MEETING TO DISCUSS JOHNSON VALLEY OFF-ROAD AREA LAST NIGHT

Some two dozen area residents, representing varied interests, attended a workshop meeting last night at the Yucca Valley Community Center with the BLM and the Marine Corps to discuss the changes coming to the Johnson Valley off-road vehicle area. They got a look at the new configuration of Johnson Valley after a compromise over expansion of the Twentynine Palms Marine Base. In December President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014, appropriating 79,000 acres to the combat center for exclusive military use; 53,000 acres for shared use by the public and the combat center; and 43,000 acres as the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area. The Shared Use Area would be used only twice annually for 30 days at a time, while for the other 10 months the land would be available for public use. At the meeting, those in attendance were asked for their input on how best to work together on managing the shared use area, including what time of the year the military should train there. The joint management of the land between the BLM and the military is the first arrangement of its kind in the country.