AF: Earth religions get worship area

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - The Air Force Academy in Colorado has set up an outdoor worship area for followers of Wicca, Druidism and other Earth-centered religions.

A double circle of stones atop a hill on the campus near Colorado Springs has been designated for cadets and other service personnel in the area to practice Earth-centered faiths.

The academy said Monday that chapel staff worked with Tech. Sgt. Brandon Longcrier, who follows the Pagan tradition, to establish the area. He's the noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the academy's astronautics labs.

The school also has worship facilities for Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists.

Academy superintendent Michael Gould has made religious tolerance a priority. It became a concern after 2004 a survey of cadets found instances of harassment.