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Off-roaders taking on the Marines
what if your both?
TWENTYNINE PALMS — Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Marine Corps officials confirmed that permits have been issued to look into expanding the facility at Twentynine Palms — possibly by as much as 100,000 acres into Johnson Valley.The land acquisition is part of an effort to become the nation’s premiere combat training facility, said Gunnery Sgt. Chris W. Cox, the public affairs chief at the Marine Corps Air/Ground Combat Center.“The Marine Corps is looking at areas contiguous to the base, including the Johnson Valley, but no final decisions have been made regarding what alternatives will be pursued and analyzed,” Cox said in a prepared statement. “When the alternatives are finalized, we will inform the public.”Permits were issued to conduct surveys of cultural and environmental impact, said BLM Chief of Resources Mickey Quillman, who is based out of the Barstow office.While both Quillman and Cox warned that the proposed project would be still be many years off, Quillman conceded there could be an impact on Lucerne Valley, in at least as much as noise levels are concerned.“It would be used for military training — a combination of live-fire and force-on-force training,” Quillman said.Cox said that there is currently no training facility in the nation that can support the training requirements proposed by the Marine Corps, and that Twentynine Palms has been tasked with rectifying that.“It is imperative that Marines receive the most realistic training before deploying into a combat environment that demands split-second life or death decisions. The potential land parcel additions would allow Marines to ‘train as they fight’ as a large-scale Marine Air Ground Task Force, in particular a Marine Expeditionary Brigade,” Cox said.Quillman said that while the surveys are taking place, the process will require Notice of Intent — which will open the discussion to the public, through scoping meetings — and the proposal of alternative locations.“This process of simply figuring out what land the base might actually need to meet the Marine Corps training requirements and how it affects other interests could take anywhere from three to five years” said Jim Ricker, assistant chief of staff for the G-5 training center.That process, Cox said, “will involve a great deal of input from the local community and the wide range of stakeholders.” Quillman added that of particular concern are the off-road vehicle community and proposed solar projects.
New group tries to head off base expansion Saturday, June 7, 2008 12:19 AM PDTJOHNSON VALLEY — A new group called the Partnership for Johnson Valley reports giving a presentation about the Johnson Valley off-roading area to staff at the Twentynine Palms Marine base recently.The group’s presentation was prompted to news the military is considering a portion of the Johnson Valley Open Access as one option for a base expansion.The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.The Partnership for Johnson Valley’s presentation was part of an ongoing effort to exchange information with the Marines and show the impact an expansion would have on a diverse group of people.The partnership identifies affected stakeholders as including land owners, off-highway vehicle enthusiasts, geocachers, historical organizations, mineralogists, equestrian groups, remote-control plane organizations, the film industry, other business groups and youth groups.“The partnership is reaching out to all of the stakeholders who could be impacted by the expansion of the Twentynine Palms Marine base,” said chairman Harry Baker.In a news release, partnership Executive Director Mark Howlett quotes one of the stakeholders as warning filmmakers would leave the state if Johnson Valley is closed to public use.“Johnson Valley is critical to the film industry because it represents the largest open, unrestricted area in California where filmmakers can shoot 360-degree desert scenes,” Howlett quotes Sheri Davis, director of the Inland Empire Film Commission, as saying.“Without Johnson Valley’s diversity and ease of use, the industry will simply leave California to film elsewhere.”According to Davis, “Annually, Johnson Valley open-access represents 10,000 California-based film industry jobs.”The original meeting with the military was orchestrated by Ed Waldheim, a past commissioner of the California OHV Commission who represented OHV interests in Sacramento for 10 years.At the original meeting, a coalition of groups was asked to participate to represent local stakeholders. They were invited back by the military to give a formal presentation.After their second meeting with the military, the coalition participants agreed to form a partnership and establish themselves as a non-profit under the California Trail Users Coalition.Partnership leaders have been cooperatively working with the military and the stakeholders in an effort to explore alternatives to the proposed land expansion, Howlett states.The partnership is led by chairman Harry Baker with Howlett as executive director and Wayne Nosala as secretary.They are asking for the support of other interested people in the area and seeking new members.For information, e-mailinfo@PFJV.org.
News ReleaseFor Release: February 20, 2009 Contact: Stephen Razo, 951.697.5217; email: srazo@ca.blm.govCA-CDD-09-22BLM Desert District Advisory Council to Meet in BarstowThe Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) California Desert District Advisory Council will participate in a field tour of BLM-administered public lands in the Johnson Valley Off Highway Vehicle Area on Friday, March 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and meet in formal session on Saturday, March 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 2700 Lenwood Rd, Barstow, CA 92311. The council and interested members of the public will depart for the field tour from the lobby of the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites. Members of the public are welcome to participate in the tour, but should plan on providing their own transportation, drinks, and lunch.Agenda topics for the formal session on Saturday will include updates by Council members and reports from the BLM District Manager and five field office managers. Additional agenda topics are being developed. Once finalized, the field tour and meeting agendas will be published in a news release prior to the meeting and posted on the BLM California state website at: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/rac/dac.html. All Desert District Advisory Council meetings are open to the public. Times for public questions/comments are scheduled at the beginning and end of the meeting, and may be made available by the council chairman during the presentation of various agenda items. While the Saturday meeting is tentatively scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the meeting could conclude prior to 4:00 p.m. should the council conclude its presentations and discussions. Therefore, members of the public interested in a particular agenda item or discussion should schedule their arrival accordingly. Written comments may be filed in advance of the meeting for the California Desert District Advisory Council, c/o Bureau of Land Management, External Affairs, 22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553. Written comments also are accepted at the time of the meeting and, if copies are provided to the recorder, will be incorporated into the minutes. For more information regarding the California Desert District Advisory Council meeting, contact David Briery, BLM California Desert District Public Affairs at (951) 697-5220.
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Topic: Fight For Johnson Valley Rages On (Read 7892 times)
