Tate’s Hell State Forest, best known for its swamp, seclusion and signature species, may become the site of weekly helicopter drops of up to 50 men, careening Humvees with blacked-out headlights and foraging soldiers made to subsist off the land for seven days.
Those are just some of the activities the U.S. Air Force envisions asking the Florida Forest Service later this year to allow in the 202,000-area Franklin County forest to meet non-hazardous training needs for special operation troops stationed at Eglin Air Force Base.
Forest Service and Air Force officials insist such plans are a long way from being realized — and may never be allowed if they are found to harm the environment, interfere with established land-management plans or compromise enjoyment of the forest by its current users.
“We support the military in every way, but at the same time, those lands are here for a reason and people enjoy them for a reason and we aren’t going to mess that up,” said Florida Forest Service Director Jim Karels. “Nothing is a done deal. It may be that nothing is done. Chances are, many of the things we wouldn’t even consider.”
A draft environmental impact statement is being written by officials with the Gulf Regional Airspace Strategic Initiative that will outline the potential scope, purpose and impact of military training activities in both Tate’s Hell and Blackwater River State Forest near Milton. A final version, to be completed after public comment in the spring, is expected in June. A request by the military to the Forest Service to use the public lands is not anticipated until the fall.
From Tallahassee.com: https://www.tallahassee.com/article/20140119/NEWS01/301190016/Outdoor-enthusiasts-odds-military-over-possible-training-Tate-s-Hell?gcheck=1