MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER AT TWENTYNINE PALMS TO STUDY 422,000 ACRES OF LAND SURROUNDING THE BASE—INCLUDING MUCH OF A POPULAR OHV AREA—FOR POSSIBLE ACQUISITION

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) located in Twentynine Palms, CA has submitted a withdrawal application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to essentially put a hold on 422,000 acres while it studies those areas for possible acquisition into the base.

A large portion of the Johnson Valley OHV area is being considered. Johnson Valley OHV area is approximately 189,000 acres and is located in the high desert of California, just east of Los Angeles. The area is a Mecca for off-road recreation and is home to many events including off-road racing and competitive rock crawling.

For the past six months the OHV community has been aware that the Marines are studying this area for possible expansion. As a result, a small working group of OHV leaders has been working with the Marines to help them understand just how important this area is to the Southern California OHV community. It is the largest open OHV area in the country, and home to a myriad of competition events such as motorcycle races, 2- and 4-wheel drive off-road races and extreme rock crawling events. Jerry Grabow, President of the American Motorcyclist Association District 37, Off-Road, stated “Over half of our race program occurs on land within the Johnson Valley OHV Area. We have been racing in this area for over 50 years; there is simply not another open area large enough to hold these types of races.”

The withdrawal application the Marines submitted requires that the BLM prepare a “Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Opportunity for Public Meeting.” When this notice is published in the Federal Register it starts a 90-day public comment period and segregates the public land identified in the application for two years. Uses that are currently allowed in the area will continue, but no new uses or projects will be permitted. “We are hopeful that another solution or compromise can be found that fulfills the training needs of the Marines while still allowing OHV recreation to continue in this area treasured by so many off-road enthusiasts,” stated Meg Grossglass, ORBA Land Use staff member.

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