Residents of Lewis, New York, are pressing back against a proposal to test large artillery in the Adirondack Park, arguing that the blasts would break the area’s quiet character and raise environmental concerns. Park regulators have scheduled a rare public hearing for April 22 as an administrative law judge reviews whether the plan fits the park’s rules and character.
The proposal centers on Michael Hopmeier and his company, Unconventional Concepts, Inc., which wants to establish a howitzer testing range off a country road about 10 miles west of Lake Champlain. Under the plan, steel projectiles would be fired from 155-millimeter barrels about 30 times per year, with tests conducted midday on weekdays—no more than twice a day—over a distance described as about two football fields.
Hopmeier has said the tests would involve barrels that do not carry explosive warheads. He has also said a metal shipping container filled with sand and gravel would catch the projectiles, and he has told officials of a nearby town that “We are not investigating explosive shells. We are not blowing things up.” In his view, the testing would support national security and he has argued that any noise would not be as loud as other sounds common to country life, including chainsaws and firearms.
Opponents say the comparison misses what they consider the practical realities of where the proposed range would be used. Dan Canavan, who said he hunts and shoots, questioned the effort’s premise and told officials that “You can’t equate a 155 millimeter howitzer with a hunting rifle, but that’s how he’s been selling it.” Canavan lives about a mile from the proposed testing range, and his wife, Lanita Canavan, serves on the town council and worries about losing the quiet character of the roughly 1,300-person municipality.
Environmental concerns are also part of the objections, particularly because the proposed range would be near state-owned forest land. Critics fear the big bangs could spook wildlife such as moose, deer, bears and birds and could affect the park’s mix of private and public property. Another concern raised by residents involves local water and how nearby conditions could be affected.
The proposal has drawn significant attention even though the planned tests would be far from the park’s more famous tourist destinations. In public comments sent to state regulators, more than 1,400 submissions were submitted, with only 19 expressing support. At a recent informational meeting at the town fire hall, April Guilder questioned who she said was advocating for residents, asking, “Who’s sticking up for us? That’s my question,” and saying she does not feel like anyone is doing that.
Some residents have also tied their opposition to earlier exercises associated with Hopmeier’s business, including “Jaded Thunder” military drills held last September. Multiple people complained about low-flying helicopters and gunfire during those activities, and one resident said she felt like she was in the movie “Apocalypse Now.” While the howitzer proposal is separate, some residents view it as another disturbance connected to Hopmeier’s efforts.
Hopmeier has argued that the Adirondack Park Agency should not be able to block him from testing, but he has also said the agency’s regulatory approval “makes things cleaner.” Regulators at the Adirondack Park Agency have requested more information multiple times since the initial 2021 application, according to the proposal record described by Hopmeier, who said his company’s application stated the work would support research at a U.S. Army lab at the Watervliet Arsenal, about two hours south.
A U.S. Army DEVCOM Armaments Center spokesperson said in an email that it has no current plans for howitzer testing at the Adirondacks site “but may consider future artillery experimentation based on Army priorities.” In the meantime, Hopmeier said his company could accept government contracts after testing authority is obtained, and he said the actual artillery testing would occur on land near a Cold War-era nuclear missile silo site his business bought in 2015 and that is now used for research.
The plan also faces the issue of proximity to homes. Although the area is described as remote, the proposed testing range would be within 2 miles of 44 homes, according to the reporting. Hopmeier’s backers acknowledge the dispute is likely to be about land use and noise, not explosives: they have said the project is aimed at testing hardware characteristics such as barrel wear and recoil, without detonations.
Landowner Jim Pulsifer, who owns the proposed testing land, said he would not be involved if he believed the noise would be too loud. Pulsifer said he offered his land free of charge and argued that the work would help the country and bring employment to the area, adding, “I know there’s a lot of people that moved into the Adirondacks for their little peace and quiet,” before saying, “Well, people have to live in the Adirondacks, too — and make a living.”
After several delays, the hearing has been scheduled, and the administrative law judge is expected to spend months examining whether test-firing howitzers is compatible with the park’s rules and character. Hopmeier has questioned the agency’s authority and has also filed a lawsuit seeking to nullify the board’s vote to hold the hearing, arguing that one member with past ties to an environmental group should have abstained. In a court filing described in the reporting, Hopmeier wrote, “Allowing them to treat me unfairly and disregard basic rights is a disservice to my community and country,” adding, “so I fight on.”