PRESS RELEASE, April 10, 1995, 3:00 pm PT
>From the Area 51 Research Center, Rachel, NV 89001

The Air Force posted new signs today to close off the popular Freedom Ridge and White Sides viewpoints overlooking the secret air base at Groom Lake. A notice published today in the Federal Register indicates that the land has now been withdrawn from public use.

The closure had long been pending and had been the subject of public hearings and numerous news reports. In Oct. 1993, the Air Force announced its intention to withdraw the 4000 acres of public land "to assure the public safety and the safe and secure operation of activities in the Nellis Range complex." The Air Force has never mentioned the Groom Base in connection with the withdrawal, even though these viewpoints offered an unobstructed view of the facility.

The withdrawal application by the Air Force resulted in widespread publicity for the unacknowledged testing base, which was the home to the U-2, SR-71 and F-117A during the early part of their development. Hundreds of tourists have visited the viewpoints in search of legal peeks into the governments "black" programs.

Tourists can still see the base from a farther viewpoint, Tikaboo Peak. Tikaboo peak is about twice the distance from the base and requires twice the hike, so fewer people are likely to go there. When it was open, the Freedom Ridge viewpoint was reachable by four wheel drive or by a 45 minute hike from a maintained dirt road.

Glenn Campbell, director of the Area 51 Research Center and the activist who spearheaded the fight to prevent the withdrawal, says that today's closure was not unexpected. "It had been processed for over a year and a half," says Campbell, "much longer than anyone expected." Campbell says that appeals and legal challenges by opponents of the withdrawal are still possible, but he acknowledges that the chance of the land ever again being open to the public are slim.

Campbell says that although the Air Force may have won the disputed land, it has lost the public relations battle. "They sought the land to help obscure their base, but the opposite happened. The withdrawal became a news story in itself and helped focus worldwide attention on Area 51."

"In the end, this closure will hurt the military much more than it does the opponents of secrecy because it forces public attention to widen to the entire Nellis Range complex," said Campbell.

Contact: Glenn Campbell, (702) 729-2648