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TWO YEAR REPRIEVE FOR JOHNSON VALLEY! SEPTEMBER 19, 2010  This month was supposed to be the beginning of the 90 day public input period on the proposed base expansion of  the Twentynine Palms.This process has been extended by two years, this is good news for off roaders but doesn't mean it is over. This just means that the Marine Corps is also having trouble with governmental red tape. Johnson Valley will remain open to the off road community for recreation until this process is finalized. This means that the "King of the Hammers" event, the Hammers trails and Cougar Buttes will remain in public hand for the next two years. We must be vigilant in mean time, the Marine Corps will issue another 90 day comment period during that time. It is very important to stay in touch with your Congress person. We will have to fight for this area and we will. The Saturday post of this left out the Marine Corps documents that you will find below.   Click the Read More link to see the official documents.   

June 18, 2010 Mr. Jeffrey S. Forrest 11321 Ironwood Rd San Diego, CA 92131-1916 Dear Jeffrey: Knowing of your interest in issues affecting recreational off-highway vehicles (OHVs), I wanted to update you on a couple of important items. It seems that no matter what efforts are taken to preserve and protect our natural resources, there are always some advocating for the closure of existing public lands as the only means of accomplishing this goal. I completely disagree with this approach and believe we must remain diligent in our efforts to ensure that our nation's public lands remain open and accessible to the American people for enjoyment and recreation. As you may know, Senator Dianne Feinstein has introduced S. 2921, the California Desert Protection Act of 2010. This legislation would designate hundreds of thousands of acres in the California desert as a national monument, making it off-limits for recreation, development and even renewable energy projects. If this sounds familiar, it is because it has happened before. Senator Feinstein introduced, and Congress passed similar legislation back in 1994 and today there are currently over seven million acres of California desert designated as wilderness. This new legislation has the potential to affect many of the areas that are popular destinations for thousands of San Diego families. Places like Death Valley, Mojave Trails, Joshua Tree, Indian Pass, Buzzard Peak, Golden Valley, Kingston Ranch and San Gorgonio all will be affected should this legislation be passed into law. Some OHV groups and organizations have offered…

JOHNSON VALLEY BASE EXPANSION Dec 14, 2009                                                             December 11, 2009 Mr.Jeff Forrest                                                                                                                        11321 Ironwood Rd                                                                                            San Diego, CA 92131       Thank you for contacting me with your concern over the proposed expansion of the Marine Corps Base at Twentynine Palms.  It is good to hear from you and I welcome the opportunity to respond to you on this important issue.   I share your concern with the proposed expansion of the Twentynine Palms base onto public lands in the Johnson Valley.  As an outdoor enthusiast and avid proponent of off roading I firmly believe there needs to be a balance between ensuring that our military forces have adequate training facilities with the ability to operate without restrictions and the preservation of public land for people to use for off roading or other various outdoor activities.  In addition, we must not forget the impact this could have to the local economy if the ability to use those public lands for off roading is taken away.    As you are probably aware, the Marines must follow the National Environmental Policy Act to analyze the impacts and possible alternatives to their expansion.  This will be done through an Environmental Impact Statement.  During this process there will be an evaluation of the environmental impact, possible eastward expansion or if an expansion is even necessary.  A draft of this statement is expected in the spring of 2010 where there will be a 90 day public comment period.  A final…