By SEMA News Editors
Mojave Desert, Nevada.
Last year, SEMA announced its acquisition of the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), an organization dedicated to representing businesses and professionals in the off-road and powersports industries, including motorcycles, ATVs, side-by-sides and snowmobiles. Ever since, SEMA and ORBA have been working harmoniously to advocate for policies that protect motorized access to roads and trails on government-owned lands. Below are the latest policy updates on areas of key interest to the motorized recreation community.
Western Mojave Faces 2,200-Mile OHV Closure; Off-Road Community Pushes Back
Off-road advocates push back hard on possible closures with the help of SEMA and ORBA.
SEMA and ORBA, along with a broad coalition of stakeholders, issued a statement decrying a federal court ruling that will result in the closure of approximately 2,200 miles of designated OHV routes across the Western Mohave planning area. Click here to read it. This is a ruling that, if upheld, would result in a significant loss of motorized access for families, recreationists, and public lands enthusiasts from across California and throughout the United States.
The letter, sent under the Ecologic Partners Coalition banner, highlights not only the consequences of the closures but also the order's reliance on flawed assumptions about desert tortoise mortality. The coalition, which is comprised of SEMA, ORBA, American Sand Association and AMA District 37, points to decades of scientific evidence that the court failed to take into account, specifically how predator subsidy effects, disease dynamics, and landscape-scale habitat pressures from utility-scale renewable energy projects and other industrial development are the primary and most significant contributors to desert tortoise population trends.
The letter also reaffirms the significant role the off-road community plays in environmental stewardship and protection through volunteer trail maintenance, habitat restoration projects, educational programs and conservation initiatives designed to protect sensitive species while maintaining responsible public access.
The Fight for Moab's Trails: Interior to Review ORBA-led Appeal for Reopening Trails
BLM previously closed 300+ miles; 150 miles could reopen with SEMA and ORBA support.
In a positive development, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has formally taken jurisdiction over ORBA's appeal of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) 2023 Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan, which closed down more than 300 miles of trails to motorized vehicles near Moab, Utah.
- In 2025, the BLM proposed to reopen nearly 150 miles of trails in Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges. SEMA and ORBA supported this action (read SEMA's official comment here).
Previously, ORBA's appeal of the plan was assigned to the IBLA. This is an important step forward and is consistent with the Interior Department's efforts to restore trail access at Labyrinth/Gemini Bridges.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock | WildSnap
