Shut Down Ocala National Forest Bombing Range!

[Michael Hoover]

In January of this year, hunters found a live bomb in Florida's Ocala 
National Forest and carted it back to their campsite, causing nearby
residents to be evacuated from their homes.  And in February, windows 
rattled and houses shook, as far away as Ormond Beach (near Daytona,
about 50 miles from the range), from a Navy bombing run.

The contract between the Navy and the US Forest Service expires this year 
and the Navy is hoping for a renewal of the contract for twenty more 
years.  The Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice (FCPJ) is working 
to block the renewal contract.

On Saturday, February, 19, about 100 persons demonstrated at an Ocala
National Forest ranger station, calling for a shut down of the bombing 
range.  Speakers included representatives from Student Peace Action 
(University of Florida), First American Cultural Center, From Trident to
Life Campaign, Veterans for Peace, and Global Network Against Weapons
and Nuclear Power in Space.  Residents of Umatilla, a town near the
bombing range, voiced their opposition to the range and the disruptive
influence its has on their lives.

The Ocala National Forest contains one of the last remaining segments
of the unique scrub forest ecosystem which once stretched for hundreds
of miles across central Florida.

For more information on the campaign to close the bombing range in
Ocala National Forest, contact:

Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice
fcpj at juno.com

Contact Person: Carol Mosley  (352) 468-3295

Michael Hoover