Message from the Presidency

For over 27 years, the Utah Snowmobile Association (USA) has worked with State and Local leaders to promote, protect, and preserve the hopes and dreams of snowmobiler's throughout the state. Our wish is that everyone who chooses to enjoy snowmobiling will have a safe opportunity to do so. Safety in our sport starts by being prepared.

Just as we get excited when snow blankets our winter playgrounds, others feel the “Call of the Wild” as well!  Let's not forget we share our winter wonderland with skiers, snowboarders, ice fishermen, dog sledder's, snowshoers', and other winter recreationalists'. While riding in the mountains, please extend extra courtesy to other Winter sports enthusiasts out there on the trails.

 

SNOWTRAILS TV ONLINE
Yellowstone National Park & Updates from ISC (International Snowmobile Conference)

Recent News / Announcements

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Winter Wildlands Petition
I have had several questions on the ALERT that was sent out this morning pertaining to the Winter Wildlands petition. Most of the questions can be answered with the following:

Winter Wildlands information can be found on their website; http://winterwildlands.org/index.php. On the top right hand side there is a link to "Winter Recreation on Western National Forest Land". Section 1 page 6 gives their view of the "Impacts of Snowmobiling". It is important that we stay involved in all the public input processes available. The Public Notice of the Great Outdoors Initiative Listening Sessions that I sent yesterday is a good way to start. These sessions are set up to gather infomation and report back to President Obama, what we are looking for in recreational opportunities. It is my understanding that Winter Wildlands has been holding public meetings gathering information to present at these sessions. We certianly are being threaten to continued loss of riding areas. The petition would virtualy eliminate any cross country snowmobile activitiy. Snowmobiling would be on designated routes (trails only). Tell the story and be informed; let others know how serious this could be.

Thanks,
Ken Rossum

Upcoming Events

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC LISTENING SESSION ON THE PRESIDENT’S
AMERICA’S GREAT OUTDOORS INITIATIVE

Please join senior representatives from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a public listening session and discussions in Utah on conservation, recreation, and reconnecting people to the outdoors. The session will be held August 3 from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM at the Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown. This past April, at the White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors, President Obama signed a memorandum establishing the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to develop a conservation agenda worthy of the 21st century and to reconnect Americans with our great outdoors. The President understands that protecting and restoring the lands and waters that we love and reconnecting people to the outdoors must happen at the local level. Therefore, President Obama directed the principal leaders of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to travel across the country to listen and learn from people directly involved in finding grassroots solutions to conserve our lands, waterways, historical and cultural resources, and reconnect Americans to the outdoors. The President indicated that the sessions should engage the full range of interested groups, including tribal leaders, farmers and ranchers, sportsmen, community park groups, foresters, youth groups, businesspeople, educators, State and local governments, recreation and conservation groups, and others.

This listening session in Utah offers an opportunity for us to engage in a conversation about the solutions you and your community have created to address the challenges and opportunities facing land and water conservation; for engaging people in outdoor activities; and in restoring and conserving our vital natural and cultural resources.

The public listening session and discussions on August 3rd provide an opportunity for the leaders of the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative to hear from you and other voices in the region about solutions for building a 21st century conservation and recreation agenda and for reconnecting people with the outdoors. Please join us. Here are the details:

When: Tuesday, August 3, 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM

Where: Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown
215 West South Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
(801) 531-7500
http://www.radisson.com/

Who: Senior leadership from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies will be present to hear your thoughts and participate in a conversation about America’s Great Outdoors.

RSVP: This event is free and open to the public. For planning purposes it would be helpful if you would pre-register by Wednesday, July 28 by sending an email to americasgreatoutdoorsslc@blm.gov or a fax to (801)-539-4074 with your name, the name of any organization you are affiliated with, telephone number, and email address. Please let us know if you have any special needs. We will make every effort to accommodate everyone.

In the event you are unable to participate in person, please submit your ideas on the America’s Great Outdoors website at http://www.doi.gov/americasgreatoutdoors/.

If you have questions, please contact Jeanette Matovich at (801) 539-4232 or americasgreatoutdoorsslc@blm.gov.