University of Guam President Robert Underwood signs petition opposing Ritidian firing range
Members of the Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian student members held a peaceful midday rally in the atrium of UOG's business school, handing out literature on the planned firing range at the former Northwest Field.
The group had no trouble soliciting a signature on their anti-range petition from University of Guam President Robert Underwood.
The group and other supporters maintain that studies by the military say that having the proposed firing range at this location will bring the most harmful impacts to the environment and culture both in its construction and operation.
Prutehi Litekyan also says that they are informed that construction work for the live fire range is expected to begin almost immediately. They are hoping to pressure local government officials to stop or at least slow down the construction.
Stasia Yoshida of the Prutehi group said that for one thing, Guam already has a number of ranges and potential sites for others outside of the Ritidian area.
"People more recently are starting to see that we don't need another firing range. We already have two firing ranges and why are we promoting the increase of this type of defense for gun training when we could learn how to be diplomatic, learn how to communicate with people we don't agree with."