The California Motorized Recreation Council (CMRC), Ecologic Partners, and Tierra Del Sol Four Wheel Drive Club (TDS), have started formulating a unified effort to defend Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area.

On May 21, 2013 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Desert Protective Council (DPC) filed a lawsuit to stop open riding in the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA). The suit alleges that California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) is not enforcing various Public Resources Codes with respect to trail maintenance and environmental protection.

The Ocotillo Wells SVRA is a very special place to the Off-Road Community and people from all over the country. Not only has it been the location of the popular TDS Desert Safari, but also many of us have raised our families there.  This park was set aside specifically for open OHV recreation.

The dust has settled after the annual King of the Hammers High Desert race in Johnson Valley, but the battle to Save “The Hammers” speeds on. The excitement leading up to the race was a great springboard and the CMRC (California Motorized Recreation Council) was able to collect 25,000 petition signatures in less than two weeks.

Here’s an update on what’s happening with the movement to preserve the Johnson Valley OHV area, threatened by proposed expansion of the Twentynine Palms Marine base onto public lands.

The Cause
The CMRC is the non-profit collective of California organizations spearheading the Save the Hammers campaign. The CMRC has secured a lobbyist to battle for the cause in Washington and the 25,000 petition signatures collected means the White House must respond.  An amendment was signed and passed into law back in December requiring the Marines to return and conduct more research to take a look at the financial impact and to examine alternatives promoting co-use of the land. Unfortunately, the Marines responded by submitting their “record of decision” to the House Armed Service Committee indicating they’ve had no change of plans.

Shingle Springs, CA – Just days away from the toughest UTV race in the world, the anticipation rises as Jon Crowley and Jagged X have partnered, tested and prepared for an intense battle through the California desert, scaling rock waterfalls and charging major hill climbs aboard their 2013 Polaris RZR XP Orange Madness Limited Edition.

The 5th annual King of the Hammers (KOH) UTV extreme endurance race held on Thursday, February 7th at the Johnson Valley OHV area, will take Jon and his accomplished co-driver, Blake Van de Loo, through 115 miles of body jarring, equipment pounding terrain. The 2013 race course is already touted to be the most grueling course ever created by the King of the Hammers mastermind, Dave Cole; and that’s exactly why both off-road champions, Jon Crowley and the Jagged X team, have combined to make a powerhouse attempt to claim the King of the Hammers title.

JOHNSON VALLEY, CA:  In the ongoing effort to Save the Johnson Valley OHV area, a new campaign has emerged to raise national awareness regarding the expansion of the 29 Palms Marine base onto public lands. Volunteers have created a petition on the White House.gov site (http://petitions.whitehouse.gov) with the hope of receiving formal recognition from the White House regarding The Johnson Valley OHV area.  The White House has committed to responding to any petition that receives 25,000 or more signatures within a 30 day time frame.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The U.S. military can’t spend a dime on expanding a Marine base into the popular Johnson Valley off-highway vehicle riding area in California until the Navy files a report on off-highway riding with Congress, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

On Jan. 2, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (H.R. 4310), triggering a hold on spending and a 90-day deadline for the military to report to Congress on how its proposed expansion of a Marine base at Twentynine Palms, Calif., would affect off-highway riding at Johnson Valley.

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The Department of the Navy has released a final environmental impact statement for the expansion of a Marine base in California that calls for closing a large portion of the popular Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Riding Area, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

The preferred alternative spelled out in the final environmental impact statement would allow public use of only 40,000 acres of the 190,000-acre Johnson Valley OHV area, and for only 10 months a year. Johnson Valley is currently under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Washington, DC – The California Motorized Recreation Council (CMRC), an umbrella group of the eight largest OHV access groups in California, has agreed to contract terms with the Livingston Group, LLC in Washington, DC to help stave off the expansion of the 29 Palms Marine Base. The move comes on the heels of the expected April 27th, 2012 release of a Final Environmental Impact Study (FEIS) by the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps wishes to annex approximately 160,000 acres of the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle area, which is the largest open OHV area in the United States and contributes over $70 million dollars into the economy of the surrounding High Desert communities annually.

The Marine Corps proposal would limit motorized recreation to less than one percent of the entire California Desert, a move in which the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) contends will cripple the already battered off-road manufacturing industry, and increase the likelihood of resource damage and safety concerns at the remaining OHV areas. “Our industry has continued to grow at steady pace since the late 1970s, while in that same time period we have lost 48% of the recreational opportunities in the California Desert.” Fred Wiley, the president of the Off-Road Business Association went on to say, “While we support the training needs of our military, it is a bitter pill to swallow losing such a massive piece of our public lands, considering the limited time the Marine Corps plans to utilize this portion of the desert.”

On April 27th, 2012, the United States Marine Corps will submit their Final Environmental Impact Study and light the fuse that starts a chain of events to close 160,000 acres of the Johnson Valley OHV area. The Johnson Valley OHV area is home to the King of the Hammers race, AMA off-road races and one of the main areas off-roaders in Southern California can ride.

If the area is closed, less than 2% of the Southern California desert would be open to OHV use!

Without your help the future of the Hammers is unclear! There’s more information in the included video, but to do your part visit the SaveTheHammers website below.

More info at: http://www.SaveTheHammers.Org

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Hammer Town, the city constructed on the Means Dry Lake Bed, is bustling with four-wheel activity leading up to the 2012 Griffin King of the Hammers. Thousands of off-roaders will venture to the Johnson Valley OHV area to partake in the festivities, and many have already enjoyed the action over the past few days leading up to the main event.

The unique race has grown every year, and for 2012 new events have been added to the lineup to further cement KOH as the must-attend hard-core rock-desert race. The Smittybilt Everyman Challenge kicked off on Sunday, offering off-roaders the chance to test the Hammers course in more restrictive vehicles. John Currie took the overall victory on the 85-mile course in a TJ, while Larry McRae won the modified class in a heavily modified Poison Spyder JK.

The Off Road Business Association (ORBA) will host a free Vendor Poker Walk during Contingency for the 6th running of the King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley.   Five freshman members of the trade based OHV advocate group will be hosting the poker walk. Participants may enter free of charge by visiting any one of the participating vendors booths between 10:00 am and 4:00pm on Thursday February 9th 2012. The winner will be announced at 5:00pm at the SXSPerformance.com booth #V42 in Hammertown.

Participating vendors are as follows;

RuffStuff Specialties Booth V24

SXSPerformance.com Booth V42

Trail Gear Booth V45

Poison Spider Customs V43A

Torchmate CNC Cutting Systems Booth V20.

Participants will have the opportunity to draw an additional card by making a donation to ORBA when they turn in their playing card at the SXS Performance booth. “Our goal is to raise awareness of the type of work ORBA does for OHV users through its work with lobbyists. Off-Road industry leaders apply a different perspective when dealing with legislators, and we feel that the community needs to understand that process. This interaction between ORBA membership and the end users is a great first step in bridging the gap and showing consumers the work the off-road businesses do to keep public lands public.” said ORBA President Fred Wiley.

Participants will be required to visit each of the five listed vendors to draw a single card, and then turn in the completed playing card in order to win. The player with the best poker hand will win a prize pack assembled from each of the ORBA vendors who are participating in the Poker Walk. No vehicle travel is required, and entry is limited to one per person. Donations will benefit the effort to stop the 29 Palms base expansion into Johnson Valley OHV area through Savethehammers.org.