[CPEO-MEF] Longtime first-time. Working on a project about Westover air force, Chicopee MA

[Jon Gerhardson <jon.gerhardson@gmail.com>]

Hi CPEO list recipients,

My name is Jonathan Gerhardson. I'm working on a research project about the environmental impacts of Westover AFB/ARB/AFRB (they've switched it up a few times over the years). It's in western Massachusetts fairly close to Barnes airfield used by the Air National Guard. 

*Tldr* if you are familiar with Westover and have information you think might be useful to me or would just like to chat please reach out. My email is jon dot lastname at the email provider owned by Alphabet Inc, or alternatively the same email at proton.me if you prefer to communicate that way.

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Here's  short history of the base which largely predates my birth, and I am writing off the top of my head, so please don't cite any dates without fact checking first. 

Westover was opened in 1948, with construction begun in anticipation of WWII. Between the end of the war and 1978 it was the largest strategic air command on the east coast, complete with round the clock nuclear strike capability and a bunker [0] tunneled into the nearby Mt. Holyoke range, which is now used as facilities storage for the  5 Colleges" (Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Hampshire, UMass). 

Starting in 1978 it was primarily used by the 439th squadron who flew primarily cargo missions in C-130s. These were replaced by C-5s around 1989. 

Anyways, in cooperation with former local grassroots initiative that advocated for the cleanup of hazardous materials (whose work led to the formation of a RAG in I believe 1995 that is no longer active AFIK.[1]) I have been given access to a bunch of documents from their activities. Some of which I had no reason to think had not been otherwise lost forever, until Lenny Siegel helpfully pointed me towards [https://ar.afcec-cloud.af.mil/Search] a site which may be mundane to you all, but it was the first I've heard of it despite a FOIA and a couple of services with the base environmental engineer. 

I live very close to Westover, and  earlier today was taking a walk through the woods behind a nearby  park. 

These woods contain a stream informally called "Willamansett creek" and Westover has an NDPES permit that discharges into this body of water upstream from the park.

 I noticed that some of the very sandy earth  there [2] had eroded exposing several concrete pipes. I do not know if it means anything or not. But maybe it does and one of you do. I've also attached a picture of a soon to bloom lady slipper orchid  (cypripedium *thepinkoneusiumen*) located a few hundred yards uphill from this pipe as an apology in case the pipe things a nothingburger and not worth investigating. 

0. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Attack_Command_and_Control_System_Facility,_Hadley

1. http://isis.hampshire.edu/mil/westover.html

2. https://www.masslive.com/living/2012/02/stephen_jendrysik_roberts_pond_floods_date_back_generations.html

Thanks for reading!

Best,

Jonathan Gerhardson 

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