Can't See the Forest for the Bombs.
US -- For the past 50 years, the US Navy has been dropping bombs
into the 150,000 hectare Ocala National Forest The Ocala National Forest is the second largest National Forest in Florida and covers approximately 607 square miles (1570 km²) in central Florida. It is located three miles east of Ocala, Florida, 16 miles southeast of Gainesville, Florida. in Florida. The US Forest
Service's (USFS USFS United States Forest Service
USFS U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc. ) permit gave the Navy the right to bombard the
forest's scrub oak, sand pine scrub and giant palms until December
31, 1999. The USFS extended the permit to July 31, 2001. Now the USFS
wants to let the Navy keep on bombing until 2021. At least two federally
protected species -- the Florida scrub jay The Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens[A]) is one of the species of scrub jay native to North America. It has little fear of humans. It is the only species of bird endemic to the U.S. and the sand skink -- have
been forced to share the Ocala under an onslaught of as many as 8,000
bombs a year despite the endangered Species Act The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted to protect animal and plant species from extinction by preserving the ecosystems in which they survive and by providing programs for their conservation. prohibition against the
"take" (i.e., killing) of a listed species. The Florida
Coalition for Peace & Justice [www.fcpj.org] has demanded that the
USFS test the Ocala's water and soil for unexploded bombs and
chemical and heavy metal pollution before even considering an extension
of the Navy's lease.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Earth Island Institute
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2001 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
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