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.
[snip]
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, [Lt. Col. James] McArthur said.
The "open house" format of the meeting was controversial. Again per the P-E:
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.
MORE INFO ON THESE ISSUES: On the Land Use/Development and Communities pages of the MBCA Website. Previous blog posts: Johnson Valley, Marine Base, Wonder Valley, Twentynine Palms.
