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 — Riders who use the popular Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Riding Area in California may not lose most of the area to a Marine base expansion after all, the American Motorcyclist Association reports.

The military is barred from spending money on expanding the Twentynine Palms military base into Johnson Valley until it completes a report on how the expansion would affect off-highway riding, under a military spending authorization bill approved by U.S. House and Senate conferees on Dec. 18.

“The report to Congress would cover the impact on off-highway vehicle recreation in the Johnson Valley region, along with alternatives for achieving the goals of the military and the OHV recreation communities,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations. “This report would allow for more time to, hopefully, come to a solution that meets the training needs of the military while maintaining access for motorized recreation.”

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.

The California Motorized Recreation Council (CMRC), an umbrella group of the eight largest Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) associations in California, has organized a national effort to help save the world-renowned Johnson Valley OHV area in California. Mobilizing enthusiasts from across the country, and utilizing its relationship with the Livingston Group of Washington DC, CMRC has succeeded in its efforts to educate Congress about the unbelievable loss of public lands it has experienced since 1978 in the California Desert. The latest loss of opportunity stems from the 29 Palms Marine base expansion into the 160,000 acre Johnson Valley OHV area, which was created as part of the 1980 California Desert Protection Act.

Congressman Bartlett (R-Maryland), with the support of his Californian counterparts, requested additional information of the United States Marine Corps before the expansion could be approved, including a study of the CMRC proposal to allow the area be used by a permit for the 12 days a year the Marines plan to train. “We believe a better use of the area would be under a permit rather than closing the entire area. Securing the perimeter will be a colossal undertaking and the additional cost of acquisition can be reduced by simply using the area during training rather than closing it to the public,” stated Jeff Knoll, CMRC JV sub-committee chairman.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been delayed a number of times from its expected release last February, and is expected this week. Congressman Bartlett’s Amendment 243 to HR 4310 delays the expansion until the Marines can produce a report that explores the potential to utilize the area by permit. In addition, it requires the Marine Corps to produce this required information in the next 90 days. The complete body can be viewed below.

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.