A special use permit for development of the Coyote Flat facility was obtained from the United States Forest Service in 1967 for 451.33 acres. The permit was amended in 1973 to include an additional 70.67 acres in Section 4, Township 9 South, Range 32 East and the 80 acres for the White Mountain site. Also included in the permits were vehicular access over Inyo National forestRoad No. 7S10 from Bishop to the Coyote Flats site; no land access is permitted to the White Mountains site. Since the United States Air Force (USAF) is still using both sites, the permit is still in effect.
The Coyote Flats facility consists of a single runway 150 feet wide and 5,000 feet long,~which is composed of asphalt. Appurtenant to it is a 40 by 40 foot square prefabricated metal storage building constructed with the runway in 1968. No modifications or repairs have been made to the facility since 1968. The Forest Service has inspected the site and is satisfied with its condition. The original permit presented in a 1970 Memorandum of Understanding between the USFS and the USAF stated that the White Mountain site would be retained in a near natural state. An inspection of the site on 28 August 1987 with binoculars from the observatory at the Barcroft Research Laboratory above the site indicated no improvements were present. This was verified by personnel at the station who have repeatedly traversed the site on foot and found no improvements.