Camp Grayling Expansion

Dear Citizen,

You are being contacted because you may own property and/or recreate in an area impacted by the
proposed expansion of the Camp Grayling military base.
“Camp Grayling” was originally founded in 1913 on an initial grant of 13,900 acres from land baron
Rasmus Hanson. Over time, the base was expanded as a result of lease agreements of public lands from
the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It now occupies 147,000 acres of land (or 230
square miles) and includes much of Crawford County, portions of Oscoda County, Roscommon County,
Kalkaska County, Otsego County, southeast portions of Antrim County and the southwest portion of
Montmorency County for a total of 7 counties and 33 municipalities. Currently, it is the largest National
Guard training facility in the country. It is now referred to as the “Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver
Training Center”.
Lands leased by the National Guard can be shut down at any time for training and maneuvers and that is
a regular occurrence already. Heavy bombing maneuvers already take place, rattling foundations and
windows and eliminating the quiet enjoyment of property and lands. The 2+ week summertime session
of Northern Strike operations demonstrated regular encampment activities on public lands and roads
and significant air traffic/noise pollution.
Currently, there are plans to expand the base by an additional 162,000 acres of land. This additional
acreage would more than double the size of the existing base and make it the largest military training
base in the country. The decision to approve or deny this proposal will take place in 2023.
-THERE ARE MANY REASONS TO BE CONCERNED-
PUBLIC LANDS ARE FORFEITED FOR MILITARY EXPANSION:
This added acreage (162,000 more acres) would result in a 20-year lease of public lands from the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The cost of the lease: $ 0 (ZERO)!
Quite literally (and for no monetary gain), this proposal would shift DNR lands from public use to military
(and private industry) use. Michigan is renowned for its natural beauty. Its rivers, lakes and streams,
quiet woodlands and trails make this an inviting place to live and visit. DNR lands provide a wealth of
recreational opportunities for those interested in hunting, fishing, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, hiking,
snowmobiling, ORV-ing, birdwatching, etc. The expansion area would infringe upon thousands of acres;
and also the important watersheds of the AuSable River, the Manistee River, the Muskegon River and
their many lakes and tributaries.
Consider the ‘historic’ DNR Mission Statement:

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 THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES IS COMMITTED TO THE CONSERVTION,
PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, USE AND ENJOYMENT OF THE STATE’S NATURAL AND CULTURAL
RESOURCES FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS.
An expansion of military operations is incompatible with the historic DNR’s Mission Statement!!

The above DNR mission statement was recently amended. If one wished to rationalize a militarization of
Michigan lands and enter into partnerships with private industry for private industry testing of
technologies on Michigan lands, the following DNR mission statement (recently enacted) would serve to
justify that result:

“We are committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s
natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. We strive to protect natural and
cultural resources, ensure sustainable recreation use and enjoyment, enable strong natural resource-
based economies, improve and build strong relationships and partnerships, and foster effective business
practices and good governance.”

THERE IS NO DEFINED NEED FOR EXPANSION:

According to Camp commander Colonel Scott Meyers, this extra land will be used for experimental
weapons testing, including electronic warfare weaponry which requires more space to allow multiple
groups to train simultaneously without interference.
o There has been no data shared which supports a need for the expansion. This is a want, not a
need.
o The US Army already has a cyber security command headquartered in Fort Gordon, Georgia.
There are 16,500 troops stationed there. The base successfully operates on 55,596 acres, less
than half the size of the existing “Camp Grayling”.
o Fort Meade, Virginia, which is the nation’s platform for intelligence, information, and cyber
operations utilizes a mere 5,473 acres.
o Fort Bragg, NC has over 54,000 active-duty personnel. They operate on a total of 163,000 acres.
o Fort Campbell, KY trains over 27,000 soldiers in armor and airborne units on 102,000 acres.
o Based on the above, the regular army is doing more with less. Why is an expansion even
necessary? The size of the military has been decreasing over the past 30 years. It has even been
admitted that the existing “Camp Grayling” lands are under-utilized. Why add more?
LACK OF TRANSPARENCY:
The process for the expansion proposal has demonstrated a severe lack of transparency.
o The proposal was initiated in January 2022, with a decision to be issued in 2023.
o It has been suggested that many of the municipalities and stakeholders identified in a joint land
use study were in favor of the project when in fact, many of those entities have since issued
written opposition to the expansion project.
o The map outlining the proposed expansion area is extremely difficult to interpret. The lack of
clarity appears purposeful.
o No environmental impact study has been commissioned.
o No studies on the impact of electronic warfare weaponry have been shared.
o No alternative sites have been considered.
o No information detailing the necessity of the expansion has been provided.
o No information detailing existing deficiencies in the current footprint has been provided.
o No public hearings are required. No vote from the citizens of Michigan will be required.

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 o The 20 year lease language is not available.
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK:
General Paul Rogers, adjutant general of Michigan, was appointed by the governor in 2019. By July 2020,
he and his team had successfully rebranded the four existing military operations spanning the lower
peninsula: “Camp Grayling”-the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center, the Alpena Combat
Readiness Training Center, the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, and Selfridge Air National Guard
Base in Harrison Township into: the National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC), in the hopes of
uniting the collective capabilities.
According to Captain Andrew Layton, deputy state public affairs officer, one of the key reasons Rogers
was appointed adjutant general of Michigan was to attract businesses with a civilian purpose to the
area.
PRIVATIZING MICHIGAN’S PUBLIC LANDS:
Ultimately, the purpose of the expansion is to “better market to the Department of Defense and to
private industry” per Camp Grayling commander Colonel Scott Meyers.
This position was further reiterated by General Paul Rogers, in an interview titled, “Camp Innovation”
published in the July 2022 issue of DBusiness Magazine:
o “We’re always seeking ways of making people aware of the capabilities/resources available
within the NADWC and showing them how they can leverage the resources here in Michigan to
really amplify their business models, their research, and their development, in any different
form or fashion.”
o On NADWC, “It was a way for us to take all of the separate entities and put them into one
brand, and then present it to the Michigan market and the national market as a resource that
can be harvested.”
o “[Grayling has] roundabouts and paved streets and underground tunneling with sewer systems
and multi-floor complex buildings. We’ve had a couple [industry] partners reach out who want
to test some of their ground mobility vehicles and [find out] how they work in a roundabout,
unmanned.”
o Businesses from around the state, and even the nation, have been able to take advantage of the
resources of NADWC at what Meyers has called “disgustingly inexpensive” rates.
o “Ever since we unveiled NADWC, my phone has been ringing off the hook with private industry
trying to get into this space. And the advantage is that we have a lot of availability and a lot of
land for folks to come out here and play.”
o Rogers says they’re nowhere near the point of having to turn people away because of how much
land there is to support demand.
o Steve Jacobs, CEO of Velocity Management Solutions, is a defense contractor in Ann Arbor that
helps other private companies coordinate with Meyers at Camp Grayling. Of Meyers, he says, “
[This] is the very early stages of what [Rogers] would like to see happen as part of his strategic
vision…. At the end of the day, it’s part of the reason Camp Grayling is going to become a very
important place…”
AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE:
The proposed “lease” would be a “short term” lease of twenty (20) years. Twenty years is a significant
length of time. It’s important to understand that none of the existing DNR leases have ever been
allowed to expire. In fact, they have automatically renewed. The National Guard has promised to
interfere as little as possible with the public’s use of the land. However, the public use would be subject

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to the needs of the Guard; and the Guard would retain the right to sublease the land to military
suppliers and private contractors for testing future weapons and other products. If the 20 year
expansion is approved, a child born this year may never get to experience the quiet, protected
wilderness of northern Michigan. If leases automatically renew, those people choosing to live and
recreate in northern Michigan may have just experienced some of their last PURE Michigan moments in
the area.
THE ULTIMATE DETERMINATION:
One could only hope that a proposal so broad, uncertain and expansive would warrant a series of careful
reviews and collective analysis. Sadly, that is not the case.
ONE individual will ultimately make this decision, the director of the DNR, appointed by the governor.
ADDITIONAL CONCERNS/QUESTIONS/CONFLICTS OF INTEREST/POINTS TO CONSIDER:
o No additional funding for administering the lease agreement has been established. How can we
expect the DNR to administer any oversight without funding or staff?
o There is no contribution to local road commissions for increased use of existing roadways.
o There is no buffer between military activity and private residences.
o There is no buffer from rivers, springs, creeks, or tributaries.
o Habitat degradation, erosion, environmental contamination.
o The use of the existing facility by both military and private contractors will likely be expanded to
12 months out of every year.
o Will military use of frequency jamming devices or similar electronic devices disrupt civilian or
privately owned equipment?
o Will private contractors be held accountable for any damages?
o What type of oversight will exist to assure private contractors adhere to safe conduct,
environmental standards, etc.? Who pays for that?
o How might property values be impacted when there are continuous, year-round military
operations taking place in close proximity, whether by land or air?
o How might drone use impact privacy?
BROKEN PROMISES AND RISKS:
o In 2010, a Manistee River corridor barely avoided a close call with a forest fire. The Range 9
forest fire, started by the military as a controlled burn on Camp Grayling property, burned more
than 1,000 acres and spread at one point right to the bank of the Manistee River along King
Road. To now invite military encampments along both sides of the Manistee River is, quite
literally, playing with fire.
o A 1500 foot buffer from rivers had recently been proposed. However, in the summer of 2022
during the Northern Strike training, a flotilla of boats floated down the Manistee River with nine
troops in each boat, armed with M-50 belt fed machine guns and M16’s. The Guard’s reaction
was that they didn’t know about it. It was not approved and it was done by guard units from
another state. This begs the question: If they can’t adequately oversee the activity on existing
lands, how can they provide adequate oversight on an expanded scale?
o ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE: It is well known that Lake Margrethe has been consistently
contaminated with PFAS from Camp Grayling. Per a Traverse City Record Eagle Article 8/29/21,
in 2017, the National Guard and state officials found contamination of manmade “forever
chemicals” called PFAS at four places across Crawford County: the main camp by the lake, the
airfield in town, an equipment site and most recently, the irrigation fields for the city’s
wastewater treatment facility. Several (18) private residences were discovered to contain

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 drinking water tainted with PFAS chemicals associated with camp activities. Results of tests
showed those wells surpassed the EPA’s 70 ppt lifetime advisory level. In addition, in July of
2022, EGLE issued a stormwater violation notice to Camp Grayling, citing additional
contamination levels to Lake Margrethe in excess of EPA standards. This appears to mirror the
woes of the Camp Lejeune military base and its elevated PFAS levels.

The enormity of this proposal cannot be understated. Not finding a footing in the facts, those seeking to
promote this endeavor have resorted to dirty tactics: suggested its critics are unpatriotic. Nothing could
be further from the truth. In fact, many have passionately represented their own military service when
voicing their concerns. There is no state of emergency; there is no pending conflict to warrant this
expansion. This is a land-grab, plain and simple. It is patriotic to uphold the purpose of those
organizations and statutes that have long existed to serve the citizens of Michigan (for example, the
Michigan constitution and the Department of Natural Resources). Patriotism does not require the
concession of any more lands. Patriotism does not require that public lands be used for private industry.
In the DNR’s page relating to the Camp Grayling expansion, they state that, ‘there are no anticipated
environmental impacts from the proposal’. But let’s be frank. No one intends to set forest fires. No one
intends to mismanage resources. No one intends to decimate environments and cause long-lasting
health impacts. They simply ‘happen’. This appears to be the risk that some of the “powers-that-be”
are willing to take. This should not be the risk shouldered by Michigan’s citizenry—without cause and
without representation.

MUNICIPALITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS IN OPPOSITION:

KALKASKA COUNTY OTSEGO COUNTY
Board of County Commissioners Board of County Commissioners
County Road Commission Hayes Township
Bear Lake Township Chester Township
Excelsior Township Charlton Township
Orange Township Dover Township
Oliver Township Bagley Township
Blue Lake Township
Coldsprings Township MISSAUKEE COUNTY
Garfield Township Pioneer Township
Norwich Township
ROSCOMMON COUNTY
County Road Commission CRAWFORD COUNTY
Lake Township Board of County Commissioners
Lyon Township Beaver Creek Township
Markey Township Lovells Township
Ausable Township Maple Forest Township
Richfield Township Grayling Township
Backus Township
Roscommon Township MONTMORENCY COUNTY
Higgins Township Albert Township

Michigan Sierra Club Anglers of the AuSable

Michigan United Conservation Club (MUCC) Higgins Lake Land Conservancy
The Upper Manistee River Association Cedar Fly Fishers

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Twin Lakes Property Owners Association Michigan Trout Unlimited
The Michigan League of Conservation Voters Au Sable North Branch Foundation
Kalkaska County Sand and Snow (KCSAS) FLOW (For the Love of Water)
Houghton Lake Conservation Foundation Fly Fishermen International
North Higgins Lake Land Conservancy Fly Girls of Michigan
Michigan Fly Fishing Club Gaylord EGLE (Rothe letter)
Houghton Lake Lake Association Gates Au Sable Lodge
Au Sable River Homeowner’s Association Crawford County Republican Party
Bear Lake Township Improvement Red Cedar Fly Fishers
MISORVA (MI Snowmobile & Off-Road Vehicle Assoc) Michigan Bear Hunters Association
MI Chapter of the Back Country Hunters & Anglers Bear Lake Twp Improvement Board

Respectfully Shared by Concerned Citizens in Opposition to

the Camp Grayling Expansion

MAKING CONTACT:

Honorable Gretchen E Whitmer Shannon Lott, Acting Director MI DNR

PO Box 30013 PO Box 30028
Lansing, MI 48909 Lansing, MI 48909
https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/contact DNR-Director@Michigan.gov
dnr-camp-grayling@Michigan.gov

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