The land is currently available for public use, and is enjoyed by many families for driving off-road vehicles. But they won't be able to if the land is annexed by the Twentynine Palms Air Ground Combat Center.
We must oppose the militarization of one of our remaining natural areas! The land should be used for peaceful purposes, not to further the disastrous policies that militarism has unleashed on the world.
What can we do? Remarkably, the Marines want to know what we think about their proposal! Unfortunately, they are only accepting public comments until January 31! That only gives us FIVE DAYS!
Go to the base website and download the
comment form, fill it out, and send it in! That's all it takes! But please, don't delay!
Together we can bring about a more peaceful world.
Further details are given in the Federal Register (Volume 73, No. 211, Thursday, October 31, 2008, Page 64604-64606) at:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/ Marines Seek More Land in the Mojave
Although planning began in the 1990s, the U.S. Department of the Navy has now started the public process which they hope will lead to an expansion of the Twentynine Palms Marine Base. On September 15 an application was filed for withdrawal of 424,000 acres of public land for use in training exercises. On October 23 and 24 public meetings were held in the communities of Twentynine Palms and Victorville to explain the process and receive comments. More recently a Notice of Intent has appeared in the Federal Register outlining the alternatives that are anticipated in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that must be prepared to accompany the proposal. The preparation of the EIS is expected to take two years, and ultimately the transfer of land currently managed by the BLM to the Marine Base will require Congressional approval. The need for expanded training facilities is questioned by some groups, and specific proposals must be balanced against the loss of public access to lands, costs to the environment, and impacts on local communities.