Help save Johnson Valley OHV Park

[admin]

While Johnson Valley OHV Park may not be in our own "backyard" we still need to show our support to help save this area. You can find all of the information you need at this link including an online petition:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petiti ... hank-you=p

If the link does not work, simply cut and paste it onto your browser.

[mule]

Did you sign the petition to help? Remember to submit for PP points.

Here is the update. More details on Pirate.
Save The Hammers, and OHV access across the country.

Read carefully.

No Grain of Sand Lost! When we are unified we are strong!


The attached bill is the language that will be noticed this morning with the Natural Resources Committee for a hearing next Friday. The intent of the bill is to protect all of Johnson Valley for recreational use, particularly off-highway vehicles, and provide the Marine Corps with narrow training opportunities per the approval of BLM (it specifically excludes the use dud-producing ordinance). There is no intent to close down any uses currently going on inside Johnson Valley (including mining claims). There is a strong desire to keep this bill focused on preserving Johnson Valley.

Our work is not yet over. Like the other small battles we have won this will require our community to remain diligent and engaged. We are running dangerously short on funds to get us to the finish line. I hope we can fan the fires and get our members excited about how far we have come, and celebrate what I hope will become a president setting decision that will affect OHV access across the country.

Please sing from the mountain tops, we are still here, and Johnson Valley is not lost. We need to keep pushing all the way till the finish line!

Thank you for your hard work, and commitment.

If you would like to make a donation to get us all the way home, please visit savethehammers.org.

This Bill will have a number attached in Natural Resources.

113TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. ll
To designate the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation
Area in San Bernardino County, California, to authorize limited military
use of the area, to provide for the transfer of the Southern Study
Area to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy
for inclusion in the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine
Palms, and by recreational users, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Ml. llllll introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on llllllllllllll
A BILL
To designate the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle
Recreation Area in San Bernardino County, California,
to authorize limited military use of the area,
to provide for the transfer of the Southern Study Area
to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary of
the Navy for inclusion in the Marine Corps Air Ground
Combat Center Twentynine Palms, and by recreational
users, and for other purposes.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Johnson Valley Na3
tional Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area Establish4
ment Act’’.
5 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF JOHNSON VALLEY NATIONAL
6 OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE RECREATION AREA.
7 (a) DESIGNATION.—The approximately 188,000
8 acres of public land and interests in land administered by
9 the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land
10 Management in San Bernardino County, California, as
11 generally depicted as the ‘‘Johnson Valley Off-Highway
12 Vehicle Recreation Area’’ on the map titled ‘‘Johnson Val13
ley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area and
14 Transfer of the Southern Study Area’’ and dated April
15 11, 2013, are hereby designated as the ‘‘Johnson Valley
16 National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area’’.
17 (b) RECREATIONAL AND CONSERVATION USE.—The
18 Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation
19 Area is designated for the following purposes:
20 (1) Public recreation (including off-highway ve21
hicle use, camping, and hiking) when the lands are
22 not used for military training as authorized by sec23
tion 3.
24 (2) Natural resources conservation.
25 (c) WITHDRAWAL.—The public land and interests in
26 land included in the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway
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1 Vehicle Recreation Area are hereby withdrawn from all
2 forms of appropriation under the public land laws, includ3
ing the mining laws and the mineral leasing and geo4
thermal leasing laws.
5 (d) TREATMENT OF EXISTING RIGHTS.—The des6
ignation of the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Ve7
hicle Recreation Area and the withdrawal of the public
8 land and interests in land included in the Recreation Area
9 are subject to valid existing rights.
10 SEC. 3. LIMITED BIANNUAL MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND
11 COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS USE
12 OF JOHNSON VALLEY NATIONAL OFF-HIGH13
WAY VEHICLE RECREATION AREA.
14 (a) USE FOR MILITARY PURPOSES AUTHORIZED.—
15 Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary of the Interior
16 shall authorize the Secretary of the Navy to utilize por17
tions of Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle
18 Recreation Area twice in each calendar year for up to a
19 total of 42 days per year for the following purposes:
20 (1) Sustained, combined arms, live-fire, and
21 maneuver field training for large-scale Marine air22
ground task forces.
23 (2) Individual and unit live-fire training ranges.
24 (3) Equipment and tactics development.
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1 (4) Other defense-related purposes consistent
2 with the purposes specified in the preceding para3
graphs.
4 (b) CONDITIONS ON MILITARY USE.—
5 (1) CONSULTATION AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
6 REQUIREMENTS.—Before the Secretary of the Navy
7 requests the two time periods for military use of the
8 Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle
9 Recreation Area in a calendar year, the Secretary of
10 the Navy shall—
11 (A) consult with the Secretary of the Inte12
rior regarding the best times for military use to
13 reduce interference with or interruption of non14
military activities authorized by section 2(b);
15 and
16 (B) provide for public awareness of and
17 participation in the selection process.
18 (2) PUBLIC NOTICE.—The Secretary of the
19 Navy shall provide advance, wide-spread notice be20
fore any closure of public lands for military use
21 under this section.
22 (3) PUBLIC SAFETY.—Military use of the John23
son Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation
24 Area during the biannual periods authorized by sub25
section (a) shall be conducted in the presence of suf-
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1 ficient range safety officers to ensure the safety of
2 military personnel and civilians.
3 (4) CERTAIN TYPES OF ORDNANCE PROHIB4
ITED.—The Secretary of the Navy shall prohibit the
5 use of dud-producing ordnance in any military train6
ing conducted under subsection (a).
7 (c) IMPLEMENTING AGREEMENT.—
8 (1) AGREEMENT REQUIRED; REQUIRED
9 TERMS.—The Secretary of the Interior and the Sec10
retary of the Navy shall enter into a written agree11
ment to implement this section. The agreement shall
12 include a provision for periodic review of the agree13
ment for its adequacy, effectiveness, and need for re14
vision.
15 (2) ADDITIONAL TERMS.—The agreement may
16 provide for—
17 (A) the integration of the management
18 plans of the Secretary of the Interior and the
19 Secretary of the Navy;
20 (B) delegation to civilian law enforcement
21 personnel of the Department of the Navy of the
22 authority of the Secretary of the Interior to en23
force the laws relating to protection of natural
24 and cultural resources and of fish and wildlife;
25 and
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1 (C) the sharing of resources in order to
2 most efficiently and effectively manage the
3 lands.
4 (d) DURATION.—Any agreement for the military use
5 of the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle
6 Recreation Area shall terminate not later than March 31,
7 2039.
8 SEC. 4. TRANSFER OF ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION,
9 SOUTHERN STUDY AREA, MARINE CORPS AIR
10 GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE
11 PALMS, CALIFORNIA.
12 (a) TRANSFER REQUIRED.—Not later than Sep13
tember 30, 2014, the Secretary of the Interior shall trans14
fer, without reimbursement, to the administrative jurisdic15
tion of the Secretary of the Navy certain public land ad16
ministered by the Bureau of Land Management consisting
of approximately lll 17 acres in San Bernardino County,
18 California, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Southern Study
19 Area’’ on the map referred to in section 2.
20 (b) USE OF TRANSFERRED LAND.—Upon the receipt
21 of the land under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Navy
22 shall include the land as part of the Marine Corps Air
23 Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California,
24 and authorize use of the land for military purposes.
25 (c) LEGAL DESCRIPTION.—
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1 (1) PREPARATION AND PUBLICATION.—The
2 Secretary of the Interior shall publish in the Federal
3 Register a legal description of the public land to be
4 transferred under subsection (a).
5 (2) FORCE OF LAW.—The legal description filed
6 under paragraph (1) shall have the same force and
7 effect as if included in this Act, except that the Sec8
retary of the Interior may correct clerical and typo9
graphical errors in the legal description.
10 (d) REIMBURSEMENT OF COSTS.—The Secretary of
11 the Navy shall reimburse the Secretary of the Interior for
12 any costs incurred by the Secretary of the Interior to carry
13 out this section.
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[rstarch345]

Here's the reply I received from the White House on September 27, 2013 for my signing the petition.


"The White House



What We Have to Say About Johnson Valley

By John Conger, Acting Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Installations and Environment at the Department of Defense.

Thank you for your petition.

The Administration's proposal for expansion of the land reserved for use by the Marine Corps balances Marine Corps training requirements that extend throughout the year with preserving safe public access for recreational activities within certain areas of the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area. The proposal was transmitted to Congress for consideration on April 26, 2013, because, for areas greater than 5,000 acres, Congress is responsible for creating and renewing withdrawal of public land for military training and testing.

This base expansion plan was developed over the course of nine years in consultation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), community leaders, and recreational users and was subject to an environmental impact statement that assessed the needs, alternatives and impacts of large-scale training exercises at the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center.

If enacted, the proposal would affect approximately 188,000 acres of the Johnson Valley Area: 42,000 acres would be designated for recreational use, 43,000 acres would be shared recreational and military use, and 103,000 acres would be reserved for exclusive military use. The 42,000 acre recreational use area and the 43,000 acre shared use area would remain under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior, managed by the BLM. The 43,000 acre shared use area would be available for public recreation, except for two 30-day periods annually, when it would be closed to the public for military use. In addition, the Administration also proposes to designate these approximately 85,000 acres of land (the 42,000 acres and 43,000 acres referenced above) as the “Johnson Valley Off Highway Vehicle Recreation Area” under management of the BLM. This area would remain available for OHV recreational activities, both informal and organized. Approximately 103,000 acres of the 188,000 acre area would be reserved for exclusive military use. The King of the Hammers race is an example of the type of organized race that could continue in the shared use area. This race, which has in the past crossed both what would be the shared use area and the exclusive use area, has been a significant generator of economic activity associated with OHV recreation in the Johnson Valley Area, accounting for over 15% of the total yearly visitation. In addition the Marine Corps will consider, on a case by case basis and under controlled conditions, the use of this exclusive military use area for organized races, including the King of the Hammers race.

Enactment of this proposal is essential to provide the space required to train Marines for specific missions and to ensure the Marines' continued success when called upon. There are no other Marine Corps properties where this requirement can be met. Marines need to train in as close to a real-world setting as possible and Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) training must allow Marines to conduct intensive operations over extended distances that allow for maneuvering in the presence of ground and air live-fire. A MEB consists of 15,000 Marines and sailors, and their aviation and ground combat equipment, including artillery and mortars. Currently, training of this scope must rely on classroom instruction and simulation which cannot provide realistic and practical experience for command, control, and maneuver. This absence of a MEB-level training range limits Marine Corps readiness by leaving the USMC without a venue for conducting fully integrated, live fire MEB training.

Since 2000, the Department of the Navy has intensively studied the Marines' warfighting requirements. In November 2000, the Marine Corps published Marine Corps Strategy 21, which identified the MEB as the primary contingency response force of the Marine Corps. An independent study by CNA's Center for Naval Analyses in 2004 concluded that MEB-level realistic large-scale air, ground training is essential for the Marine Corps to prepare units to respond to large-scale contingencies, and that this training can only be conducted at an expanded Twentynine Palms. In 2008, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, concurred. In February 2013, after nine years of study and analysis, the Marine Corps determined the only viable cost effective alternative was to expand the Twentynine Palms training area into the Johnson Valley OHV Area.

The Department of the Navy's Environmental Impact Statement evaluated the economic impacts of the proposed expansion on communities and businesses. The proposed base expansion would provide net benefits to the local economy, including 110 new jobs, $4 million in additional salaries, and $7.5 million in additional regional sales. This would be in addition to the existing contributions by Twentynine Palms to the local economy, including a 2012 workforce payroll of approximately $600 million (most of which is spent in the local area by personnel stationed and employed on the base), $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Education to San Bernardino County schools, and base contracts valued at $28 million awarded to local vendors. The increase in jobs and expenditures is expected to offset a projected loss from the recreational and film industries of $1.5 million in sales and $216,000 in taxes. (The $1.5 million in sales represents approximately .01% of the $1.1 billion in sales the Retail Trade and Accommodation/Food Services sectors of Yucca Valley, Apple Valley and Victorville generate annually).

The Department of the Navy places a high value on maintaining positive relationships in the communities in which they are based and Johnson Valley is no exception. The development of this proposal has been carried out in consideration of extensive public input with the goal of balancing the needs of Marine Corps' training requirements with existing recreational activities."

[mule]

Here is current info from Cal4Wheel

The Senate Arms Service Committee now looks prepared to move their bill S1309 to the floor beginning Thursday with Senator McCain managing (Senator Inhofe is out for his son's funeral).
It is time again for the OHV Community to engage in the discussion.
Please consider taking some time to participate and extend our reach to your friends, family, and networks that find the value in saving the largest OHV area in the United States, while meeting the training requirements of the USMC. Your participation is paramount to our continued success.

While the Marine Corps let the Cook/Mckeon Compromise go unchallenged in the House of Representatives, we believe they will introduce their Alternative 6 language through Energy and Resources Committee on the Senate side via S 1309. We must contact these individual members of the Senate to ask them to oppose such language.

START MAKING THE PHONES RING

1) All Organized OHV Associations Leadership must call Sen. Feinstein, Sen. Levin, Sen. McCain. Be prepared to tell them how many members you represent. Activate your Membership!
2) Home and property owners in the Johnson Valley must call the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors, and Senator Feinstein.
3) Individual OHV Enthusiasts Make the Phones Ring!


The Time Is Now
Messages for call in: • Stop the Marine Corps land acquisition in Johnson Valley.
• Livefire and the potential for unexploded ordnance in the proximity of recreation lands and within a mile of dozens of homes is insane.
• Approve the House position - a compromise that lets the Marines use the extra land but maneuvering away from the recreation area and without dud-producing live fire
Key talking points:

You are Asking for them to do the following: Do NOT include the Johnson Valley Land Transfer in S. 1309 and definitely do NOT include it in the Senate version of the NDAA

-The Johnson Valley Land Transfer in S 1309 is EXTREMELY controversial. It certainly should not be considered together with other relatively uncontroversial land transfer bills.

-The Marine Corps has never reached out in any meaningful way to the local community on this issue. That's why all four surrounding cities (Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley, Apple Valley, and Hesperia) have passed unanimous resolutions opposing the expansion, as has the County of San Bernardino.

-The House NDAA has compromise language that would allow the Marine Corps to conduct training in the Johnson Valley 60 days a year, while still allowing recreational use the rest of the year. San Bernardino County, all local governments, and the overwhelming majority of local residents support this compromise.

-The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms has already been plagued with intrusions on to base and has even had issues with scrappers crossing on to base and taking unexploded ordinance. By dropping live bombs in the Johnson Valley (a heavily recreated area), it will only be a matter of time before a family is killed by a dud bomb during an inadvertent intrusion on to base land.

As always, be courteous and take your time getting your point across. It is likely the staffers you are speaking to have no idea what or where Johnson Valley is. Make a good impression!

This is happening today or tomorrow, so your calls are really important. We are making a difference. Now is the time to push harder.

Phone numbers that matter: •Sen. Feinstein - 202-224-3841
•Chairman Carl Levin (SASC) - 202-224-6221
•Sen. John McCain - 202-224-2235
•Chm. Ron Wyden 202-224-5244
•Sen. Lisa Murkowski - 202-224-6665

[mule]

Info this topic from ARRA http://www.arra-access.com/site/PageSer ... er_dec2013

Preserving OHV recreation as we know it in Johnson Valley received a setback when the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reported out legislation that embraced the Marine Corps preferred approach (Alternative 6) for expanding into the Johnson Valley Recreation Area in California. The Chairman of the full committee, Senator Ron Wyden, (D-Ore.) referred to the legislation as “non-controversial” (yes, you read this correctly). And the Marine Corps even made the claim to the Senate that it had sufficiently addressed OHV concerns in its proposal, though we all know better.

The legislation passed by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will be merged into the DOD reauthorization legislation now pending on the Senate floor. Once the Senate completes action on this legislation sometime the week of December 9th, the Johnson Valley issue will be fought out in a conference committee between the House and the Senate. At this juncture, it is impossible to predict the outcome, though we can tell you that OHV enthusiasts in California, along with ARRA and other OHV organizations, are aggressively working this issue and the principal sponsor of the House passed compromise language, Rep. Paul Cook, R-CA, is standing firm in his commitment to protect OHV interests.

[mule]

Here is update on this topic from ORBA
In the days leading up to the annual King of the Hammers you can have a conversation across Means dry lakebed at surprising distance. It is amazingly quiet when the Marines are not training, a racecar or motorcycle is not running across the miles of open area trails, and the wind is not blowing. The solitude of Johnson Valley changes to excitement when almost 50,000 enthusiasts from around the globe descend on the area now known as Hammertown.



Alt_6_KOH_Courses_Map-Overlay_Flat-small





Five years ago when the US Navy submitted a “Withdrawal” for training purposes, the King of the Hammers was just growing legs and developing into one of the premier OHV events in the United States. The thought that the OHV industry would lose the area was not taken lightly. Knowing a lawsuit would not be the best course of action the industry decided to fight in a new way.



DSC_0382





With over 23,000 written comments, dozens of public meetings, and over 30,000 petitions to the President of the United States the stage was set for motorized recreation to defend the largest OHV open area in the USA. At the same time we organized Save the Hammers, hired an advocate group in Washington DC and began intense fundraising with OHV Businesses providing the majority of funding. Testimony was provided to congress and meetings with congressional Armed Services Committee leadership and their staff was incorporated as an important part of this process. Some relationships developed with Congressional leadership were derailed by an election, as we lost two allies proving the OHV community needs to continuously engage in the process.





The end result is in the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act. The new law is a win for most everyone. Providing the first Congressionally designated OHV are in the United States, and at the same time outlining the “Shared Use Area” while providing for the necessary area to meet the goal of the Marine Corps. Don’t get me wrong there were some valuable areas that we were unable to retain. Those areas will be addressed in the management phase.