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California Off-Road Vehicle Association
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Corva Annual Meeting results |
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Thank you to outgoing CORVA Board members Jim Woods who moves to the position of Past President and trusted advisor, and to Katherine Kelsey who leaves the position of State Secretary.
Congratulations to incoming CORVA Officers Harry Baker CORVA President, Don Alexander Vice President Sales and Marketing, Bruce Whitcher reelected to the position on Vice President of Land Resources and Public Policy, and Linda Wucherpfennig State Secretary
The following are the winners of the CORVA Annual awards
George Thomas Memorial Trophy For Off Roader Of The Year: Congressman Kevin McCarthy
Looney Duners Trophy to Charity: Inland Empire 4 Wheelers
Los Aventureros State Conservation Award: The San Bernardino National Forest Adopt A Trail Program
American Buggy Association Edward H. Waldheim Political Activism Award: Kim Carpenter
Past Presidents Trophy: Wayne Ford
Northern & Southern Club Awards:
Northern: Modesto Ridge Runners
Southern: Bear Valley 4X4
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Corva Annual Meeting - May 18th 2013 |
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CORVA Annual meeting 2013 May 18, 2013 - Visalia, CA
Please join us for this years CORVA Annual meeting 2013, Please join us at the Lamp Liter Inn, 3300 W Mineral King Ave 559-732-4511 (rooms are available) Starting at 9:00 am for a meet and greet General meeting starts at 10:00 am. This year elections include President, Vice-President of Land Resources and Public Policy, Vice-President Sales and Marketing, and the CORVA state Secretary. We will also have By-Law changes, along with discussions on land use issues with guest speakers covering topics that affect everyone in California. This is your Organization, please come out and voice your opinion, and VOTE!
Club Delegates need to check in before meeting, along a with a club roster and confirmation letter signed by current club president. Club Delegate form:
http://www.corva.org/skin1/forms/LETTER%20OF%20ASSIGNMENT%20-%20CLUB%20DELEGATE.pdf
Members and Proxy votes, all membership must be current and up to date to vote. CORVA form located at:
http://www.corva.org/skin1/forms/LETTER%20OF%20ASSIGNMENT%20-%20NON-CLUB%20DELEGATE.pdf
Nominations for the Annual Trophies are needed before May 18th.(please submit your nominations to terry.work@corva.org):
For more information please check the CORVA facebook page
If you have any questions, please contact Terry Work at 800 42- CORVA box 513.
See you there.
Terry Work
CORVA Vice President Administration
terry.work@corva.org
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1,000 Signatures a Day Needed to Help Save Johnson Valley |
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In the ongoing effort to Save the Johnson Valley OHV area, a new campaign has emerged to raise national awareness regarding the expansion of the 29 Palms Marine base onto public lands. Volunteers have created a petition on the White House.gov site (http://petitions.whitehouse.gov) with the hope of receiving formal recognition from the White House regarding The Johnson Valley OHV area. The White House has committed to responding to any petition that receives 25,000 or more signatures within a 30 day time frame.
The petition specifically requests the White House to deny any request by the 29 Palms Marine Base to withdraw land from The Johnson Valley OHV area and use it for base expansion purposes. The title of the petition specifically requests the White House to: Save the Johnson Valley OHV Area. Be fiscally responsible. Stop 29 Palms Marine base expansion. Keep public lands open. This petition will need roughly 1,000 signatures a day to be eligible to receive a response from a White House representative.
We have made great strides forward in our fight to Save the Johnson Valley OHV Area said Jeff Knoll, Off Road Business Association (ORBA) representative. There was an amendment passed by Congress and signed into law by the President last month that requires the Marines to further investigate the economic impact the loss of this public land would have on multiple communities, but we need to do more, Knoll explains.
The amendment's passing grants some reprieve from the Marines expansion initiative, however, it does not stop the expansion. In fact, the Secretary of the Navy is expected to release a formal Record of Decision any day announcing the Marines desire to move forward with existing expansion plans. The Marines current preferred plan means expanding the world's largest Marine Base by 160,000 acres, roughly the size of Singapore, and the public would lose over 100,000 acres of public land forever. Those opposed to base expansion argue that the expansion will cost tax payers millions and will have a negative financial impact on surrounding communities in the high desert.
We are hoping with this petition to raise the level of national discussion on this issue. Said Dave Cole, founder of the King of The Hammers, a popular and growing motorsport event held annually in Johnson Valley. 1,000 signatures a day is an aggressive goal, but we have already submitted more than 22,000 letters directly to the Marines opposing base expansion, so we are confident we have the voices to make it happen. They just need to make themselves heard.
The petition has from January 15th to February 14th to gain the necessary signatures required to receive a formal response. The full petition is available at:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/save-johnson-valley-ohv-area-be-fiscally-responsible-stop-29-palms-marine-base-expansion-keep-public/5r0C7Xw4
To learn more about the efforts to Save Johnson Valley, please visit: www.savejohnsonvalley.org
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Johnson Valley OHV Area Guaranteed Temporary Protection |
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Johnson Valley OHV Area Guaranteed Temporary Protection from Marine Base Expansion
The California Motorized Recreation Council has succeeded in getting a bill passed in Congress mandating the Marine Corps to analyze the effects of their proposed expansion of the 29Palms Marine Corps base. They will now be required to determine the effects of the proposal on local communities both physically and financially, while also determining the impacts of displacing thousands of off-roaders who currently enjoy the unique topography the Johnson Valley OHV Area offers.
The passage of this bill presents a challenge to the Marines Corps which is hoped will delay the expansion while bringing to light more concrete information, exposing how devastating the expansion of the 29Palms Marine Base would be to visitors and residents alike.
CORVA is proud to be a contributing and working member of the California Motorized Recreation Council, along with 5 other off-road groups, as well as working with Partnership for Johnson Valley and local interests to fight against the withdrawal of the Johnson Valley OHV Area from public access.
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Off Roaders Meet with USMC Concerning 29 Palms Base Expansion |
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Congressional Leadership Encourages Continued Talks
At the urging of members of Congress, including House Majority whip Kevin McCarthy, the United States Marine Corps met with key members of the California Motorized Recreational Council (CMRC) December 5th 2012 in Twentynine Palms, CA. Major General James Kessler led the discussion and the Marines re-established their position regarding the Twentynine Palms base expansion. The Marines preferred expansion route would consume the majority of land that currently belongs to a popular off-highway vehicle (OHV) area in Johnson Valley, CA.
With a footprint larger than the state of Rhode Island, The Twentynine Palms base is the largest Marine base in the world. With the expansion, the USMC is hoping to gain an additional 167,000 acres. The Johnson Valley OHV area is home to many popular off road events, including 50 years of District 37 motorcycle races and one of the fastest growing motorsport events in the country, King of The Hammers. This is the last great wilderness experience for motorized recreation in California said Jeff Knoll Chairman of the CMRC sub-committee on base expansion.
The USMC maintains that the expansion is needed to insure the proper training of its Mechanicalized Expeditionary Battalions (MEBs). Of the six expansion alternatives outlined by the Marines, the USMC continues to prefer option 6, which affects 147,000 acres of OHV land. The Marines do not currently have a plan in place to secure the new border with fencing which could present a security risk for the Marines. If the Marines move their boundaries into an area that has been open to OHV use for generations, popular opinion believes, that it will likely take 5 years to safely secure this perimeter. said Fred Wiley, President of the Off Road Business Association. He continued by saying, However, we believe the OHV community created a plan where the Marines could start training in six months, under the use of a permit.
The Marines study outlines six alternatives that meet the minimum requirements for training. Our plan uses an existing alternative but asks that the USMC use the property under a permit with the BLM rather than the Marines taking outright ownership of the land, this way the public can continue using this area when the Marines are not. said Knoll. CMRC believes utilizing a BLM permit process will meet the requirements of the USMC training, reduce the cost of expansion to US tax payers, continue the stream of $71 Million annually spent by OHV enthusiasts in the communities surrounding Johnson Valley, and keep the majority of the land open for public use.
Jim Woods, President of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association (CORVA) pointed out that CMRC is a very focused group who has made a priority to seek out solutions that best represent the interests of the American people. With the fiscal cliff looming, I do not think the Marines have considered the true costs of their expansion.
The Marines hope to release their final decision in early January, which will leave the expansion in the hands of Congress. Last July, thousands of OHV enthusiasts contacted their federal representatives asking them to save Johnson Valley. This weeks meeting with the USMC was a direct result of those efforts.
The CMRC, with the help of dedicated OHV enthusiasts, environmental groups and local residents to Johnson Valley, will continue its campaign to save the Johnson Valley OHV area. Their plan is to educate congressional leadership, the general public and the Marines regarding their proposed alternative. This campaign has proven that pro active participation in our government can affect change said Knoll. Without the engagement of the OHV Community the gates might well have already been installed, and I am proud that we have come this far.
Those interested in assisting with the campaign to save Johnson Valley should visit www.savejohnsonvalley.org or www.facebook.com/savethehammers
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Pacific Legal Foundation Files Lawsuit Over Loss of Off-Road Access |
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7/20/12: Representing OHV enthusiasts, Pacific Legal Foundation has filed suit in federal court against the Tahoe National Forest for the mistakes, miscalculations and downright errors in their analysis during the Travel Management NEPA process.
This lawsuit points out the many ways the Forest Service manipulated data and abused the management privileges granted by Congress, while undergoing analysis for the Route Designation process. Most California forests, and all the Northern California Forests have been undergoing analyses related to the Travel Management Rule since 2005.
All those concerned over the loss of motorized access throughout California must stand together and support this fight for justice! We have many battles ahead of us, and this is one step forward on a very long road.
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CLICK HEREfor the Pacific Legal Foundation website and press release.
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CORVA Needs Help With Legal Issues |
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| Calling all lawyers, paralegals, students in law school - CORVA needs help with legal issues that only you can provide. We have ongoing legal issues and new issues arising that we would like to pursue aggressively, but need your legal skills. Please contact Amy at: amy.granat@corva.org for more information.
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WE WANT YOUR OFF-ROADING PHOTOS! |
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Do you ride, drive, or snowmobile? Maybe you have buggy or sandrail? CORVA wants to celebrate off-roading by featuring your photos on our website and in our monthly newsletter, Off-Roaders In Action (ORIA).
Send us your photos (along with your name and permission to publish) to info@corva.org and the keep looking on our website and newsletter to see your photos on our pages.
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Help Stamp Out Bias Against Off-Road Recreationists |
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Attention: motorized recreation enthusiasts who enjoy recreating in the forests in California. The Forest Service wants to know about your experiences and contacts with Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers.
In an ongoing effort to address problems occurring in all California National Forests, please write down your experiences, both good and bad so everyone can make sure riding and driving in the California forests is a positive experience.
Documented issues that arise will be investigated and resolved. Please send all letters to:
*Law Enforcement Officer Task Force Lead. ENF, Patrol Captain Frank Aguilar at: faguilar@fs.fed.us
*cc; Amy Granat, Managing Director of CA Off-Road Vehicle Association at: amy.granat@corva.org
The contact’s are good for all of the National Forests in California (Region 5)
*and for Eldorado National Forest issues, Sheriff John D’Agostini would like to be advised also.
cc; John D'Agostini, El Dorado County Sheriff at: john.dagostini@edso.org
Please contact your local Sheriff with this information. As all county Sheriff’s need to be in the loop.
This is a step towards making your visit to the National Forests in California a very pleasant one, regardless of your choice of motorized or non-motorized recreation. Please pass this information along to all you friends, club members, and fellow off-roaders.
Thank you
Amy Granat – CORVA
Jerry Reffner - Friends of the Rubicon
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CORVA Puts Together Coalition |
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Joined by the Rubicon Trail Foundation, Sierra Access Coalition and Stewards of the Sequoia, CORVA has put together a coalition to hire Jesse Barton, Esq. to write professional comments on the new draft Forest Service Waiver issued by the California State Water Resources Control Board.
Every club, group and organization is welcome to join our coalition, and every donation is welcome, no matter how big or how small. The important part is to submit the best comments possible, and empower every motorized recreation enthusiast. Together we can make a difference.
Download copies of the documents here:
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/nps/wqmp_forests.shtml
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