Thanks to Nisqually Tribe no HIMARS

Dear Nisqually Tribe,

Thanks so much for your strong leadership to convince the U. S. Army not to move the HIMARS mobile missile program to JBLM, as announced in the Olympian March 2. As you so clearly explained in numerous communications, it makes no sense to move HIMARS from the desert area of the Yakima Firing Range to the highly urbanized area of Western Washington.

The Nisqually Tribal Council took a firm stand against the Army proposal and communicated that stand intelligently and consistently to the media, the public at large and tribal members over more than a year.

The tribe leveraged its unique role as a sovereign nation, on par with the federal government, to thoughtfully and forcefully oppose permanent siting of HIMARS at JBLM. All residents of W. Washington on the I-5 corridor owe the tribe their sincere thanks for taking the lead to stop this senseless proposal. Moving HIMARS to JBLM would have negatively impacted our youth, elders, wildlife, pets and potentially salmon in the rivers and Sound, not to speak of our’ peace of mind.

Thanks also to The Olympian for its consistent coverage of the HIMARS issue over the past several years, especially Adam Ashton and Adam Lynn for their excellent reporting.

This story was originally published March 23, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Thanks to Nisqually Tribe no HIMARS."