The meeting in a nutshell:
The good news is that the Marines are listening to us. The bad news is that of the six alternatives presented, Alternative 6 (preferred alternative) takes over the vast majority of Johnson Valley permanently. A small chunk would be used by the Marines for two months of the year, and opened to the public for the other ten.
There are other alternatives, such as Alternative 4 and Alternative 5, that have the whole study area being used by the Marines for two months out of the year, and then the public will have access the other ten.
What's the difference on the ground? If the Marines end up taking over an area permanently, they'll be using that area to conduct live-fire exercises where dud-producing ordnance will be used. If that happens, there's no way the public will ever be able to use the land again. On the other hand, if the Marines go into an area and use it only two months of the year and leave it open the other ten, practice ammunition will be used instead. Practice ammunition definitely involves firing projectiles, but none of the projectiles will be loaded with explosives.
My take? I'm glad for national defense. I'm thankful for those willing to fight for our country's freedom. I've heard the saying "freedom isn't free" and believe it wholeheartedly. At the same time, the off-road community has lost so much public land already to Wilderness designation that we don't have much land left to lose.
I don't want to see Alternative 6 happen. If we have to share land with the Marines, I'd rather see Alternative 4 or Alternative 5 come to pass, where the Marines use the whole area for two months of the year, leave it open to the public the other ten, and do not use any dud-producing ordnance in Johnson Valley. The best-case scenario for off-roaders is the No Action Alternative where nothing changes, but that might be too much to hope for.
Please take a look at the Marine Corps website regarding Johnson Valley:
You can submit comments online.
You can also send written comments to:
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest
ATTN: 29PalmsEIS Project Manager
Most Important: Written comments must be postmarked or received by May 26, 2011.
Please everyone, get writing!