The Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge is at the center of a controversy involving the military, wildlife, and community groups. The Washington County, North Carolina, refuge is the winter home to approximately 100,000 tundra swans, snow geese, and other waterfowl and has been identified as an internationally important waterfowl area by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as other conservation organizations. The U.S. Navy has proposed to build an Outlying Landing Field (OLF) for F/A 18 Super Hornet jets just a few miles from the refuge, spurring local outrage, federal lawsuits, and national media attention. The proposed OLF would provide simulated aircraft carrier landings for Super Hornets stationed in Oceana, Virginia, and Cherry Point, North Carolina. According to Navy estimates, slightly more than 30,000 takeoffs and landings would occur annually at the proposed OLF, which averages approximately 1 every 15 minutes. The Navy has plans to acquire land surrounding the landing field, at least 45 acres, to mitigate noise impacts. The OLF would be within 3.5 miles of the Pungo Unit of the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Pocosin Lakes NWR was established in 1990; the 12,000-acre Pungo Unit was first established as Pungo National Wildlife Refuge in 1963 and then merged into Pocosin Lakes NWR when it was established. Pocosin Lakes NWR encompasses 110,106 acres in Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington Counties, North Carolina. As noted above, the refuge provides important habitat to many waterfowl species. For example, 80 percent of the entire eastern population of tundra swans winter in northeastern North Carolina, and one-quarter of these winter on the refuge. Washington County, the site of the proposed OLF, is largely rural and is one of the poorest counties in North Carolina. In 2000, the Navy first published a Notice of Intent to base Super Hornets on the East Coast. A few months after this announcement, the Navy began consideration of a new OLF, in light of the noise complaints from residents near the existing OLF at Fentress Field, near Chesapeake and Hampton, Virginia. In 2002, the Navy released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which examined 7 sites for the proposed OLF and listed the Washington County site as 1 of 2 preferred sites. Several months later, the Navy made its first visit to the site to evaluate the avian population on the refuge. In July 2003, the Navy released its final EIS, listing the Washington County site as the only preferred site, and then in September announced that the new OLF would be located on 30,000 acres in Washington County. Local communities and conservation organizations in the state protested the Navy’s decision. In early 2004, the Southern Environmental Law Center—on behalf of National Audubon Society, North Carolina Wildlife Federation, and Defenders of Wildlife—and the law firm Kennedy Covington—on behalf of Washington and Beaufort Counties—brought suit in federal district court against the Navy challenging the Navy’s EIS. The plaintiffs asked for a preliminary injunction halting any Navy action at the proposed site, which was granted in April. Several months later, the Navy requested that the court lift the injunction, which was denied. The Navy appealed this decision to the Fourth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, which granted the Navy’s motion to stay the preliminary injunction, meaning that the Navy could continue pursuing the proposed site. The Navy then immediately condemned land needed for the proposed OLF. However, in February 2005, the tables turned again when the U.S. District Court granted the permanent injunction against the OLF, on the grounds that the Navy failed to make an objective determination of the impact of the proposed OLF on the surrounding environment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The permanent injunction required the Navy to cease all planning, development, or construction of an OLF in Washington County without first complying with NEPA. The Navy soon filed an appeal with the Fourth Circuit. This appeal was denied, although the court did grant the Navy’s request for an expedited hearing schedule. The next month, the Navy announced it would also study an alternate site for the proposed OLF. In late 2005, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court judgment ordering the Navy to conduct additional studies and prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS). The Navy is currently gathering the necessary information for the SEIS for 5 different sites in northeastern North Carolina, although the Washington County site remains its preferred site. In January and February, the Navy conducted flights over the proposed OLF sites to observe the noise effects of jet aircraft on waterfowl. Recently, the proposed OLF has gotten increasingly extensive media coverage, as more groups come forward to question the Navy’s wisdom in choosing the Washington County site. These groups are concerned about the effect of the proposed OLF on the 1 E-mail: laura@wildlife.org