The Adirondack Park, a vast expanse of forested mountains in upstate New York renowned for its natural beauty and tranquil wilderness, is at the center of a contentious debate sparked by an unprecedented proposal to create an artillery testing range within its boundaries. The plan, which involves testing large artillery pieces such as 155-millimeter howitzers in a rural town called Lewis, has raised significant concerns among local residents, environmentalists, and park regulators alike. The controversy highlights the tension between national security interests and the preservation of one of the country’s most cherished natural landscapes.
The Adirondack Park covers approximately six million acres (about 2.4 million hectares) and encompasses a mosaic of state-owned lands interspersed with private property. Known for its peaceful lakes, quiet forests, and diverse wildlife — including moose, deer, bears, and countless bird species — the park offers a refuge from the noise and bustle of urban life. But the proposal to introduce howitzer barrel testing into this serene environment threatens to disrupt the park’s character and tranquility.
At the heart of the dispute is Michael Hopmeier, a private military contractor who owns the company Unconventional Concepts, Inc. Hopmeier has applied to establish a testing range on private land near Lewis, roughly 10 miles west of Lake Champlain. The proposed tests would involve firing steel projectiles through gun barrels measuring up to 155 millimeters (about six inches) in diameter. According to Hopmeier’s application, the projectiles would be fired approximately 30 times annually, usually on weekdays during midday hours, and never more than twice a day. The shots would travel over a distance roughly equivalent to two football fields, and the projectiles would be caught in a specially designed metal container filled with sand and gravel to prevent any explosive detonations. Hopmeier emphasizes that the tests do not involve explosive shells or live warheads but focus instead on assessing barrel wear, recoil, and other technical factors important to military research.
Hopmeier argues that the testing supports national security and could contribute to future government contracts, particularly with the U.S. Army’s Watervliet Arsenal, located about two hours south of the proposed site. While no formal contract currently exists, his company’s application states that the tests would be used to support research at the Army’s DEVCOM Armaments Center, which has acknowledged that it has no current plans for testing at this Adirondack location but might consider such experimentation in the future depending on Army priorities.
The proposed site is near a Cold War-era nuclear missile silo that Hopmeier’s business purchased in 2015. This silo was part of a network of about a dozen that once surrounded the now-defunct Plattsburgh Air Force Base. Today, the silo serves as a research facility. The artillery testing would take place on adjacent land. Although the area is remote, it is not uninhabited; about 44 homes lie within two miles of the proposed range, which raises concerns about the impact of the noise and disturbances on nearby residents.
Opponents of the proposal express deep unease about the potential effects of howitzer blasts in such a quiet natural setting. Howitzers produce extremely loud noises, with sound levels reaching approximately 180 decibels at the source — louder than most fireworks displays and intense enough to cause hearing loss and physical harm. Environmentalists worry that the loud blasts could scare away wildlife, disrupt delicate ecosystems, and threaten the overall integrity of the park’s patchwork of private and public lands.
Local residents, too, have voiced their fears. Dan Canavan, who lives about a mile from the proposed testing site and is an experienced hunter and shooter himself, acknowledges the difference in scale between hunting rifles and howitzers, noting, “You can’t equate a 155 millimeter howitzer with a hunting rifle.” His wife, Lanita Canavan, who serves on the Lewis town council, is particularly concerned about losing the quiet character of their small community, which has a population of roughly 1,300 people. She worries that the noise will drive birds away from their feeders and degrade the peaceful quality of life that drew many residents to the Adirondacks.
Other locals share similar sentiments. April Guilder, another concerned citizen, questions the potential environmental impact on local water sources and laments the lack of advocacy on behalf of residents. At a recent informational meeting held at the town fire hall, she asked, “Who’s sticking up for us