ith a winter with little snowfall behind them, representatives from 40 snowmobiling organizations and state agencies met in Long Lake Saturday to discuss working with state agency officials for future partnerships and trails locations.

The New York State Snowmobile Association’s fifth annual Adirondack Trails Conference was held at The Adirondack Hotel.

“This year’s Adirondack Trails Conference was another success for the sport of snowmobiling,” said Jim Rolf, Trail Coordinator of NYSSA. “By coming together in this forum, each group has a fair chance to discuss how we can make New York snowmobile trails in the Adirondacks the best they legally can be. Width of trails, signage, and location are all factors that were openly discussed with suggested reasoning given by attendees for cooperative work.”

Topics covered this year included the status of easements and recreational plans, identifying trails on the Forest Preserve that need work, reviewing upcoming UMP issues (trail designation and possible trail closures), history of the APA/DEC relationship, environmental damage from two tropical storms last fall, and the next steps with NYSSA’s Trails Steward program.

“This is our chance each year to bring together so many key decision makers in our sport of snowmobiling,” said Dominic Jacangelo, Executive Director of NYSSA. “In a season that featured below average snowfall, this year’s Adirondack Trails Conference was still highly productive for discussing snowmobiling in Adirondack Park.”

“With record low snowfalls this winter, businesses in upstate New York took a financial hit,” said NYSSA President Gary Broderick. “Along the 10,500 miles of trails across New York State there are convenient stores, gas pumps, and snowmobile parts, repair and sales dealerships that rely on snowmobilers as a significant source of revenue.”

The New York State Snowmobile Association (NYSSA), a non-profit corporation, is the largest snowmobile association in the country working on behalf of the 135,000 registered NY snowmobile owners, who contribute approximately $1 billion to the New York economy, and 240 snowmobile clubs to improve trails, facilities and services for participants, and defend snowmobilers against discriminatory legislation.