I gave $100 in support of this, match me.
Read the full text of the bill here:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-113hr1676ih/pdf/BILLS-113hr1676ih.pdfIn part:
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 Val-
13 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 ve-
21 hicle use, camping, and hiking) when the lands are
22 not used for military training as authorized by sec-
23 tion 3.
Read about current status, and donate funds to the cause here:
http://savethehammers.org/sth/I just gave $100 to help push on this bill.
I'm also writing my useless pukes in Washington via my favorite contact method, DownsizeDC. I used their
Atrocities campaign, as I thought it was the best fit.
I am writing in support of HR1676, the Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area Establishment Act.
This Act will protect and preserve public access to public lands in the face of Marine base expansion at Twentynine Palms. Ensuring land access for Marine Corps training should not exclude addressing the economic and recreational needs of the local community or OHV enthusiasts.
This legislation grants federal status to the Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) area by creating the “Johnson Valley National Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area.†It would provide the Marine Corps with access to the land in order to fulfill the training mandate identified nearly 10 years ago. This would include up to 42 days a year for large-scale, live-fire field training by air/ground task forces. The public would be able to participate in identifying mutually-compatible times periods for the training exercises, while prohibiting large dud-producing ordnance which could threaten the safety of the public, threaten OHV users, and lead to closure of the OHV recreation area. The land would continue to be managed by the BLM.
According to the “Economic Impact of OHV Recreation at Johnson Valley†(March 2012), highlights of the OHV area's importance include:
Economic Impact: BLM estimates $71.5 million annually to the local economy and $191.2 million to the national economy. If including travel expenses getting to Johnson Valley, the national estimate rises to $261.5 million in commerce.
Visitor Days: estimates range from 300,000 visitor days a year to 800,000 days. There were 42 event days permitted by the BLM in 2010.
OHV Access: land area available for off-roading activities in the California desert has shrunk dramatically since the 1970s. Only around 2% of the California desert is open OHV area, and Johnson Valley represents approximately 50% of the available area. There are few suitable alternative sites if Johnson Valley is removed from the inventory with none that offer the experience of this unique location.
Expanding Needs: OHV recreation is one of the fastest growing categories of outdoor activity in the U.S. Studies have shown a 108% increase between 1980 and 2000. During the same time period, available land area decreased by 48%.
The closure of Johnson Valley OHV area is a national concern, and I will be paying attention to your votes on the matter. Support HR 1676.
