JOHNSON/LUCERNE VALLEY LAND USE IMPORTANT PLS READ! ACTION NEEDED!

[Ms Jenn]

From the Marine Corps Website. This has not been posted on the Federal Register yet, but the news is official. The Federal Register listing will include the specifics of the area withdrawn and a map will be available soon.

http://www.marines.mil/news/Pages/pressreleases.aspx

Harry Baker
Chairman
Partnership For Johnson Valley
bakerhab@aol.com
818-705-3930 - office
818-370-3582 - cell



Marine Corps submits withdrawal application to Bureau of Land Management


8/19/2008
Division of Public Affairs HQMC Media Branch


3000 Marine Corps Pentagon, RM 4B548
Washington, DC 20350-3000


703-614-4309
WASHINGTON The Marine Corps submitted a land withdrawal application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for approximately 422,000 acres contiguous to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

The application is part of an ongoing study by the Marine Corps for possible base expansion, along with the establishment of corresponding special-use airspace, necessary to train a Marine Expeditionary Brigade at the Combat Center.

The Marine Corps will be preparing an Environmental Impact Statement that will analyze the reasonable alternatives for meeting the MEB-training requirement. The Department of the Navy intends to publish a Notice of Intent to undertake the EIS in early November and conduct public scoping meetings in early December.

During the EIS analysis period, the Marine Corps will continue to work with recreational and business stakeholders to include energy companies, the airline industry and off-road vehicle enthusiasts. The recreational use of this land remains the same as prior to the withdrawal application.

Together with the BLM and the Federal Aviation Administration, we will study the best path forward for the Marine Corps to meet its training requirements, while analyzing and weighing the impact of the various alternatives on natural and socio-economic resources.

[Ms Jenn]

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Here is a Press Release from ORBA


http://webmail.aol.com/38491/aol/en-...box&partId =4
OFF-ROAD BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, Inc.

Meg Grossglass
Media Relations


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER AT TWENTYNINE PALMS TO STUDY 422,000 ACRES OF LAND SURROUNDING THE BASE?INCLUDING MUCH OF A POPULAR OHV AREA?FOR POSSIBLE ACQUISITION

BAKERSFIELD, CA (August 20, 2008) Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) located in Twentynine Palms, CA has submitted a withdrawal application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to essentially put a hold on 422,000 acres while it studies those areas for possible acquisition into the base.

A large portion of the Johnson Valley OHV area is being considered. Johnson Valley OHV area is approximately 189,000 acres and is located in the high desert of California, just east of Los Angeles. The area is a Mecca for off-road recreation and is home to many events including off-road racing and competitive rock crawling.

For the past six months the OHV community has been aware that the Marines are studying this area for possible expansion. As a result, a small working group of OHV leaders has been working with the Marines to help them understand just how important this area is to the Southern California OHV community. It is the largest open OHV area in the country, and home to a myriad of competition events such as motorcycle races, 2- and 4-wheel drive off-road races and extreme rock crawling events. Jerry Grabow, President of the American Motorcyclist Association District 37, Off-Road, stated ?Over half of our race program occurs on land within the Johnson Valley OHV Area. We have been racing in this area for over 50 years; there is simply not another open area large enough to hold these types of races.?

The withdrawal application the Marines submitted requires that the BLM prepare a ?Notice of Proposed Withdrawal and Opportunity for Public Meeting.? When this notice is published in the Federal Register it starts a 90-day public comment period and segregates the public land identified in the application for two years. Uses that are currently allowed in the area will continue, but no new uses or projects will be permitted. ?We are hopeful that another solution or compromise can be found that fulfills the training needs of the Marines while still allowing OHV recreation to continue in this area treasured by so many off-road enthusiasts,? stated Meg Grossglass, ORBA Land Use staff member.


# # #

ORBA is a national trade association composed of off-road related businesses united to promote common goals that support the prosperity and growth of the off-road industry.




Meg Grossglass
Media Relations & Land Use

ORBA - the Off-Road Business Association



Corporate Office
1701 Westwind Dr. #216
Bakersfield, CA 93301













Below you will find the template for a letter I think every OFFROAD Recreation user should send to Congressman Jerry Lewis office, Johnson Valley is located in his district. After you send out this letter I would like to see every member send it out to their own Congressman and both of the California Senators.


Below are the addresses for Boxer and Feinstein

Senator Dianne Feinstein
11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Senator Barbara Boxer
312 N. Spring Street, Suite 1748
Los Angeles, CA 90012

If you do not know who your legislator is in the House of Representatives click on the following link to look it up. You will need to know your zip code plus your four digit zip code extension.

https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

[Ms Jenn]

Sample Letter

The Honorable Jerry Lewis

U.S. House of Representatives

1150 Brookside Ave. J-5

Redlands, CA 92313



Dear Congressman Lewis:



I am writing to you today because my family recreates in the Johnson Valley OHV Area, which is located in your district. I am aware that the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) at Twenty-Nine Palms, California, has recently submitted a withdrawal application to the BLM for a large portion of the Johnson Valley OHV Area. In a time of war, the need to properly train our soldiers should be our highest priority.



At the same time I think it is important to recognize the fact OHV recreation has become a very popular form of family recreation in Southern California. There are over one million registered off-highway vehicles (OHVs) in the state of California alone and that number does not include street legal 4-wheel drive vehicles. According to the California State Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division (OHMVR), between 1980 and 2007 the amount of registered OHVs has increased 370%. During that same time the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) states, ?Since 1980 the amount of land available to recreate on for green sticker vehicles (OHVs) has shrunk 48 percent in our deserts alone.?



Johnson Valley OHV Area is 189,000 acres and is a major destination recreation area for motorized use. It is also the largest open OHV area in the country. My family and I spend quality time together in this area. We ride together recreationally and some members of my family participate in the competition events put on by the American Motorcyclist Association, District 37 (AMA D37). Because of the area?s size and unique terrain, most of these events cannot be held anywhere else in the State. If this area were to be taken partially or in whole by the Marine Corps it would have a devastating effect on the Southern California OHV community.



My family and many like mine spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to participate in this form of recreation. Closing this area would negatively impact the economy of the Lucerne Valley and the surrounding counties. The majority of the users of this area do not live in Lucerne Valley, but in the neighboring regions. They purchase their off-road, camping, and associated equipment in the communities where they reside.



My family and the families we recreate with, request that you encourage the Marines to find a different area to fulfill their training needs. But, if the Marines find it absolutely necessary to take all, or even portion of Johnson Valley, we would like you to ask the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to demand acre for acre mitigation. This ?no net loss? to public OHV recreation land will assure a proper balance on public lands. Through congressional designation you could reclassify land currently off limits to off-road enthusiasts. This ?no net loss? policy will also ensure the future economic health of Lucerne Valley and the surrounding areas that depend on income from this type of recreation.





Sincerely,

[Bob Johnson - D37 Rep]

We are in the process of drafting some letters to  Boxer and Feinstein and Ken Calvert.
Going to use the general form of the sample letter, but personalizing it to fit Our situation.
And from what I read over at the D-37 site, send it "Snail Mail" rather than "E-Mail" ??
Get busy people, this would be a HUGE LOSS if it goes thru and were not compensated with comparable size and usuable land.

JMHO

[Donn Nay]

Mailed mine off on Friday. Added an email to my congressman as well as the snail mail.

[Brian MacKenzie - VP]

I am sending mine today. Can the club officers come out to meeting with letters ready to go, just needing a signature? or a small petition?