge
• I've been assured by them, that they're going to
  protect private property rights, in other words,
  they're not going to go in and use condemnation.
  Senator Wayne
  Allard
• I am extremely dismayed at the Army's insistence
  on keeping eminent domain as an option for
  expansion. This announcement is inconsistent with
  what local officials at Ft. Carson have told me
  and local landowners. Congressman John
  Salazar

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Ranchers are asking, How Much is Enough?
The DOD manages about 25 million acres nationwide.
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2,475,093
3,100,000
1,687,501
3,856,379
4,642,309
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"Rebuilding America's Defenses Strategy, Forces,
and Resources for a New Century."

• "The United States is the world's only
  superpower. America's grand strategy should aim
  to preserve and extend this advantageous position
  as far into the future as possible
• New missions for the U.S. armed forces
• dominant nuclear capability
• sufficient combat forces to fight and win
  multiple major wars
• Using U.S. forces for "constabulary duties"
  around the world.
• The presence of American forces in critical
  regions around the world is the visible
  expression of the extent of America's status as a
  superpower
• "a network of 'deployment bases' or 'forward
  operating bases' to increase the reach of current
  and future forces."

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Global Constabulary
"Current operations in the Middle East will
continue for some time. Analysis of
Alternatives, Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Apr.
2005
The Bush Administration appears to be preparing
to stay the course for a very long time.  It has
refused to declare that it desires no permanent
bases in Iraq.  It is reportedly spending 1
billion to create four to six permanent
mega-bases in Iraq complete with bowling alleys,
swimming pools and BX facilities.  Col.
Richard L. Klass, USAF (retired) Silver Star and
Purple Heart in Vietnam. He was also a Rhodes
Scholar, a White House Fellow, and a National War
College graduate.
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Fort Carson 25-Year Goals for Training Lands and
Ranges

• Attendees of the Fort Carson Installation
  Sustainability Workshop, which convened on 4-6
  September 2002, developed the following
  long-range goals
• Ability to develop Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site to
  support War Fighting Center
• 2002-2005 Expansion effort for Pinon Canyon
  Maneuver Site
• 2010 Completed (100) expansion of Pinon Canyon
  Maneuver Site
• PCMS may expand sufficiently to allow for an
  evolving operational doctrine, such as the
  100x100 kilometer maneuver box, the area
  currently identified for Objective Force
  maneuver.

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150x150 Kilometer Box

• I just came out of a meeting on future combat
  systems and the project manager for the unit of
  action (UA), which is a brigade-sized unit, told
  us that the radius of action of the UA is 75
  kilometers. That is about a 150-kilometer square
  box. Its a big area, much bigger than our
  National Training Center. We are now looking at
  expanding Pinon Canyon to a size that will
  accommodate this unit of action.
• 
  Robert Stack, Fort Carson Range Manager

Federal Facilities Environmental Journal/Summer
2003, volume 14, issue 2, pages 9-19.
(accessible at http//www3.interscience.wiley.com
/cgi-bin/jissue/104546958)
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How much land is needed for Objective Force?

• According to Army documents it calculates that
  it needs between 2 million and 5 million acre
  ranges to train for the Objective Force Unit of
  Action (UA.)

D
Training Circular No. 25-1, Training Land,
HeadquartersDepartment of the ArmyWashington, DC,
15 March 2004
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Future Force

• Also known as Objective Force, Modular Force and
  Force XXI
• Self-sufficient, highly mobile unites called
  Units of Action (UA) operating across great
  distances

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"Potential to use existing structures/utilities
infrastructure supporting urban operations
training." Analysis of Alternatives, Pinon Canyon
Maneuver Site, Apr. 2005
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What does a 100x100 kilometer maneuver box look
like?
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The Maps
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(No Transcript)
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418,000 acres? Well maybe for starters
1,000,000
418,000
A six-digit number like 418,000 doesnt quite
fill the space.
But a seven-digit number like 1,000,000 (or
2,500,00) fits just right.
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THATCHER
TYRONE
MODEL
HOEHNE
TRINCHERA
BRANSON
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Approval Process

• Fort Carson Submits Plan to Department of the
  Army
• Department of the Army Approval
• Department of the Army Applies for Waiver of
  Moratorium on Acquisition of Land
• Army Submits Plan to the Department of Defense
• Department of Defense Approval
• Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Process
• Submission to Congress for Funding

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Since its start in 2002, the only Stakeholders
that have not been part of this process is the
land owners in the areas of interest. PCEOC
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(No Transcript)
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Attendees and supporting agencies, companies and
cities
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Historians oppose it.
Negative impacts will be devastating to the
Santa Fe Trail Scenic and Historic Byway
To save our historic treasures and share in the
stewardship of the Santa Fe Trail. We are hopeful
that the protests of preservationists, elected
officials and stakeholders will be heard by our
government and the Piñon Canyon area expansion
will not take place. Wyvonne Phillips- Santa Fe
Trail Scenic and Historic Byway Mountain Branch
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A Gold Mine of Historystands to be lost
Millions of years of history remains visible

• Dinosaurs
• Folsom Culture
• Ancient People of Mystery
• Native Americans
• Spanish Explorers
• Trappers and Traders
• Hispanic Settlers
• Santa Fe Trail Travelers
• Ranching History

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Apishipa River
SFT Camp Sites
Petroglyphs
Dinosaur Tack Way
Purgatory River- Red Rocks
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Archeologists oppose it
The Army has identified 677 eligible properties
on the current Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site which
are eligible for designation on the National
Register of Historic Places, including 98
archeological Sites. The Expansion would
swallow thousands of sites including those in the
Purgatory and Apishipa River Valleys.
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Environmentalists oppose it
Southeastern Colorado is one of the those special
places- its lands represent one of the largest,
most intact short grass prairies and canyon-land
landscapes in the West. Charles Bedford,
Colorado State Director, The Nature Conservancy
The Purgatoire River has been deemed eligible for
inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic River
System
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Peace Advocatesoppose it

• The continuance of an authentic democracy is at
  stake if we do not deal with the power of our
  military and secret police establishment.
• James Winkler, General Board of Church and
  Society, United Methodist Church

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Of course the land owners oppose it

• Many have lived on their land for 150 years.
  Family members were married there. Ancestors
  are buried there.

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Weve been here for generations
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Ranchers oppose it

• The Colorado Cattlemens Association opposes PCMS
  expansion because
• It would have drastic adverse effects on the
  livelihoods of hundreds of ranching families.
• The counties and rural communities effected
  depend on agriculture and ranching.
• When small communities disappear, they take local
  schools, hospitals, businesses.

L
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Rural Communities oppose it

• In Las Animas County, the communities of Hoehne,
  Model, Thatcher, Branson, Kim, etc., where the
  majority of the Countys agriculture base is
  located, looks to be eliminated altogether.
• Meghan Harris Russell, Executive Director
• Trinidad-Las Animas County Economic Development,
  Inc.

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Trinidad, LaJunta, Lamar, Springfield, and every
town in between opposes it

• Colorado Springs will benefit but not Trinidad.
• 32,000 jobs in Colorado Springs
• 2 billion in sales for Springs businesses
• Construction contracts 675 million a year for
  four years in Colorado Springs.
• David Bamberger, a Colorado Springs economic
  consultant
• At this point, there is no indication there will
  be any jobs created in Las Animas County or any
  portion of Southeastern Colorado due to the
  expansion at Pinon Canyon. Meghan Harris
  Russell, Executive Director
  Trinidad-Las Animas County Economic
  Development, Inc
• (Even without a PCMS expansion Colorado Springs
  and Pueblo will still benefit from additional
  troops)

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Highway closures would isolate us.

• The land covered by this 1M acres, also
  encompasses two major transportation
  thoroughfares in Las Animas County, Highways 160
  350.
• Meghan Harris Russell, Executive Director
• Trinidad-Las Animas County Economic Development,
  Inc.
• Major routes that were open to traffic might
  have to be closed to nonessential traffic.
• Fort Carson, SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT REVIEW
  MEETINGMeeting Minutes12 December 2005

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Water

• concerns already exist about the ability of the
  City/County to meet their potential needs. What
  are the water needs for a potential expansion at
  Pinon Canyon given their anticipated increase in
  the number of soldiers and the number of
  rotations occurring at the facility?
• Meghan Harris Russell, Executive Director
• Trinidad-Las Animas County Economic Development,
  Inc

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Schools would be shut down.

• There are several schools that would be affected
  by the acquisition of this property Hoehne,
  Branson, Kim. Not only do the Hoehne schools
  serve the populace of Hoehne, but many families
  from the rest of Las Animas County have the
  ability to, and make use of, sending their
  children to Hoehne for their education..
• Meghan Harris Russell, Executive Director
• Trinidad-Las Animas County Economic Development,
  Inc

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The Tourism Industry will SufferHeritage
Tourism

• To save our historic treasures and share in the
  stewardship of the Santa Fe Trail. We are hopeful
  that the protests of preservationists, elected
  officials and stakeholders will be heard by our
  government and the Piñon Canyon area expansion
  will not take place.
• Wyvonne Phillips- Santa Fe Trail Scenic and
  Historic Byway Mountain Branch

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We stand to loose our health care facilities.

• Should Las Animas County lose a population base
  due to the acquisition of the 1M acres of land,
  there is a concern that this may affect the local
  hospital, Mt. San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad.
  Without a hospital to offer either existing
  residents or potential new residents, economic
  development for the County will be very limited.
• Meghan Harris Russell, Executive Director
• Trinidad-Las Animas County Economic Development,
  Inc

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This is not be a local issue
A sunrise in the Purgatory River Valley
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All Americans should oppose it
Proposed Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site
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What you can do
Help us make this a national issue by
Communicating with your Elected Officials - They
represent American citizens, not the Army.
Call, fax, e-mail representatives  
Red Rocks Area, Private Property
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• Contribute articles and letters to the editor
• Make your organizations aware, involved and
  actively opposing the expansion. 

Petroglyph in the Purgatory River Valley
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• Donate to PCEOC to help with costs of postage,
  printing, counsel etc..

Landscape Within Proposed Pinon Canyon Maneuver
Site
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Spread the word to relatives and contacts across
America
Delores, National Forest Service Property
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Pinon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition P.O.
Box 137 Kim, CO  81049 Phone (719)
643-5600 Toll Free 866-426-7026 Fax (719)
643-5600 Email pceoc_at_hughes.net Web Sites
www.pinoncanyon.com
www.carson.army.mil/rusag/pinon_canyon.html