May 14, 2006 12:45 pm US/Mountain
Ranchers Tell Salazar Concerns Over Pinon Canyon
PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) ―
About 400 people met Saturday to tell Senator Ken Salazar their concerns about a proposed expansion of the Army's Pinon Canyon training site.
Army officials have said they are eyeing a 400,000 acre expansion of the 240,000-acre site near La Junta. That has drawn objections from many ranchers and landowners in the potential path of an expansion.
Terry Fankhauser, of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, says expanding Pinon Canyon could take out a large share of farms and ranches in Las Animas, Baca, Bent and Otero counties that pump $270 million a year into the state's economy.
William Armbruster, a deputy assistant Army secretary, says the Defense Department has made no final decision about whether to expand.
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