Recreational Trails Program Extended
Tucked into a bill that was signed by President Obama on March 18 was language extending the transportation budget.
The good news is that the law extends the funding through Dec. 31, 2010.
What that means to snowmobilers is the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), which returns a portion of the federal gas taxes we pay for gas that we put in our snowmobiles, continues for the next eight months. These monies are crucial to trail funding, maintenance, signing, grooming, etc.
This gives Congress the rest of the year to write and pass a comprehensive new 5-6 year law.
Forest Service Planning Rule
A new Planning Rule has been proposed by the Forest Service and meetings have been scheduled around the country to gather stakeholder input.
It is critical that snowmobilers attend these meetings. It is just as important that other recreationists attend these meetings as well.
The planning rule will provide the framework for the management of national forests and grasslands.
There will be four National Roundtables in Washington, DC. There will also be eight meetings held across the United States.
Click www.snowmobilers.org for the dates and locations of these meetings.
These meetings started in early April.
International Snowmobile Congress
Plans are underway for the 42nd International Snowmobile Congress, which will be held June 9-12 in Coralville, IA.
In addition to the many, many meetings that will be held, Iowa has added many events that promise fun for everyone.
For additional information, log on to http://www.iowasnowmobiler.com/isc2010/index.html.