The Proposed Expansion of Camp Grayling Raises Resource Concerns

by Greg Walz, Michigan NLC Representative; Karen Harrison, President Mason-Griffith Founders Chapter

For many anglers on the Au Sable and Upper Manistee Rivers and their tributaries and property owners and visitors in Crawford, Otsego, and Kalkaska Counties in the Northern Lower Peninsula, the sights and sounds of military training are common, if not daily, occurrences. The area echoes with bursts of automatic weapons firing; glimpses of lowflying helicopters, fighter jets, and A-10 ground attack aircraft swooping low in bombing and strafing runs; artillery pieces and tanks firing shells into designated impact areas; and convoys of Humvees, tanks, and other vehicles are commonly moving both on and off-road. These activities are centered on the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center (CGJMTC), the nation’s largest National Guard training facility, which extends over approximately 148,000 acres and hosts numerous training exercises throughout the year for National Guard units and multi-national allies.

Camp Graying developed following a gift of 14,067 acres to the Michigan Department of Military Affairs in 1913 by Rasmus Hanson, a wealthy lumberman, for military training use. Hanson also constructed the Grayling Fish Hatchery, which began operations in 1919 on the East Branch Au Sable River. The current extent of the CGJMTC includes just over 50,000 acres, wholly owned by the Department of Defense, as well as 56,769 acres in Crawford and Otsego Counties under a long-term lease and over 42,000 acres under shortterm (20-year) leases in Crawford and Kalkaska Counties from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Collectively, the lands (and 337 square kilometers of restricted airspace) comprising the CGJMTC provide training to as many as 250,000 troops per year in a variety of exercises integrating ground, aviation, and other assets in realistic combat scenarios.

While providing economic benefits to the surrounding communities and the State of Michigan in the form of payments in lieu of taxes, the training activities undertaken within the CGJTMC are responsible for a variety of environmental and quality of life impacts ranging from noise emanating from both day and nighttime helicopter and fixedwing aircraft training flights; noise and traffic disruptions from military vehicle traffic within and outside the CGJMTC; habitat fragmentation within training areas affecting wildlife behavior; wildfire management issues (about 100 fires annually as a result of training activities); and, most notably contamination of surface waters, subsurface aquifers, and some residential water wells with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs and PFCs), components in fire-fighting foams, which have emanated from the Grayling Army Air Field. These “forever chemicals” are not readily degraded once present in the environment and bioaccumulate in animal and human tissues. PFAs and PFCs have been linked to growth and development issues in children, reproductive problems in women, and an increased risk of cancers in those exposed.

In May 2022, Michigan TU became aware of a proposed expansion of the CGJMTC through a report published online on May 18 by Bridge Magazine, indicating that the Department of Defense was proposing the addition of over 160,000 acres to the CGJMTC to facilitate “low impact” cyber warfare training exercises. As depicted on a map accompanying the article, the proposed expansion would more than double the CGJMTC footprint. The proposed expansion extends north from the area west of Houghton and Higgins Lakes on the south; it encompasses a wide swath along the Upper Manistee, including the North Branch of the Manistee and Cannon Creeks, as well as the Upper Au Sable north and west of Grayling. To the east, the proposed area includes the East and Middle Branches of Big Creek and an area adjacent to the headwaters of the North Branch Au Sable. According to the article, no new tank or vehicle trails, structures, facilities, or fences would be constructed on the leased DNR lands. However, new weapons firing points were included in the expansion plan where weapons (tanks, artillery, etc.) could fire into existing impact ranges. During training exercises, temporary road closures and access limitations to some areas would occur within the expansion acreage.

On May 31, 2022, Michigan DNR representatives and military personnel met with river stakeholders to present the CGJMTC request, answer questions, and listen to comments and concerns. DNR Natural Resources Deputy Shannon Lott participated in the meeting, as did Tom Barnes, Manager, Grayling Forest Management Unit. Colonel Scott Meyers represented the CGJMTC. There were approximately 40 people in attendance, including members of the Au Sable North Branch Area Foundation, Upper Manistee Restoration Association, Au Sable River Property Owners Association, Anglers of the Au Sable, and Mason-Griffith Founders Chapter. The information presented indicates the vast acreage of the proposed expansion results from a new defense strategy referred to as Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), which ”…enables the convergence of effects of U.S. weapons systems in all five warfare domains: land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace.” The vast area of the proposed expansion reflects the need for spatial distancing to minimize signal interference or jamming between troops training in electronic cyber warfare activities. The information further

stated that the current 148,000acre CGJMTC footprint “…still limits the ability for units to conduct immersive multi-domain training exercises at the scale required for effective MDO readiness.” CGJTMC Commander Colonel Scott Meyers stated that the lands proposed for the expansion would remain under DNR ownership and management and would be open for public access.

After the presentation, the floor opened for questions. There was a range of inquiries, covering the exact uses and purpose; provision of a better map to be able to identify roads, rivers, etc.; proximity to river corridors and tributaries; the need for 160,000 acres (could this be less); the purpose and extent of the proposed firing points; maintenance of access roads; and, closing off roads and ORV trails. Colonel Meyers addressed questions and brought up additional information, including manufacturers contacting the CGJTMC about testing new technologies using the land available to the unit. Although not specific in what new technologies referred to, state-of-the-art drones were mentioned.

A subsequent June 3 article in The Traverse City Record-Eagle indicated that attendees at the meeting expressed concerns over the potential interference of the electronic transmissions on cell phones, internet, and other communications in the surrounding area; concerns over additional impacts to the leased land from the expanded training activities; and, possible effects on the Manistee and Au Sable Rivers and their tributaries from vehicle traffic and training activities, which could damage banks and riverbeds with increased erosion and sediment deposition. Joe Hemming, President of the Anglers of the Au Sable, requested that more detailed maps of the expansion area be produced so that areas of concern along the stream and river corridors could be more readily identified. Karen Harrison, President of the Mason-Griffith Founders Chapter, remarked, “I don’t think any of our groups are ever going to be satisfied with what they proposed; I think there has to be some major compromises.”

As indicated during the meeting, the DNR produced revised maps of the expansion area on June 9 that depicted 1500-foot buffers along the lake and river banks. This revision will hopefully reduce potential impacts on water resources. However, Michigan TU still has many questions regarding the need for the expansion via short-term leases (20 years) on State Forest lands versus obtaining special use permits or other arrangements for training exercises, the exact nature of the activities to be conducted, and limitations on public use of the expansion areas and buffers for tributaries and residences.

Camp Grayling expansion.

While we all realize that military readiness is of vital importance given current geopolitical realities and the existence of real and perceived threats from beyond our borders, the proposed expansion of the CGJMTC may result in real impacts on the ability to fully enjoy our public State Forest lands, waters, and wildlife. As this process moves forward, Michigan TU, along with conservation allies, will continue to engage with the CGJTMC and DNR to seek increased details on the scope and potential impacts on the leased State Forest lands and work to limit adverse effects as much as possible. Michigan TU will advocate for the highest level of protection for coldwater resources and adjacent terrestrial habitats within the proposed expansion area, work to ensure the broadest level of public access, and seek to retain full forest and wildlife management control by the DNR of State Forest lands within the expansion area.

On June 20, local conservation groups met with the DNR and military to seek more information on the planned expansion. During that meeting, it was reported that the proposed expansion area will now include 1500’ buffers along water bodies, including rivers and streams; that river users would not be precluded from use of the rivers at any point; that forest management and land cover types in the watersheds would not be altered due to the military use of the areas; no significant road development would occur; and the nature of the electronic warfare training planned would not interfere with cellular services.

From the meeting and a DNR press release on June 21, the overall process for this proposal was clarified. The June 22 public meeting and subsequent public comment period are to solicit public feedback on the preliminary concept of the expansion. If the DNR approves the concept, then a longer process will be initiated to develop the actual lease agreement and details. The development of the lease agreement might be expected to take until the end of 2023 when the DNR Director would need to take executive action. We hope and expect there will be an additional public notice and public comment period when people can review the terms of a resulting lease agreement. Please search the DNR website to find additional information such as updated maps, frequently asked questions, and suggestions for ways to submit public comments to the process.