Military land watchdog group sets up website

Monday, May 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

The military watchdog organization, Rural Alliance for Military Accountability, which monitors Air Force, Army and Navy use of Nevada land, can be accessed via the Internet.

The address is:

http://www.rama-usa.org

The site aims to assist citizens, politicians and government and nongovernment organizations in addressing issues connected to the military's use of public and private land.

"We now have the tools at our fingertips to provide updated, practical and easily accessible information to anyone interested in military activities in Nevada and across the nation," spokeswoman Grace Bukowski said.

The website contains technical and legal information pertaining to the Air Force, Army and Navy's use of military land in Nevada and elsewhere. Maps, graphics and photographs depict how military airspace conflicts with rural communities and wilderness areas, Bukowski said.

In Southern Nevada, Nellis Air Force Base uses 3.1 million acres as a bombing range. That land contains Indian archeological sites and is home to the chuckwalla lizard and Merriam's bearpaw poppy, both candidates for the endangered and threatened species lists.

Military-sponsored studies have found that the bombing has not harmed the archeological sites and the poppies and lizards are thriving.