DATE

Dear [your city/town] Chamber of Commerce,

As you are aware, the Army is bringing more troops to Colorado soon.  That is good for the northern areas of the State, with the increased spending and building it will be a plus to the economy there.  However those troops coming to Colorado won’t really affect Southern Colorado at all.

What will affect Southern Colorado is the separate issue of the Army expansion plans for the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS) East of Trinidad.  The troops will come to Colorado because they are part of the BRAC directives.  The expansion of the training site IS NOT a part of BRAC and not expanding PCMS will have no effect on troops coming to Ft. Carson or the other positive effects those troops will have in that area.

Any expansion of PCMS however will have an extremely negative effect on the southern portion of Colorado, and those effects will ripple for years throughout Colorado’s and the nation’s agricultural economies.  The effects of any expansion and the related Policy and Initiatives your office has adopted include:

• Loss of Tax revenue – income tax from incomes and property taxes for local governments and schools will be lost as the Army doesn’t pay taxes (PILT is a joke) and the taxpayers will be gone from the area

• Loss of population, student base, tax base support for schools – eliminating three schools, potentially several more in the area.

• Millions and millions of dollars will be lost in cattle production and sales.  Additional losses in farming, tourism, population base, student base, tax base, taxpayers, schools, towns, general businesses, hunting, guiding, fishing, and multiple other sources.

• Environmental and ecological issues with the Army using any of this fragile ground for maneuvers, if that’s what they will really do, in addition to the lost agricultural production.  The best stewards possible for the environment are on the land now.  Ranchers and farmers, as a whole, do a better job at conservation of endangered species and the grasslands.  Conservation Colorado has shown that in recent reports and studies.  The Army does their own studies in house so how can you truly trust it when they say, ‘we are the best stewards’.  Saying they are good conservationists by using a tank to maneuver compared to a cow grazing and improving habitat is quite a stretch.

• Taking people out of a productive and self supporting environment and economy and placing them in town, or other areas that are getting more and more crowded is NOT smart.  Creating refugees and putting a greater burden on the system is not what we should be doing.

• Many of the people in this area served our country in the armed services.  Several served in World War II and other significant conflicts.  Several have sons, daughters or other family members involved in the Iraq War.  Having their land taken by the military and the country they so faithfully serve or have served is a travesty.

• Having health care is an issue in rural areas, however putting more people into areas that are already overburdened won’t work either.

• There are few issues with crime and security in our areas.  We live in an area that still leaves their homes unlocked.  We stop to help people along the road and know and trust our neighbors.  Crime is low.  We are secure.  There is no Justice in removing people from their land and their homes however.

• In the current maneuver site grasses and other vegetation, including noxious weeds and plants, are being allowed to grow uncontrolled.  Grazing is not allowed and the effect on habitat is actually losing carrying capacity for endangered species or other wildlife.  Taking grasslands out of production only increases the potential for wildfires and lessens the ability for agriculture in Colorado to survive

Thus, we feel confident in saying there are NO BENEFITS for anyone in the State of Colorado, especially the southeastern portion of the state from the Army taking more southeast Colorado land.  They say they want it for better maneuvers and that training requirements have changed and they need much more room.  However they have plenty of room, already in their possession in other states.  They can’t reasonably argue that distance is a problem, as the maneuver site they eventually want will require military forces from all over to travel.  No matter where it is.

If the Army is allowed to gain control of an additional 418,000 acres, as they finally advised they wanted it would destroy the southeastern portion of the State, economically, ecologically and environmentally.   The Army says they are good stewards however there is no better conservationists than the landowners themselves and there never will be. 

We implore you to take a stand against the expansion effort.  Raising our voices, getting a significant following and pushing the people we elected to office is our only defense to this issue. Just because we are in the far reaches of the state doesn’t mean we can be ignored, especially if we all stand together.

 

Sincerely,