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Hi-Desert Star
Published: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 1:54 AM CST
YUCCA VALLEY — The Town Council took a stand on the proposed expansion of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Thursday by approving a resolution granting them stakeholder status to the process.
This item was added to the council’s agenda last week to meet a filing deadline date of Dec. 15.
The resolution states that while the Town of Yucca Valley supports MCAGCC’s need to expand its live-fire training facilities, the council opposes expansion into Johnson Valley off-road vehicle recreational areas.
The resolution will be presented to the Bureau of Land Management, United States Marine Corps, Department of Defense and relevant members of the California Congressional Delegation.
More than 420,000 acres of BLM public lands and non-federally owned lands are being considered in different alternatives for expansion by the Department of the Navy. Per the Town’s staff report, 135,000 of those acres would be taken from the Johnson Valley OHV area’s 188,000 acres, making them off limits to the public.
“Johnson Valley is home to the largest off-highway vehicle area in the region,” the report found, “providing economic benefits to the surrounding communities, and opportunities for off-highway vehicle enthusiasts and many others to enjoy recreation in the desert. Additionally, Johnson Valley is a popular site for photography and the filming of movies, commercials and other productions which generate additional economic benefits.”
Many residents of this the are opposed to the Marines’ expansion into public-use lands. Alliances have been growing among neighborhood groups, off-roaders, wilderness recreation organizations and environmental coalitions.
But the Department of Defense believes the expansion is warranted. According to an official United States Marine Corps Web site, “Marines must train as they fight. This requires more training land and airspace than is now available anywhere in the United States.”
The Corps needs a training area that can accommodate three battalions simultaneously maneuvering for 48 to 72 hours and the accompanying airspace.”
A battalion is between 500 and 1,200 troops.
The Town of Yucca Valley does endorse an eastern expansion of the training area.
“There are significant areas contiguous to currently proposed expansion areas that would likely provide training benefit at minimal cost to natural resources,” the staff report comments.
Councilman Bill Neeb remarked there is a value to having the Johnson Valley area available for the town’s off-roaders.
Neeb added Apple Valley Mayor Rick Roelle also is “quite concerned” that the Johnson Valley OHV areas would be lost to tourism, and Roelle intends for Apple Valley to weigh in with stakeholder status to that effect.
County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt was also cited by the councilman as being opposed to western expansion and in favor of eastern expansion.
Mike “Grumpy” Kelliher, speaking on behalf of fellow stakeholder the Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce, sees the issue as “a very complex problem that will be addressed over the next few years.”
Although understanding the Marines’ need for expansion, Kelliher saw a “double-edged sword” looming for Yucca Valley with the loss of the OHV area. “The grant money that is issued to the county because we do have an OHV area will go from $50,000 to $5,000,” he claimed.
The chamber also recommended the base expand to the east.
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