Where You Ride is Threatened

It is an unfortunate reality that many national organizations such as the Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society, Blue Water Network and others want snowmobiling eliminated, and they want it done yesterday. After spreading their deception they have the money and members to get the job done. After snowmobiling is eliminated, what will be next? Maybe horseback riding, mountain bike riding or even camping in your RV at a favorite spot.

People who run these organizations have full-time, paid jobs dedicated to erasing snowmobiling from this planet. Why should you care? Because if you don’t, who will?

There are a few organizations on our side attempting to slow down this process, but we are not going to be able to stop it without more help. One of the first and biggest organizations on our side is the Blue Ribbon Coalition. It has been around for more than 25 years. The group is also one of the few organizations that has a paid attorney who can help stop potential closures. If you are not a member of this worthy organization, you should sign up today at www.sharetrails.org. It is $20 a year and well worth your money. Will you please join BRC today if you are not a member?

Are you a member of your state snowmobile association or local club? If not, why not? Even if you don’t have the time to volunteer or go to the meetings or help clear a snowmobile trail, become a member and be counted as someone who truly cares about snowmobiling. The cost of joining most of these groups per year is less than one tank of fuel in your sled. Is that too much to ask?

Write a letter to the Forest Service, the National Park Service or your Congressional representative, and let them know what you think about the various potential closures to our form of recreation. Of course, be professional in your comment letter even if you are angry.


The Snowmobile Alliance of Western States (SAWS) was formed recently with dedicated individuals concerned about land access issues across the western United States and beyond. The SAWS Mission Statement states that it will “provide education regarding public lands policy and outdoor recreation ethics in order to preserve and protect access to traditional trails and terrain on public lands, so that future generations will be able to enjoy nature through snowmobiling as generations have done in the past.”

SAWS is free to join, and uses e-mail and a website for its communication to stay informed about the next potential closure. It may be your favorite riding area that is next on the list. Do you want to help stop that from happening?

— Dave Hurwitz, Snowmobile Alliance of Western States; snowmobile-alliance.org

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