URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT: UPDATE: Help Save California’s Johnson Valley OHV Recreation Area |
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SEMA Action Network
January 17, 2013
A new 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.”
We Urge You to Sign the Petition
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.