– That is complete madness! Terje Øvsthus is upset. He has for over 30 years been a permanent resident in the Brandsetdalen area by Vossestrand in Vestland, and in his spare time he is both a hunter and a nature photographer. This summer he was on one of his usual routes along the Brandsetelva when he suddenly spotted something unusual: Four men busy drilling three-metre high, red-coloured iron poles with yellow danger signs into the mountain. – I tried to ask them what the hell they were doing, but quickly realized that they had just been given the task in the lap of other people in charge, he says. Brandsetdalen lies a little outside the center of the extreme sports village of Voss and is a favorite destination for river paddling and swimming. It is also very close to the southern border of the Nærøyfjorden World Heritage Park. The signs tower over the terrain and must be visible to people regardless of the weather and light conditions. Photo: Terje Øvsthus One thousand signs spread over five miles The signs have been put up on behalf of Forsvarsbygg, which operates the Mjølfjell and Brandset shooting and training ranges in the area. The shooting range is one of a total of 48 in the country. These can now have increased activity, in line with the long-term plan of the Norwegian Armed Forces. All 48 shooting ranges have signs or have sign projects underway. Ongoing projects are in Voss Herad in Vestland, Geiskelid in Bykle municipality in Agder, and Leksdalen in Stjørdal municipality in Trøndelag. The aim at Voss is now to mark the roughly five-mile-long outer boundary of the range, so that walkers in the area must be aware of the shooting range. We are talking about around one thousand aluminum signs, set up 50 meters apart. The plans also involve felling a 50 meter wide “street”, where the outer boundary runs through forest. The deployment of the signs has led to violent reactions, both from permanent residents, cottagers, hikers and extreme sports athletes in the area. Avisa Hordaland has previously discussed the case. Shooting and practice ranges in Norway Below are the 12 of a total of 48 active shooting and practice ranges in Norway. All 48 have signs or have sign projects underway. On these 12, Forsvarbygg also has digital notifications for: Source: Forsvarsbygg Mayor stopped the work Øvsthus is far from alone in reacting to the signs. Tonje Såkvitne, mayor of Voss Herad, had barely got home from holiday before she opened her inbox, which was stuffed full of reactions and photos from angry walkers. The deputy mayor and DNT locally said that there have been daily calls and e-mails from residents, landowners and cabin owners, she says. – The case has created a great deal of local involvement, says Såkvitne. Tonje Såkvitne, mayor of Voss Herad. Photo: Oddgeir Øystese / news Forsvarsbygg acknowledges in the application that the markings may negatively affect the landscape experience in the area. Nevertheless, they believe that consideration for safety should be given the most emphasis. Forsvarsbygg confirms to news that they already started installing the signs in Brandsetdalen this summer, along the entire outer boundary of their training field in the area. – With a distance as short as 50 meters between each sign, it becomes totally dominant, says nature conservation officer Dag Sandvik in Bergen and Hordaland tour team. Dag Sandvik in Bergen and Hordaland tour group believes that the short distance between the signs means that they become totally dominant in the area. Photo: Silje Kvalsvik Olsen / news – The consequence is a severely degraded landscape area. Here, Forsvarsbygg should have investigated alternative ways of marking. They could have contacted interest organizations to arrive at a good solution, says Sandvik. According to the plan, this work was to continue through the autumn, and be taken up again in the spring of 2025. Defense Construction has now stopped the deployment of the signs until further notice due to the reactions. Defence: – Important safety measures Thomas Getz, manager of the firing and practice range in Forsvarsbygg, tells news that he understands that the signs can be perceived as unsightly in the terrain. – But the signs constitute an important safety measure. The design follows our standard for all shooting and practice ranges. It should be possible to see them regardless of the season, light and weather conditions, says Getz. Defense construction is now prioritizing putting up signage in areas where there has been little activity in recent years, but which will now see greater activity in the future due to the changed security policy situation. – We do this to prevent unwanted incidents with potentially tragic outcomes. – But why did you put up signs even before the application to the State Administrator had been sent and processed? – The application concerns a dispensation from the conservation regulations for the Nærøyfjorden landscape conservation area in Aurland, which is to be marked in the spring of 2025. We asked Voss here by e-mail on 6 May whether other parts of the measure were subject to application. The answer we received on May 8 was that it was not. Defense Construction nevertheless chose to stop the work due to the attention the case has received. Wasn’t told the extent of the measure According to Getz, they will now engage in dialogue with the municipality before proceeding, to avoid misunderstandings arising. Mayor Tonje Såkvitne is very positive about the dialogue, and hopes it will get things on the right track. She confirms that the municipality was contacted about signs in May, but that the scope of the measure was not revealed. – If we had seen the entire plans, the municipality could have decided on this in a different way, she says. Eyewitnesses believe that the Norwegian Armed Forces should have informed both the municipality and the residents about their plans. – Then we would have had a better starting point, says the mayor. Published 20.08.2024, at 05.21
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The armed forces have set up markings in signal colors without permission from Voss herad – news Vestland
