LAT: Military Wants Santa Rosa Island (in CA Channel Islands Natl. Park)

[DeepModem Mom]

Military Wants Santa Rosa Island
California congressman seeks to convert the public park into a recreation and training area for the armed forces. Critics cry foul.

By Tim Reiterman and Richard Simon, Times Staff Writers


WASHINGTON — A California congressman confirmed Friday that he wants to convert Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park into a Department of Defense installation for military recreation and special forces training — a move critics say would severely limit public access.

The proposal by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is being circulated as an amendment to a defense authorization bill that both houses of Congress began hashing out this week....

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Hunter's proposal calls for the Department of Defense to transform the 53,000-acre island into a military operation, effective Jan. 1, 2009. The goal, the proposal said, was to provide "morale, welfare and recreation activities to members of the armed forces and their dependents, veterans, official guests and such other persons as the secretary determines to be appropriate, including paralyzed and disabled persons."

The island, according to the proposal, also could provide training areas for special operations forces and would continue to allow deer and elk hunting that is currently permitted.

Critics of the proposal said military personnel already can visit the park, just like the general public....


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-island10dec10,0,65452.story?coll=la-home-headlines