There once was a chicken named Chicken Little, who, when an acorn fell on its head, thought the sky was falling.

Chicken Little ran around convincing many people that the “sky is falling, the sky is falling”.

Then, many of the farm animals ran around in a tizzy yelling “the sky is falling, the sky is falling”. They ran to find the king and tell the king the sky is falling.

I’m hearing much the same from so many people that it’s time to put this acorn in its proper perspective.

“They want to close the base, they want to close the base,” the people cry about Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. But the acorn that fell is no more than a request to close the Coupeville OLF, and move the Growlers to a more appropriate place.

The sky isn’t falling. The Growler noise is affecting people region-wide. The sky isn’t falling, just asking for peace and quiet. The base isn’t closing.

The only ones to keep proclaiming that are the Chicken Littles of the region. The king, our congresspersons, know the sky isn’t falling, and that the base isn’t closing.

When COER talked to U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, no one mentioned closing the base.

COER has one mission, to stop the use of the Coupeville OLF (Outlying Landing Field), and move the Growlers—not to close the base and make the sky fall.

Please, don’t be a Chicken Little. The sky isn’t falling!

Michael Monson/Coupeville

—Editor’s note: Mike Monson is president of Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve (COER)