EDITOR NOTE: Being one of the greatest threats to the off-road lifestyle, it is a logical action to post the Sierra Club's Conservation Policy concerning off-road vehicles (OHV) here and in the face of a fraction of the populace who commonly suffer by the actions of environmentalists. This document has been posted here exactly as it is seen upon the Sierra Club website. The URL has been provided at the bottom of the page for reference purposes.

Under scrutiny for political corruption in numerous endangered species decisions and facing a lawsuit for tampering with protected critical habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to restore significant areas of critical habitat for the California red-legged frog. The Service today proposed quadrupling the protected areas by designating approximately 1,804,865 acres of critical habitat for the frog in 28 California counties.

LOS ANGELES — The Bush administration on Wednesday recommended another reduction in protections for the endangered Lane Mountain milk-vetch by downlisting it to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. This despite the fact that only four populations of the plant remain on the planet; that recent studies indicate that the number of individuals is declining; and at least 20 percent of the populations will be destroyed by tank maneuvers on Fort Irwin.

The Bureau of Land Management has issued a Notice of Proposed Legislative Withdrawal to enable the eventual transfer of 365,906 acres of fragile public land in the Mojave Desert to the U.S. Marine Corps for bombing, tank training and other “live fire” exercises.  The lands identified by the Marine Corps for its Air Ground Combat Center training grounds near Twentynine Palms include habitat critical for survival of the threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and desert bighorn sheep. The Marine Corps says it needs the expansion for national security.

For off-road enthusiasts, both Johnson Valley (Lucerne Valley) and Stoddard Valley (Barstow) are among the hottest off highway vehicle (OHV) recreation destinations in Southern California. Their proximity to major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles County, Orange County , San Bernardino County and San Diego County make them a perfect place to ride and race dirt bikes, ATVs, 4X4 vehicles, Jeeps, trucks and buggies.

The Marine Corps submitted a land withdrawal application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for approximately 422,000 acres contiguous to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif. The application is part of an ongoing study by the Marine Corps for possible base expansion, along with the establishment of corresponding special-use airspace, necessary to train a Marine Expeditionary Brigade at the Combat Center.

From the air, the desert around the Estrella Mountains is a tangle of dirt roads, looping around and crossing back on each other haphazardly. Trails carve up the foothills, scratching through the green flush of springtime growth to expose bare ground. From an airplane window, state Rep. Jerry Weiers sighed. "With the city of Buckeye expanding, this area is going to get hammered," said Weiers, a Glendale Republican. The hammer is coming from off-highway vehicle use, and it's coming down hard. OHV ownership has skyrocketed in Arizona, and with it has come increasing ridership on lands that weren't necessarily designed for motorized vehicles. "The problem is they don't have any idea where to go or not go," said Jeff Gursh, a volunteer with the Arizona Off-Highway Vehicle Coalition.