Count Navy SEAL training as another military activity hobbled by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SEAL teams have for decades trained in the verdant wilds of western Washington state, practicing beach landings, stealth reconnaissance and other critical cold-water operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this year, before the novel coronavirus took over American life, the Navy brought a proposal to the state that would greatly expand<\/a> the number of state parks where SEALs could train, from five parks to 29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such training irks some locals and advocacy groups. Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission <\/a>hearings on the matter tend to attract crowds who voice concerns about the special operators creeping around on public lands and watching them from hidden positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of an effort to curb large gatherings that can spread the virus, the commission has paused such public hearings, and the Navy\u2019s latest proposal has been shelved for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\t