Otsego County board tells DNR to reject Camp Grayling expansion

Paul Welitzkin, The Petoskey News-Review
·2 min read
Soldiers assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment of the Oklahoma National Guard, Sand Springs, Okla., practice live-fire drills during exercise Northern Strike 19 at the Camp Grayling Aerial Gunnery Range, Grayling, Mich., July 23, 2019.
Soldiers assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment of the Oklahoma National Guard, Sand Springs, Okla., practice live-fire drills during exercise Northern Strike 19 at the Camp Grayling Aerial Gunnery Range, Grayling, Mich., July 23, 2019.

GAYLORD — The plan to double the size of the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center is drawing new opposition as the Otsego County Board of Commissioners Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution opposing the expansion.

The Michigan National Guard has proposed leasing nearly 162,000 acres of adjacent state forest land from the state department of natural resources (DNR) in Crawford, Kalkaska and Otsego counties to conduct training exercises that use sophisticated communications systems. The DNR is currently reviewing the proposal.

County commissioner Dana Wingo of District 8 said her opposition to the expansion is not because of an anti-military bias, noting that she has family members who served in the armed forces.

Dana Wingo
Dana Wingo

"They have more than enough acreage now, (including some) that they aren't utilizing. Also there has not been enough research on the kind of training and the effects of that activity. They need to do research and show us the findings," said Wingo.

The proposed camp expansion is to upgrade capabilities in cyber and electronic warfare, such as the jamming of GPS signals, or the tracking — or prevention of tracking — of troops using their cellular or other electronic signals.

More:Citing poor PFAS cleanup effort, EGLE calls on DNR to reject Camp Grayling expansion

The National Guard has asked for approximately 162,000 acres of state-owned land around Camp Grayling to expand the site.
The National Guard has asked for approximately 162,000 acres of state-owned land around Camp Grayling to expand the site.

Recently, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), sent a letter to the Michigan Army National Guard raising concerns about current PFAS clean-up efforts at Camp Grayling. They said Camp Grayling’s investigations into PFAS needs to be assessed before any proposal is approved.

PFAS are man-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1940s. They have been used to make nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics and carpets, and some firefighting foams.

Many scientific articles have been published about PFAS exposure and health effects. While it is difficult to show that substances directly cause health conditions in humans, scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Ohio Army National Guard soldiers look on as Chinook helicopters land to pick up soldiers at Camp Grayling.
Ohio Army National Guard soldiers look on as Chinook helicopters land to pick up soldiers at Camp Grayling.

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Last year, commissioners in Kalkaska County voted unanimously to oppose the expansion. Some local and statewide environmental and conservation groups, including the Michigan United Conservation Clubs and the Anglers of the Au Sable, are also against the proposal.

The guard is seeking to access 35,299 acres in Crawford County, 49,629 acres in Kalkaska County and 18,833 acres in Otsego County. Under the proposed expansion, new areas would extend east to West Twin Lake near Lewiston; north into a rural area southeast of the Antrim County village of Mancelona; west along the Manistee River; and south to near the western shore of Houghton Lake.

— Contact reporter Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Otsego County board tells DNR to reject Camp Grayling expansion