Alternative #6 added, includes West and South Study Areas

[magicgroove]

The Marine Corps has announced the addition of a sixth Alternative to
the five already being studied in the EIS process. This is the "joint-
use alternative" that has been rumored and would include Johnson
Valley and Wonder Valley but would allow public access to 40,000 acres
of JV for about 10 months out of the year.

The updated Executive Summary describes Alternative 6 this way: "About
140,000 acres west/19,000 acres south. Maneuver would start from the
east on the current MCAGCC base and the south study area, and the MEB
battalions would converge on an objective in the west study area. No
dud-producing ordnance use in 40,000 acres in the south of the west
study area; this 40,000 acres would be open for public use when MEB
training not required."

The MCAGCC "Project Update Notice Number 4—November 2009" states, "New
Alternative Six responds to public input for an additional joint-use
alternative" and further goes on to say, "Under Alternative Six, the
Marine Corps would use about 40,000 acres of the withdrawn area
for sustained, combined-arms, live-fire and maneuver training
approximately twice a year for
approximately one month each time, during which time it would be
closed to public use. Only
non-dud-producing ordnance would be used in this portion of the
exercise area. After range
clearance and during the rest of the year, this area in the southeast
of the potential acquisition
area, which includes the Hammers, would be open to the public for
recreation and similar uses."

More info at the Land Acquisition Study Website, http://www.29palms.usmc.mil/las/.
Look under "Press Releases" and "Current Update".

My personal suspicion is that this new alternative has a better-than-
average chance of being ranked as the Preferred Alternative when the
EIS is issued. The map on the Website is tiny and until they issue a
bigger one it's hard to judge for sure, but it looks like the Southern
Study Area is no different in this Alternative and that the main
changes are in the Western SA. If Alt. 6 is pursued, then the South
can count on being used as a staging area and the West as the
"objective".

The desert sure is getting small. Happy Thanksgiving, all.

[bakerhab]

Here is a higher resolution map of the new Alternative 6

http://www.pfjv.org/alt6%20PDF.pdf

Helen Baker
www.pfjv.org

> More info at the Land Acquisition Study Website,http://www.29palms.usmc.mil/las/.