This collection contains notes, printed materials, fliers, brochures, newspaper publications and correspondence pertaining to Low Altitude Flights and COLAF. Included is material about the Innu (Naskapi or Montagnais) people from Labrador-Quebec who were fighting legislation permitting NATO forces to conduct low altitude training over their traditional lands.
Current magazine article on low-altitude flights by the U. S. Air Force.
Collection Overview
COLAF was a social action group formed by private citizens in St Lawrence County, NY in January of 1989 in response to proposals made by the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to use the airspace above St. Lawrence County as a Low Altitude Flight training grounds. The plan was for B-52 bombers and FB-111 fighter-bombers to cross the Adirondacks and enter St. Lawrence Country at altitudes as low as 500 feet above ground level. The purpose of COLAF was "to educate the citizens of St. Lawrence County and their elected representatives about the effects of low-altitude military flights so they will take action on this important issue." The culmination of COLAF's efforts was an Ad Hoc Committee formed by Governor Mario Cuomo in July 1989 involving several local citizen groups and state agencies. The SAC agreed to mitigate their original proposals, which along with other cutbacks eventually led to the "race track loop" being dissolved by 1991. COLAF was a one of the first citizen action groups in the nation to have a seat at the table during the political dealings of the military.