What To Know About ORBA’s 2026 Relaunch

Why ORBA's 2026 Relaunch Matters for Every Off-Road Rider

In January 2026, a federal court wiped out 2,200 miles of designated OHV routes across the Western Mojave Desert overnight. 

A massive move without a vote or any public input. Just a ruling — and then silence where trail markers used to be.

That’s the context behind ORBA's 2026 relaunch. And if you care about where you ride, you should know what just changed. Here’s what to know – and how to get involved. 

Why Did ORBA Relaunch?

• What happened: The Off-Road Business Association relaunched on March 25, 2026, with new leadership, expanded advocacy strategy, and stronger industry backing after a 2025 SEMA acquisition

• New leadership: Sean P. Holman (Interim Executive Director), Laura Butcher (Legislative Director), Karen Bailey-Chapman (Senior VP of Public and Government Affairs, SEMA)

• Why now: The WEMO ruling in January 2026 closed 2,200 miles of trail — the largest single OHV closure in U.S. history — and Johnson Valley faces new airspace threats to King of the Hammers

• Economic context: Motorized outdoor recreation generates $720 billion annually in U.S. economic activity

• What you can do: Join ORBA at offroadbusiness.org/membership — no SEMA or TORA membership required

What was the WEMO Closure?

As of this writing, 73% of the original Western Mojave route network is now closed to OHV use.

The Bureau of Land Management had already spent years on environmental review. They designated a route network. 

Then, in January, a federal court ordered closures that went far beyond anything BLM had analyzed in its own planning process — essentially bypassing the public comment system entirely. 

About 16,000 miles of original routes had already been whittled down to 6,247 through BLM's process. The court order brought that figure to 4,047.

With one ruling, nearly a million acres were affected. And the community had no vote.

Blue Ribbon Coalition called it the largest single closure of off-road trails in American history. And it's important to pay attention to this – because if it happened in the Western Mojave, the precedent is now established.

Johnson Valley is next — and King of the Hammers with it

You probably know Johnson Valley. In 2013, Congress passed legislation protecting it as a National OHV Recreation Area — designating roughly 188,000 acres for public use, with military training limited to two 30-day periods per year. That was a compromise that worked.

The U.S. Marine Corps is proposing Special Use Airspace (R2509) that would create restricted airspace directly over Johnson Valley. We actually covered this in detail late last year.

Since then, there’s been news. An updated March 2026 Environmental Assessment includes improvements from the original proposal, which include:

• A 1,500-ft minimum altitude when the area is open to the public

• Limits to 60 days per year

• Specific commitments to coordinate with King of the Hammers organizers.

However, the proposal still creates uncertainty: civilian helicopters, drones, and aircraft would operate under Marine-managed airspace, potentially requiring clearance and coordination. 

For an event that depends on medical evacuation, film and broadcast coverage, and helicopter safety support, any restrictions on aviation access create operational risk. That's why continued advocacy matters.

What Does ORBA’s Relaunch Bring to the Issue?

ORBA was acquired by SEMA in August 2025. The March 2026 relaunch means the organization now operates as a SEMA subsidiary. That matters because scale matters when it comes to advocacy.

Before, ORBA operated as an independent nonprofit, doing real work with limited resources and no backstop. Now, ORBA has access to much more:

• SEMA's government affairs infrastructure

• The SEMA Action Network's grassroots, which reaches across thousands of enthusiasts

• SEMA's media storytelling capabilities

It's the same mission, with a much larger engine behind it.

Sean Holman — who spent 20+ years as a truck and off-road media authority — takes on the Interim Executive Director role. ORBA's current focus covers WEMO comments and litigation support, Johnson Valley airspace opposition, and the Moab Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan.

One of the more practical moves in the relaunch: ORBA is commissioning four regional economic impact reports across geographically diverse U.S. areas in 2026 and 2027. 

Local data — jobs, tax revenue, small business income — is what moves a state legislator, and is the kind of work that actually changes a vote.

What ORBA Means for the Industry in 2026 and Beyond

Think about how much land impacts our favorite rigs and brands.

• Polaris validates its RZR platform on desert trails

• Toyota puts TRD Pro and Trailhunter packages through real-world development on public lands

• KC HiLiTES has been testing lighting systems on desert routes for years

• Yankum Ropes' kinetic recovery technology gets developed through actual use, not lab simulations

When trails close, R&D stops. When R&D stops, the next generation of gear doesn't exist — or exists only in the imagination of engineers who've never actually broken a trail. 

Every licensed apparel item from companies like Goats Trail is, in a small but real way, part of that $720 billion ecosystem. 

That means wearing a Toyota TRD Pro hoodie to a BLM public comment session sends a message that this is a mainstream lifestyle, not a fringe hobby. Policymakers notice who shows up.

How to Get Plugged In

Here’s the good news – you don’t have to become an all-out advocate to make a difference. You don't even need a SEMA or TORA membership. 

ORBA's membership is open to anyone invested in protecting motorized access to public lands!

ORBA will also be at Overland Expo West (May 15–17, Flagstaff) — their first major public appearance under the new structure. If you're going, their booth is worth the stop.

And while you're at it, check our 2026 off-road event calendar for upcoming events where you can connect with advocacy organizations in person.

The WEMO closure proved that the trail systems you count on can disappear fast. ORBA's relaunch is a response to something that already happened. The question now is whether the community that depends on these places shows up.

Here at Goats Trail, we think the answer should be yes. Shop our licensed off-road collections — gear from the brands that need public lands to exist, for the riders fighting to keep them open!

Shop Licensed Off-Road Apparel at Goats Trail