Campers Near Superstition Within Active Bombing Range

[KTMrad 514]

Naval Air Facility El Centro is asking for your support in getting to following message out to your members:

Over the President's Day weekend, there was an unfortunate incident in regards to locations that are acceptable for camping near the Navy's Superstition Ranges in the Imperial Valley. Approximately 70 people were camped inside of an active bombing range and were asked to leave, for their own safety.

When these people located their camp sites, there were few signs in place and the next day our crews replaced missing signs, which indicated that these campers were within an off-limits area. . The ranges are used all year long, including weekends. Fast moving aircraft practice dropping inert ordnance in all areas. The danger is real and constant. . The process of replacing the signs around the range is a constant work in progress. It seems sometimes that as soon as the signs go up, half of them turn up missing.

We try to be as vigilant as possible, but for your own safety, you should also be aware of the off-limits areas. If you are asked to move, please know that we do so only to protect you. The Navy is not expanding its ranges and currently there are no plans to do so in the future. .

The Navy has a long history of cooperating with the off-road community and feels that the coalition between the Navy and the off-road community is mutually beneficial. We desire to keep those lands free of development to ensure the long range feasibility of our ranges and your organizations' desire to keep those lands open for off-roading. This weekend's incident was unfortunate, but necessary. We are trying to be the best neighbor possible by keeping the off-limits areas marked but ask for your support and understanding.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Naval Air Facility El Centro Public Affairs Office at 760-339-2519.

[PastaPilot 17]

Nice!

"70 people camped in an active bombing range"

That's a Darwin Award category yet to be established. Let's call it,"mass contribution to the cleansing of the genepool".

Common sense becomes more UN-common every year.

[2Wheels 0]

Hopefully it was nobody from SDAR.

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"Fast moving aircraft practice dropping inert ordnance in all areas. "

I saw a big ball of flame go up in that bombing range in 2001 or 2002 before the Iraq invasion. My point being that maybe they're not using live ordnance right now, but they have used it in the past.

[Strega 0]

Why anyone would want to REMOVE one of those signs and camp there anyway is unfathomable...I can't believe the idiocy of some people. Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

[Bbg.will 0]

Why anyone would want to REMOVE one of those signs and camp there anyway is unfathomable...

I think I can see some idiots wanting the sign itself...

[dstss 27]

I love camping out there when the jets are screaming over the valley so close you can read their markings. There is so much room out there, no reason for anyone to crowd onto the range itself. People stealing signs, or disregarding them hurt everyone.

[Spaugh 1]

They've been running races through there and people have been camping in that area for a long time. The boundry was not clear until this weekend in the north side of the dip. BLM has been approving the courses, and the navy could have probably picked a better time to re-establish the boundry. Now that the boundry is re-established, I think it will be respected.

d38 post