Controversy continues to swirl around a shooting range in Hartland that’s creating noise across the river, in New Hampshire. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, which owns the facility, concedes a second sound study shows some need for mitigation. Opponents to the range say the study is flawed, and they want to see the range closed.
The Hammond Cove Range, near the Connecticut River in Hartland, is not new, but since it was upgraded two years ago, it’s been creating headaches for neighbors directly across the water. Dan Dewey lives only about 300 feet away, in Plainfield New Hampshire. He says it’s like living in a war zone, even at this normally quiet time of year.
“Every day, including Christmas Day ... including Christmas Eve, there’s gunfire every day. I cannot remember the last day when I didn’t hear gunfire,” Dewey laments.
And what he hears, he says, is not accurately represented in the latest sound study conducted for the state of Vermont. He says the study sets an acceptable decibel level of noise too high, and does not take into account the repetitiveness of shots or the new types of weapons being used. Dewey says he and his neighbors have nothing against hunters, or guns—they are just angry about the placement of this range so close to their homes.
"The sounds here are absolutely intolerable. They've destroyed the way of life for all the homes in this community." - Dan Dewey, Plainfield resident
“The sounds here are absolutely intolerable,” he says. “ They’ve destroyed the way of life for all the homes in this community.”
Louis Porter is Vermont’s Fish and Wildlife Commissioner. He says he wants to help resolve this issue.
"I hope if one thing comes across it's that we are taking this very seriously and we are engaging in an open and transparent way with the neighbors and with those who use the shooting range." - Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter
“I hope if one thing comes across it’s that we are taking this very seriously and we are engaging in an open and transparent way with the neighbors and with those who use the shooting range.”
Porter says the latest sound analysis shows mixed results.
“This follow up sound study showed that while the sound barrier we had installed this year worked fairly well, quite well for hand guns it does not seem to be as effective for rifle fire.”
Porter says ranges like this are becoming more widely used, even by New Hampshire residents who may have been displaced by the closure of facilities in their own states. He says it’s important to provide safe places to shoot, but admits this facility may need to be more closely supervised and also may need to limit the hours of its operation. And he doesn’t rule out more structural changes to cut down on the noise.
Vermont’s Department of Fish and Wildlife is holding an informational meeting about possible solutions to the shooting range noise problem at the Hartland Recreational Center on January 7 at 6:30. There will be a public inspection tour of the range earlier in the day, at 3:45.
