URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT: 5,000 Signatures Needed for White House Petition to Save Johnson Valley OHV Area

SEMA Action Network
January 25, 2013

An effort to save the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation area in California has been launched to prevent the unnecessary expansion of the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base. A coalition of organizations, including the SEMA Action Network (SAN), has initiated a petition requesting support from the White House. The petition requests that “our government encourage the Marines to work with the public . . . to meet training objectives instead of closing this land to the public forever.” Nearly 20,000 enthusiasts have signed the petition, leaving just over 5,000 more to reach the 25,000 required signatures by February 14.

We Urge You to Sign the Petition Now

The Marines want to expand its base at Twentynine Palms to add nearly 147,000 acres of adjacent land owned by the federal government. However, the land is a designated OHV recreation area and home to “King of the Hammers” and other OHV events throughout the year.

Due to the efforts of the SAN and other land use groups, continued OHV access to Johnson Valley has been guaranteed for now by the U.S. Congress, which is requiring the Marines to study alternative ways to share the area with the OHV community without taking ownership of the land. The study must be presented to Congress on or before April 2, 2013. While the provision has provided a delay in the acquisition process, the fight to save Johnson Valley is not over.

Don’t Delay! Click here to sign the petition: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/save-johnson-valley-ohv-area-be-fiscally-responsible-stop-29-palms-marine-base-expansion-keep-public/5r0C7Xw4

Also, please forward this Alert to your fellow off-road enthusiasts. Urge them to join the SAN and help defend the hobby! Thank you for your assistance.