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County cracks down on
Covert Canyon operations
By Christy Scott
The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — While residents in Potrero
struggle against a proposed Blackwater training facility,
another, similar facility has been operating for nearly two
years, right here in Alpine. Covert Canyon, hidden in the hills
off Japatul Road, is a para-military training camp that was,
until last week, training military and law enforcement personnel
in live fire combat training.
Last week, after Covert Canyon was exposed, county
Supervisor Dianne Jacob called for the camp to be closed down,
amid concerns that the owner Marc Halcon has been operating the
160 acre paramilitary training camp for the past two years
without a county permit.
“This property owner is operating illegally and he
needs to play by the rules,” Jacob said.
Jacob says the county will issue an immediate cease and desist
order.
“This property is zoned for a specific purpose, not as
a firing range, and not for training personnel,” she said.
Covert Canyon features three gun ranges, machine gun
training, helicopter landing zones, and an 850-foot dirt
airstrip.
According to Halcon, hundreds of people have trained at
his facility. “Over the past two years the largest unit we’ve
had out here was 24 people for one day,” he said. “Primarily
used for small arms, hand guns, and tactical movement training.”
“We’ve had two helicopters land here since we’ve
opened,” he said. “I’ve been here for two years, trained a fair
amount of people and the people who need to know we’re here are
here.”
Despite the noise, and activity, taking place at Covert
Canyon, the entire facility was built under the radar, without a
permit, and without the county knowing what was going on.
“No, he cannot land aircraft on the site without a
major use permit,” said San Diego County Department of Planning
and Land Use planning chief Jeff Murphy. “Any operation of the
gun range is also prohibited until he gets those permits.”
This issue largely came to light due to Halcon’s
neighbors, who are tired of the noise of gunfire and traffic.
According to Jacob, she was made aware of Covert Canyon
through an anonymous e-mail that was sent to her office.
“Right away, I asked that county staff evaluate the
site. Since that time, I have seen video and viewed a web site
that clearly demonstrated illegal activities on the property,”
she said. “Last Thursday, I requested that the Deputy Chief
Administrative Officer issue a “cease and desist” order to the
property owner, and that order was carried out.”
Clark and Robin Williams live right next door to Covert
Canyon.
“Back in the 80s, I bought this property with the idea
of retiring here,” Clark said.
“I’m a Vietnam War veteran, so is my husband,” Robin said. “We
came here for peace and quiet, not to fight the war again.”
“The owner of the property is in the business of
training the military. Why? There’s money to be made, and my
neighbor is profiting from it,” Robin said.
Halcon is convinced Blackwater is behind a spate of
e-mails and Internet discussions drawing attention to his
facility. “It’s a well-orchestrated effort to divert attention
from the Blackwater-Potrero issue,” Halcon said.
Other local residents have raised concerns about how
Covert Canyon has been able to operate without permits from the
county, but with the approval of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Jacob says that the county’s code enforcement operation
is driven mainly by complaints from residents.
“I share the public’s frustration that the activities
on the Covert Canyon site may have gone on for years without
question. We do not have the resources to patrol and monitor the
remote Back Country all day, every day. Residents are often the
county’s eyes and ears out there.”
Covert Canyon is similar to another paramilitary
training camp that’s being proposed in Potrero by Blackwater
USA. The project has been met with fierce opposition by Potrero
residents. According to Blackwater documents, the two facilities
may have more in common that just combat training.
In a 2003 Blackwater statement of corporate officers, filed with
the California Secretary of State’s office, Halcon is listed as
a registered agent for Blackwater.
Halcon, however, denies his affiliation with Blackwater.
“Covert Canyon Training Center is in no way related to
any Blackwater entity,” he said. “We’re not catering to
civilians. We don’t allow civilians up here. The people who come
up here are strictly military and law enforcement.”
A newly posted statement on the
Covert Canyon web site
reads, “On May 22, 2007, Mr. Halcon learned that his name had
been used by Blackwater on corporate documents dating as far
back as 2003, to allegedly facilitate Blackwater’s move into
California. Such action was done completely without Mr. Halcon’s
knowledge and without his consent. Mr. Halcon was at no time
notified by Blackwater that he was listed as its agent for
service of process and he would not have consented to such
appointment.”
Halcon does disclose a previous relationship with
Blackwater in 2002, when he subcontracted military training at
another of his businesses, American Shooting Center, Inc., in
Kearny Mesa.
“American Shooting Center has been conducting this
training independently with no Blackwater involvement since
September of 2002,” reads the web site statement.
An attorney for Covert Canyon says they will comply
with the county’s order and stop all training at the camp. With
the help of a hired consultant, Halcon is starting the process
of applying for a county permit to re-open.
According to Jacob, the public will have several
opportunities to weigh-in on Covert Canyon.
There will likely be three opportunities for residents to
provide input to the county: First, during the community
planning group’s initial consideration of project, then during
public review of the project’s environmental study, and finally,
during the public hearing when the project comes before the
Planning Commission.
 E-mail
Christy Scott
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