Effects of expansion on Cape Cod

[ZAP59@AOL.COM]

No toxic expansion! I want to live here.

December 12, 1997 Paul Zanis
 26 Cove Road
 Forestdale MA 02644

Ms. Mimi McConnell
Community Working Group
P.O. Box 987
Barnstable MA. 02630

Dear MMR Community Working Group:

The comments I am about to put forward come from over thirty years of
watching training activities on Camp Edwards.
In the 1960's training activities were minimal and the impact to the
environment seemed to be minimal. The old rifle ranges were used. Camping
was in out of the way places and the soldier population was low. Artillery
fire took place only from a few positions and the impact area was sited in
one spot-an ocean buoy just south of the five corners on Turpentine Road.

In the 1970's the National Guard took over and I saw the first mechanized
troops (tanks and personnel carriers). The number of soldiers increased
dramatically and so did the impact on the environment. I saw tanks
destroying the forest. A pond die. Munitions discarded. Open latrines and
impact area expansion. A sort of lawlessness and total disregard for the
land and environment took place.

Then in the 1980's I witnessed the first official expansion. Hundreds of
acres were cleared for no particular reason. The NGB walked away from the
old ranges and built new ranges so more soldiers could shoot. New roads
were built, tank trails, gravel roads to move more soldiers quicker.
Archaeological sites were disturbed to make way for wider roads. All four
corners of the impact area were now impacted by munitions. Concrete
latrines were built incorrectly.

Soldiers for the most part were unsupervised. I saw soldiers spraying the
countryside with heavy machine guns. Shooting into the sky at seagulls-any
target of opportunity, boulders and trees. Soldiers with explosives blowing
up boulders, trees, railroad tracks, cars and ponds outside any designated
demo area. Smoke and CS gas grenades all through the woods. Alcohol
consumption was high.

The National Guard became more mechanized, there was just too many soldiers
training on this fragile environment. I saw soldiers from just about every
state east of the Mississippi. I saw foreign soldiers in the early 1980's
and they were back in the 1990's.

I saw too many rifles spewing 90 trace gases and toxic chemicals.
Lead,white phosphorous.

Too many artillary guns and mortars spewing 70 trace gasses and cancer
causing chemicals. DNT, TNT, RDX, cadmium, white phosphorous, PETN, lead
azide.

Too many smoke grenades with hexachoroethane-a cancer- causing chemical.

Too many mechanized smoke generators spewing huge amounts of titanium
tetrachloride.

Too many soldiers using open latrines with no intentions of following the
field manual 21-10.

Too many nuclear, chemical and biological training exercises going on to
close to houses.

Too many portable radars radiating with unknown effects.

Too many corporations given use of Camp Edwards to run their experiments
and dump their toxins-defoliants, explosives and toxic solvents.

The National Guard still calls Camp Edwards "isolated and remote."
The Forestdale School is one mile from the center of the impact area, one
quarter mile from rifle ranges and experimental explosives areas. Depleted
uranium munitions may have been tested there.
The nuclear, chemical and biological training area is one half mile from
children playing.

The National Guard Bureau wants to expand?

 SUMMARY

As seen from the last expansion, training increased, realism decreased.

One hundred and fifty plus units training is just too much for the
environment to sustain. An army training for war is not environmentaly
friendly. Training must cut back to camping and war games only or cease
altogether. Cape Cod has paid its price to keep America free.

Enclosed are studies and fact sheets. I have quite a photo catalog.
I would like the opportunity speak to the Community Working Group and show
my pictures.

Sincerely,

Paul Zanis