The United States Navy is reportedly halting SEAL trainings at Washington state's coastal parks after a legal battle ensued following residents voicing concerns about seeing "armed men" on the beaches.
Lawyers with the Whidbey Environmental Action Network argued in a lawsuit filed last month against Washington State Parks and Recreation that the SEAL's make residents feel uncomfortable and their trainings are allegedly not "environmental friendly."
"It is difficult to find peace in the woods when armed frogmen might be lurking behind every tree," lawyers said during the legal brief.
Washington state coastal parks have been used by the US Navy for SEAL trainings for more than 30 years. Navy officials say that the state's cold waters and diverse environmental factors is the ideal environment to simulate what they may encounter in operations overseas.
"This area provides a unique environment of cold water, extreme tidal changes, multi-variant currents, low visibility, complex underwater terrain, climate and rigorous land terrain, which provides an advanced training environment," Navy spokesman Joe Overton told Coffee or Die Magazine.
Although the beaches may offer perfect conditions for SEAL trainings, coastal residents want the military out of their parks.
"I do not care to catch a glimpse of apparently armed men skulking around and I DEFINITELY do not want to risk having my young grandchildren see such a sight," a resident wrote to state regulators.
Another resident argued that the parks are meant for relaxation, not for encountering tension.
"In these days of great division in our civil society, we don't need stealthy men in camo uniforms toting toy guns around our State and County Parks," another resident said. "People frequent parks to escape tension, not to encounter more. Keep the Navy commando training out of our parks!"
In addition to physiological complaints, residents also expressed concerns about the impact unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) have on the environment.
"The Navy's plan is to use larger, gasoline-powered UAV's as well as smaller, electric-powered types. This offers significant potential for direct and indirect injury to birds as well as auditory disruption to the experience of park visitors," another resident said during public comment.
In a 4-3 vote, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission agreed to scale-back training that would limit where and what time SEALs could train. The lawsuit halted the use of state parks until further notice, according to NY Post.
The lawsuit explains that SEAL trainings deter residents from using the parks over fears of "encountering the proposed war games or being spied upon by Navy personnel."
However, the US Navy insists that SEAL trainings in the parks have not disrupted visitors and that the parks are needed for trainings.
"Although there are several Navy properties in the area, they do not provide the full range of environments needed for this training to be as realistic as possible," Overton explained.
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