Peaceful Gila Skies formed in 2017 when the Holloman Air Force Base proposed to dramatically expand military training over the Gila region. Not long after that attempt was thwarted by an overwhelming display of community support for protecting peaceful skies, we learned that the need for such a coalition would unfortunately persist. In 2022, three bases in Arizona–Luke Air Force Base, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and Morris Air National Guard Base–announced that they too had their eyes on the Gila and surrounding areas.

We’re a coalition of business owners, community leaders, recreationalists, concerned citizens, and conservation groups, including Center for Biological Diversity, Gila Conservation Coalition, Gila Resources Information Project, Heart of the Gila, New Mexico Wild, and Upper Gila Watershed Alliance. We are united in our opposition to the expansion of military training over the Gila region and across our treasured public lands in the Southwest.

Home to the nation’s first Wilderness Area, the Gila’s 3.3 million acres of rivers, canyons and forests draw visitors from all over the world, in no small part to enjoy the peace and solitude that can be found there. Nearby landscapes including New Mexico’s Bootheel to the south are also irreplaceable bastions of habitat and quietude.

 The new proposal, which would include lowering supersonic flights above the Gila Wilderness from 30,000 to 5,000 feet, would have devastating impacts to both the human and natural landscape. Rural character, real estate values, outdoor recreation, tourism, and the local economy would be degraded alongside ecosystem health and wildlife habitat.

Our goal is to protect the Gila from these incursions for the benefit of all who call the Gila region home and for the countless others who visit from across the country and the globe.