There's no guarantee that organized opposition will prevent the U.S. Navy from building an outlying landing field in either Camden or Gates counties. But the less opposition the Navy sees, hears or has to deal with, the more likely that one of the two North Carolina sites will be selected.

Fortunately efforts are already under way to push the Navy in another direction, and we commend those who are part of that.

Officials and grass-roots organizations in both counties are building a case that focuses on preserving the quality of life that residents have come to expect — now threatened by the noise and disruption created by 24-hour practice operations of the Navy's F/A-18 SuperHornet jets. Those operations also would wilt any growth potential for the affected counties.

Accordingly, Camden has gone the next step by hiring Poyner & Spruill, a Raleigh-based law firm, to handle the county's legal position.

Currituck County also has resolved to oppose the OLF in Camden. Officials and residents of Currituck are aware that, if built in the Hales Lake area of Camden, the OLF will directly affect residents, businesses and commerce in their community, too.

Similar arguments can be made for Elizabeth City and Pasquotank and other area counties.

Assistance in many forms will be needed in the next two and a half years. That's how long the Navy's study will take to determine which of the sites among the two in North Carolina and three in Virginia will be most suitable for an OLF. During that time, a well-organized opposition must build a case to convince the federal government that Camden or Gates would be the wrong choice for the landing field.

Local initiatives seem to be moving in the right direction, but that effort must be part of a larger campaign involving the state's key agencies, the governor, the Legislature and our full congressional delegation. So far, only verbal support has been given Camden and Gates by top elected officials, but it needs to go further than that.

That's why we think gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue made a good point about the OLF during her visit to Elizabeth City last week. In voicing her support for efforts opposing the landing field, she indicated that all of the state's offices and legislative resources should be involved. "It's all of us, not just one of us," she said.

Perdue was responding to a statement made a day earlier by U.S. Senator Richard Burr who said it was the governor's responsibility to respond on the OLF issue. We agree with Perdue. Senators Burr and Elizabeth Dole should be part of the effort to keep the OLF out of Camden and Gates.

This campaign will require a lot of work and the commitment of many officials. In cases dealing with federal initiatives, influence on key committee votes, such as appropriations and armed services, goes a long way in deciding where, when and if projects get passed. Representatives from North Carolina must be committed to that process.

Finally, we believe the state should bear part of the legal and other costs of opposing the OLF.

Residents of Camden and Gates and of surrounding counties who would be affected by the OLF, are North Carolina citizens whose lifestyle, welfare and future should be worthy of the state's assistance.

There are certainly numerous precedents for the state to act. For example, the Legislature has approved hundreds of millions of dollars in business incentives to attract or keep jobs in North Carolina communities. Similarly, isn't opposing the OLF consistent with protecting quality of life, real estate values and jobs? We think it is.

Support on every level — administrative, legislative, political and monetary — should be expected to assist the local effort.