BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT!
SEND A LETTER TO HELP SAVE JOHNSON VALLEY
Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,
The Marine Base at Twentynine Palms is considering expanding because they claim to need more room for training purposes. The proposed expansion could functionally close most, if not all, of the Johnson Valley OHV Area. In order for the Marines to expand the base they need to go through a public process called the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). In NEPA, it is very important that the OHV community submit letters during this scoping process requesting the Department of the Navy analyze impacts they feel would be made by the proposed project and to offer alternatives. Now is the time when we can have an impact on the proposed project. The deadline for submitting these comments is January 31, 2009.
During the fall, the BlueRibbon Coalition attended several OHV leadership meetings regarding the Johnson Valley issue. The suggested letter below is based on collaboration with, and input from, AMA D37, ORBA, CA4WDC, Partnership with Johnson Valley, Friends of Johnson Valley, and other groups, specialists, and interests. This letter includes a variety of scoping comments. Select the comments that convey the issues that are most important to you and your family. Include as many or as few as you feel necessary, and feel free to change the wording.
Thank you in advance for your support,Don AmadorWestern RepresentativeBlueRibbon Coalition
PS: BRC needs your support via membership and donations to help us continue our efforts to champion responsible OHV access to public lands. To sign up as a member or to make a donation, go to: https://www.sharetrails.org/secure/join_or_contribute/?c=1
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Thanks, General, it's good to have you here.
ReplyDeleteDel
Del,
ReplyDeleteContinue your access efforts and help get the word out on Johnson Valley. The Marines need to get a large volume of letters on this subject. It is my experience that NUMBERS do matter!
The General
I was just thinking about the Whitehouse.gov petition entered to save Johnson Valley promoted by Cal4, Corva, etc. While I think the Whitehouse itself will do very little about the actual issue, for this reason
ReplyDeletefrom petitions.whitehouse.gov:
"...To avoid the appearance of improper influence, the White House may decline to address certain procurement, law enforcement, adjudicatory, or similar matters properly within the jurisdiction of federal departments or agencies, federal courts, or state and local government in its response to a petition....."
This Johnson Valley petition will meet its 25,000 threshold, thanks to two things: 1) Good press coverage in the OHV community, and 2) it got in just before the whitehouse raised the signature count threshold from 25,000 to 100,000. Again, from petitions.whitehouse.gov:
"....The White House reserves the right to change the time limits and signature thresholds and apply them to petitions created after the change has been published to this “Current thresholds” section: AS OF JANUARY 15, 2013:
To cross the first threshold and be searchable within WhiteHouse.gov, a petition must reach 150 signatures within 30 days.
To cross the second threshold and require a response, a petition must reach 100,000 signatures within 30 days....."
There is one really good thing this petition did do--- that it effectively raised the issue in front of the OHV community. And that should not be taken lightly. So full congratulations to the petition's originator(s) for entering it. How well it will may work in the future, with the new 100,000 threshold, is a question.