Support the Bartlett Amendment to Request a Report from the U.S. Marine Corps on the proposed expansion of the Marine Corps Ground Air Combat Center Twenty-Nine Palms to work with all stakeholders in the Johnson Valley Area
Bartlett Amendment 243 to HR 4310
Request for Marine Corps Land Acquisition Report
Currently, 189,000 acres of land under control of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), adjacent to the Marine Corps Ground Air Combat Center Twenty-Nine Palms, California, is designated by the 1980 California Desert Conservation Plan as an off-highway vehicle recreation area.
The Marine Corps wants to acquire 160,000 acres of this land, including the Johnson Valley area most heavily used for recreation. Currently, only 2% of the California Desert is open for motorized off-highway vehicle recreation use with half of the land in the Johnson Valley area.
The Recreational Community use of Johnson Valley brings in over $70 million per year to the local economy. The Recreational Community includes: Rock Hounds, Off-Highway Vehicles, Motorcycles, Bicycles, Campers, Hikers, Bird Watchers, Turtle Watchers, Model Airplane Groups and Commercial Movie Industry.
US Marine Corps has been working very closely with the Recreational Community and the Bureau of Land Management to find a compromise as acceptable to all parties.The Marines plan to use this land for Marine Air Ground Task Force live fire and maneuver training year round while reserving 40,000 acres for co-use by the recreational community 10 months out of the year.
The Marine Corps is in the process of completing an Environmental Impact Study on the proposed expansion of 29 Palms.
Stakeholders in this region are working towards resolution for the proposed expansion.
I am very supportive of Marine Corps training, but want to ensure all the stakeholders have the opportunity to review the Marine Corps Report and work towards a common solution to minimize the impact on Johnson Valley for all stakeholders:A description of the actual training requirements for the proposed range and where those training requirements are currently being met to support combat deployments.Identify the impact on the off-road vehicle recreational users of the land, the economic impact on the local economy, the recreational industry and other stakeholders
Identify any concerns with the Bureau of Land Management in their assessments of the impact on other users
Identify the impact on the State of California’s Desert Conservation plan regarding allocation of the Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Areas Potential to use the same land without transfer, but under specific permits for use by the BLM
Any potential on other BLM lands near the Marine Corps Ground Combat Center Twenty-nine Palms or other locations in the geographic region. This amendment also provides a Secretary of Defense Waiver of the Report in the event of national security need.
I just emailed and called both senator's offices, it took 5 minutes.
1. go to clicky and enter your zip code, will get an email contact form, cut/paste the above info. I posted and put it in an email, push send. DONE.
2. go back to the previous screen under the senator's name is the contact info. call the 202 number in D.C. and tell the staffer you wish to urge the senator to support this amendment, takes 2 minutes.
nayther wrote: 141 views and only Bob took action? I know a lot of you recreate in Johnson Valley. Get off your butts and do this. If it goes away will you look back and say, "I should have done more"
Maybe not everyone likes to see our lands marked by the likes of name callers.
141 views and only Bob took action? I know a lot of you recreate in Johnson Valley. Get off your butts and do this. If it goes away will you look back and say, "I should have done more"
And so
1. Why do you feel the military does not need more land?
2. More training equals better military.
3. When it is open there will be some really neat rocks to collect
(ah..study) that have been blown up.
(To cheap to buy new)
1990 37 ft 5th wheel that hasn't moved since 1996 (our best home)
1997 33 ft trailer (winter home in much warmer climate)
2005 25 ft M/H (our "stand up B" for traveling)
path1 wrote: And so
1. Why do you feel the military does not need more land?
2. More training equals better military.
3. When it is open there will be some really neat rocks to collect
(ah..study) that have been blown up.
They have plenty of land, they just won't share it with other branches. A small corridor between 29 Palms/Fort Irwin/China Lake would open up far more acreage for training.
They don't want to use the land East of of 29 Palms that would not affect recreation. Its a $$$ thing, BLM land is just a transfer of ownership (FREE), buying private land cost $$$
They say we could use the land when their not training, this is a "LIVE FIRE" area, NO WAY are they going to let anyone in there after they use it (unexploded munitions).
The military in general is cutting back, if they are "shrinking" the military, why do they need to expand the land to train. From what I have read, the Marines need training in "Urban Warfare", blowing up rocks and Turtles is NOT my idea of Urban training.
I could go on and on and on, but thats the main points.
You people who do not live in So Cal have NO IDEA.
I live VERY close to March AFRB and have many friends who are in the Air Force or who work with the military, I fully support them 150%
We have lost two other AF bases in the general area and March has been converted to a Reserve Base, color that MILLIONS of lost dollars and jobs
JM.03
* This post was
edited 05/17/12 10:46pm by BobWanderer *
"They say we could use the land when their not training, this is a "LIVE FIRE" area, NO WAY are they going to let anyone in there after they use it (unexploded munitions)". Check out the training area near Yuma MCAS. ALl you got to do is get a permit and follow thier rules for access.
" The military in general is cutting back, if they are "shrinking" the military, why do they need to expand the land to train. From what I have read, the Marines need training in "Urban Warfare", blowing up rocks and Turtles is NOT my idea of Urban training". Going 600 mph and looking at a screen you can by off by just a little and really mess up somebody's day.
Why don't the Marines just take it the way Ca ended up with San Onofre and that state park near there, just say Now we're even?
Unbelievable, there are more than enough areas for training. Between 29 stumps and NTC (Ft Irwin) there is more than enough maneuver area and live fire places.
Been in for 23 years now and have been to the NTC 9 times and still have not seen the entire area. Plus there is a live fire area there that just about anything can be shot, dropped, or fired. And i have never been to 29 palms.
Support it! I have never been to Johnson valley but if it were my riding area I would be furious.
The Army was trying to aquire more land in South eastern Colorado for the Pinion Canyon Maneuver area. The citizens have been fighting back now for a few years.
If they get what they want you lose a very large area to enjoy.
chinook507 wrote: Unbelievable, there are more than enough areas for training. Between 29 stumps and NTC (Ft Irwin) there is more than enough maneuver area and live fire places.
Been in for 23 years now and have been to the NTC 9 times and still have not seen the entire area. Plus there is a live fire area there that just about anything can be shot, dropped, or fired. And i have never been to 29 palms.
Support it! I have never been to Johnson valley but if it were my riding area I would be furious.
The Army was trying to aquire more land in South eastern Colorado for the Pinion Canyon Maneuver area. The citizens have been fighting back now for a few years.
If they get what they want you lose a very large area to enjoy.
Dont let the Good Idea Fairy mess this place up!
THANKS for the SUPPORT
AND I JUST READ, The amendment has passed !!
* This post was
edited 05/18/12 10:40am by BobWanderer *
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