Mashpee Wampanoag Oppose Machine Gun Range At Joint Base Cape Cod

MASHPEE, MA — The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe came out in opposition against a controversial proposal for a machine gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod, a base for National Guard members stationed on the Cape.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council at its meeting June 9 meeting voted to oppose the proposed gun range, because it will cut down 170 acres of forest and poses a risk to a watershed protection area, tribal leaders said in a statement Friday.

Officials with the Massachusetts National Guard have for months rejected the machine gun range would have a significant impact on the environment. Officials said the proposal's environmental report was "thorough" and "independent." Federal regulators with the National Guard Bureau gave the project environmental approval last May, though tribal, state and local officials argued the environmental report didn't go far enough.

"We have to look at the long-range impact the project will have for Mashpee and the Tribe,"said David Weeden, a tribal council member and a selectman in Mashpee.

Some state and local officials have also raised concerns about the project being built within the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, an important water source for Falmouth, Barnstable, Yarmouth and several upper Cape communities.

The $11 million firing range would expand an existing range at the base. Guard officials said the range is needed for weapons training. Constructing it requires clearing more than 170 acres of forest to accommodate the range footprint, lighting, facilities, road maintenance and more.

Last April, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Rep. Bill Keating sent a letter demanding residents concerns be heard. The lawmakers said many Cape Cod residents want a more detailed environmental study before the range is built.

"The overwhelming majority of constituents who have contacted our offices believe that further review of the project should be required beyond the standard study that was conducted, despite the draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) that the Guard has indicated will be finalized this week," the letter read. "With this in mind, we would also request a congressional staff briefing on the MPMG (multi-purpose machine gun range), including details about the FONSI."

Local officials also had concerns about the machine gun range. Falmouth Select Board members were upset because they hadn't found out about the National Guard's proposal until it sought approval.