7 Days to Save the Hammers! YOUR Help is Needed.

For those of you who have not seen the facebook post – we need your involvement this week.

If you enjoy off-roading with your family, camping, hiking, hunting, etc and you love your freedom than YOU need to make a phone call. We are calling it 7 days to Save the Hammers, (Johnson Valley OHV Area) It doesn’t matter where you live, work or play, these phone calls MUST be made. Please get involved.

Whether you live in Canada or Columbus, your voice matters. Let the representatives know how important JV is to you and your family. Stress the economic impact on not only the high desert communities but the small business owner as well.  We need every Off Roader starting August 6th to participate in a targeted outreach. One phone call or fax a day is all we ask. Talking points can be found below the phone list. Congress is on recess this week, they should be in the District Office. Every Off Roader must participate!

For  more information please visit facebook.com/SaveTheHammers

Monday August 6th, 2012 Please call:
Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) or
District Director Tevor Daley
Los Angeles 310-914-7300 fax 310-914-7318

Tuesday August 7th, 2012 Please call:
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA 22) or
District Director Vince Fong Bakersfield 661-327-3611 fax 661-637-0867

Wednesday August 8th, 2012 Please call:
Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA 25) or
Deputy COS Bob Haueter
Santa Clarita 661-254-2111 fax 661-254-2380

Thursday August 9th, 2012 Please call:
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA 41) or
DistrictDirector Rachel Khalili
Redlands 909-862-6030 fax 909-335-9155

Friday August 10th, 2012 Please Call:
Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-CA 45) or
District Director Marc Troast
Palm Desert 760-320-1076 fax 760-320-0596

Monday August 13th, 2012 Please call:
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA 44) or
District Director Jolyn Murphy
Corona 951-784-4300 fax 951-784-5255

Tuesday August 14th, 2012 Please Call:
Rep. David Drier (R-CA 26) or
District Director Mark Harmsen
San Dimas 909-575-6226 fax 909-575-6266

Johnson Valley OHV Area Talking Points
ISSUE: Marine Corps plans to acquire 160,000 acres of BLM land next to Marine Corps Ground Air Combat Center (MCGACC) Twenty Nine Palms eliminates most of the land available under the California Desert Conservation Plan (1980) available for to off highway (OHV) recreation impacting OHV activity and the local and national economy.

Johnson Valley OHV recreation area is 189,700 acres that develops at least 300,000 visitor days per year and is world renowned as an OHV recreation area..

Economic impact: BLM estimates $71.5 million annually into the local economy and $191.2 Million into the national economy.

USMC has a new requirement for MEB level maneuver training and intends to acquire 160,000 acres of this the land from BLM and conduct live fire on all but 40,000 acres – permanently closing access to 120,000 acres.

Local authorities and State authorities and thousands of citizens are opposed to the transfer of this land.

USMC is well into the EIS process and could issue a Record of decision as early as this summer.

Options other than those in the Draft EIS need to be considered:
Permitted use of land from BLM (like at other BLM sites used for training)
Other BLM land in the region (not necessarily adjacent).

More time needed for deliberation and seeking options on both sides and with the State.
Not urgent since Marines have been deploying to combat for 10 years without this extra range – should have more time to seek a broader solution set.
Once live fire starts the land is permanently lost. We need to find accommodation for OHV needs and that will require BLM and State officials.

The US House of Representatives passed an Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act that requires, prior to transfer, the Secretary of the Navy to provide a report on the new Marine requirement for this land and on the economic impact and on other potential solutions to the elimination of recreational land.

In spite of this Congressional interest, the Secretary of the Navy just entered the final Environmental Impact Statement into the Federal Register and can now within a short time announce his “Record of Decision” to acquire this land.

The intent of the House of Representatives was to slow this down to have a better look at it. The Navy has run roughshod over the House and ignored their intent. The House should be angry. We are.

Please call the Secretary of the Navy and tell him to stop this process until all the stakeholders – including federal legislators – have had their voices heard.

If the Marines went through 10 years of war without this extra land, it surely could wait a few months until all interests could be accommodated.