Write a letter to your decision makers
The Johnson Valley Marine Corps Expansion
Summary:
To increase its live-fire training facilities, The United States Marine Corps is planning to expand its 598,000 acre Air Ground Combat Center at 29 Palms in southern California. In order to do this expansion, they are preparing take over 180,000 acres of BLM land in Johnson Valley.
In withdrawing this land from the BLM, the Marine Corps will be effectively shutting the OHV community out of one of the most important and highly prized OHV trail systems on the west coast. The famous Hammer trails system in Johnson Valley is considered Sacred Ground for the 4x4 community, losing this trail system would be like Golf losing Augusta, or baseball losing Wrigley Field.
There are other avenues the Military can take for training their troops, they just took this one because it was the path with what they thought would be the least resistance. Let’s prove them wrong.
Who these letters are going to:
When you use this letter generator, your letter will be sent to many different decision makers: The Secretary of the Interior, The local representative Jerry Lewis, the entire board of supervisors, The United States Marines and several people in the BLM.
PLEASE BE AS PROFESSIONAL AS POSSIBLE!
The e-mail that they receive will have your e-mail listed as the return address.
WHAT TO WRITE:
Forms letters do not have the same effect that individual, personal letters have, so we are asking you to take 5 minutes to write a personal note to these decision makers asking them to find another area to expand 29 Palms. To get you started, here is a suggestion on what to write:
1st Paragraph:
Introduce yourself, list any OHV organizations that you belong to and tell them that you completely disagree with the withdrawal of 180,000 acres of BLM land in Johnson Valley by the Marines.
2nd Paragraph:
Show just how important Johnson Valley and the Hammers trails are to you and your family or, if you have never been there, how important they are to the OHV community. Tell them how you and other people recreate in Johnson Valley. Ask them to visit the Pirate4x4.com rally thread: www.pirate4x4.com/jv
Give as many reasons as possible as to why the Marines should not take over this area. (The Importance to our OHV community, the economy of the area, possible damage done to the environment by live fire drills, etc.)
Ask them to find other land for training and to leave the OHV community’s SACRED GROUND accessible to the public.
3rd Paragraph:
Thank them for your time, and once again ask them to stop the land withdrawal from the BLM. Also be sure to make it clear that you support our Military and the troops, but that this action
A SALUTATION AND A CLOSING ARE NOT NEEDED! The letter generator will do that for you. Just write the body of the letter!
While you may use this sample letter, I encourage you to WRITE YOUR OWN LETTER, as form letters do not have the impact that personal letters have!
Sample Letter:
I completely disagree with the land withdrawal of 180,000 acres of BLM land in Johnson Valley by the Marine Corps.
Johnson Valley is a very important area to the public, especially the OHV community. The area in question contains the Hammers Trail System, which is considered a "Mecca" for OHV enthusiasts. If the OHV community lost the Hammers trail system, it would be like golf losing Augusta, or baseball losing Wrigley Field. In order to see just how important this area is to this group, I ask you to read these testimonials which were posted during a four hour, virtual online rally: www.pirate4x4.com/jv
Johnson Valley is also used by a huge variety of public recreationists other than the OHV public. An expansion of 29 Palms will effectively shut these people out of this area and could have a huge effect on the local economy. While 29 Palms does help the local economy, many other people travel visit the area for recreation. Their dollars would no longer be spent in this area, and many local business that cater to the OHV public would fail.
While I completely support our Military and the USMC, please reconsider this land withdrawal and urge the Marine Corps to consider a less vital area for their training.
Instructions:
Fill out your personal information.
Add a bit of personal information in the letter text box. A bit about how much you enjoy OHV recreation is always a good idea. Be polite.
Fill in the security code and click Preview & Send. _________________ www.UTVGuide.net www.DuneGuide.com
Proposed 29Palms Training Land/Airspace Acquisition Project
Proposed Action
The Department of the Navy is in the initial stages of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed acquisition of lands and establishment of airspace contiguous to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California.
The EIS will consider a range of reasonable alternatives for the proposed action sufficient to meet Marine Expeditionary Brigade training requirements.
The U.S. Marine Corps invites you to participate in the
Proposed 29Palms Training Land/Airspace Acquisition Project
Attend an open house scoping meeting to let the Marine Corps know what issues and interests you have for consideration in the development of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Representative from the Marine Corps will be available to provide information about the proposed action. Your comments are welcome.
The U.S. Marine Corps wants your input!
Oral and written comments will be accepted at the open houses.
Written comments may also be submitted to:
MAGTFTC, MCAGCC
ATTN: Land Acquisition Program Manager
Box 788104, Building 1554, Room 138
Twentynine Palms, CA 92278-8104
E-mail: SMBPLMSWEBPAO@usmc.mil
Comments must be received by Jan 3l, 2009, for consideration in the Draft EIS.
Twentynine Palms:
December 3, 2008, 5 to 9 p.m.
Twentynine Palms Junior High, Hays Gym
5798 Utah Trail
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Victorville:
December 4, 2008, 5 to 9 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn
12603 Mariposa Road
Victorville, CA 92395
Ontario:
December 5, 2008 5 to 9 p.m.
Ontario Convention Center
2000 E. Convention Ctr. Way
Ontario, CA 91764 _________________ www.UTVGuide.net www.DuneGuide.com
Marine Corps Announces Public Meetings for
Proposed 29 Palms Training Land/Airspace Acquisition Project
The US Marine Corps (USMC) has announced that they will be holding three Open House Scoping Meetings in early December. The meetings are on the Navy's Proposed Action to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed acquisition of approximately 366,000 acres of public land, including approximately 189,000 acres of Johnson Valley OHV Area, from the Bureau of Land Management.
As most of you already know, the transfer of these public lands would be devastating to the OHV community and recreating public. It's time to step up and let them know where you stand. Please try to attend one of these meetings. See the USMC invitation with the dates and locations of each meeting below.
Thanks in advance for your involvement,
Ric Foster
Public Lands Department Manager
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 107
Proposed 29Palms Training Land/Airspace Acquisition Project
Proposed Action
The Department of the Navy is in the initial stages of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed acquisition of lands and establishment of airspace contiguous to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California.
The EIS will consider a range of reasonable alternatives for the proposed action sufficient to meet Marine Expeditionary Brigade training requirements.
The U.S. Marine Corps invites you to participate in the
Proposed 29Palms Training Land/Airspace Acquisition Project
Attend an open house scoping meeting to let the Marine Corps know what issues and interests you have for consideration in the development of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Representative from the Marine Corps will be available to provide information about the proposed action. Your comments are welcome.
The U.S. Marine Corps wants your input!
Oral and written comments will be accepted at the open houses.
Written comments may also be submitted to:
MAGTFTC, MCAGCC
ATTN: Land Acquisition Program Manager
Box 788104, Building 1554, Room 138
Twentynine Palms, CA 92278-8104
E-mail: SMBPLMSWEBPAO@usmc.mil
Comments must be received by Jan 3l, 2009, for consideration in the Draft EIS.
Victorville:
December 4, 2008, 5 to 9 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn
12603 Mariposa Road
Victorville, CA 92395
Ontario:
December 5, 2008 5 to 9 p.m.
Ontario Convention Center
2000 E. Convention Ctr. Way
Ontario, CA 91764 _________________ www.UTVGuide.net www.DuneGuide.com
Officials are seeking the community's input as they continue studying the best way to expand the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center.
Three open house meetings have been scheduled, starting Wednesday in Twentynine Palms, to share initial plans and the early stages of the environmental study.
It comes as the Marine Corps looks to expand the base and create the first training center in the country that could accommodate up to 20,000 air and ground troops in the same exercise, said Capt. Amy Malugani, Marine Corps headquarters spokeswoman.
Officials say having such space is vital as they modernize their training standards.
“We can only meet those requirements if we expand,” Malugani said.
At 932 square miles, the Twentynine Palms combat center is the largest Marine Corps base in the world. More than 11,000 Marines and sailors are stationed there.
But only about 40 percent of the current land is available for maneuver training. The remaining land includes a buffer zone, environmentally protected areas and mountain terrain.
The base is already key in the nation's training programs.
Twentynine Palms is home to Mojave Viper, an intense monthlong war-training program that uses mock Iraqi towns and hundreds of role players to teach urban warfare. The training is a required stop for every Marine unit deploying to Iraq.
Officials have identified several expansion alternatives as well as a “no action” alternative.
The plans include creating special airspace boundaries that would allow the base to perform air and ground training simultaneously.
The Marine Corps had previously held a series of public information sessions in conjunction with the federal Bureau of Land Management. The community's response so far has been “fair,” Malugani said.
“They're sharing and we're listening, and that's what we need to do right now,” she said.
Additional Facts
If you go
The Marine Corps is hosting three meetings to discuss the possible expansion of the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. Each session runs from 5 to 9 p.m.
Wednesday: Twentynine Palms Junior High, 5798 Utah Trail, Twentynine Palms
Thursday: Hilton Garden Inn, 12603 Mariposa Road in Victorville
Friday: Ontario Convention Center, 2000 E. Convention Center Way, Ontario _________________ www.UTVGuide.net www.DuneGuide.com
Marine expansion plans don't sit well with off-roaders
December 4, 2008
By DAVID DANELSKI
The Press-Enterprise
VICTORVILLE - Off-roading enthusiasts and military officials appeared to be on a collision course Thursday at a meeting hosted by the Marine Corps, which plans a major expansion of its training center at Twentynine Palms.
The Marines shared five expansion scenarios for enlarging the center, but the one that works best for maneuvers and live-fire training takes in all or part of the Johnson Valley, a 189,000-acre mecca for off-roaders in the San Bernardino County desert southeast of Barstow.
The revelation didn't go over well with many of the 167 people, most of them off-roaders, who attended the meeting in a hotel conference room.
"Any alternative that takes in the Johnson Valley would be catastrophic for our community," said Jim Arbogast, a regional director of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association.
Arbogast, an Anaheim resident who likes to trek through Johnson Valley in his Ford Bronco, would prefer to see the military expand into wilderness areas on the more remote east side of the training center.
Others said they wanted no military expansion at all.
"We don't want to lose a grain of sand, nothing," said Rich Wohlers, a four-wheeling enthusiast from Apple Valley.
Lt. Col. James McArthur said final decisions are at least two years away. The military must still evaluate the expansion options to determine how well communications, logistics, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and other criteria will work in each area, he said.
Officials determined the Johnson Valley is best for live-fire exercises and maneuvering because it provides a natural extension of training corridors on the base, McArthur said.
The military also must review environmental issues in a study expected to be ready for public review in 2010.
Meeting participants were asked to make their comments in writing at several tables or to speak to a court reporter, who would create a transcript.
Marie Brashear, a rock collector from Lucerne Valley, said the comment format was self-serving for the military.
"The only purpose is to defuse and disarm people who may be opposed to the expansion," she said.
Helen Baker, director of the Partnership for Johnson Valley, said she liked the format because it prevents a few vocal people from taking over.
The Marine Corps wants to expand the 932-square-mile Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms to handle new training.
Military officials want enough space for three battalions to maneuver simultaneously using live ammunition accompanied by air support. Each battalion would have about 1,000 Marines supported by other troops.
The expansion area covers almost 76,000 acres of private property and most of the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area, a 189,000-acre public playground for off-roaders. Environmentalists have said the expansion could take territory from wild animals and plants at a time when desert habitat elsewhere is being claimed for solar and wind projects.
A Navy research group looked at 11 other potential training sites in the nation, but only Twentynine Palms has sufficient airspace and land, according to the Navy's application to acquire public lands. _________________ www.UTVGuide.net www.DuneGuide.com
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