notes from the californianevada snowmobile association convention

The California Nevada Snowmobile Association (CNSA) held its annual convention in the Golden State's valley town of Bakersfield, CA on March 2-3.

This event was well attended by the association's individual club members and delegates from throughout Northern California and Western Nevada. The events started Friday with a snowmobile tour of some trails in the Sherman Peak area in the Sequoia National Forest. Fred Wiley and the Sugarloafers Snowmobile Association were the local hosts and made sure everyone had a great time.

Barry Jones, the snowmobile program manager for California State Parks, was on hand with one of Arctic Cat's new 4-stroke sleds. CNSA president, Greg Plummer, and western representative for the Blue Ribbon Coalition, Don Amador, were among those on the tour that got a first-hand preview of this new generation of "eco-sleds." The Blue Ribbon Coalition is a national non-profit recreation group that endorses responsible use of public lands. It represents over 750 organizations and businesses with 650,000 members.

After riding the prototype 4-stroke, Amador said, "I was surprised by how quiet the sled is. This reduced emissions snowmobile is fun to ride and would be a perfect touring sled for places like Yellowstone National Park or for commercial rental fleets. The good gas mileage is another attractive feature as well."

Amador was a keynote speaker during the Saturday night awards banquet. He talked about how "The Times They are a Changing" and that the recreation community has come of age with a strong legal and political effort in the last couple of years. After the speech, Greg Plummer, presented Amador with an engraved award that read - "The CNSA appreciates your continued efforts in protecting and preserving our trails."

The state's deputy director for the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Division, Dave Widell, also gave a presentation on the health of motorized recreation in California. He said that Governor Davis' administration is committed to having a viable and environmentally sound program. Widell encouraged the attendees to stay engaged and to continue efforts to promote responsible use of public lands.

The night's festivities ended with an auction that included various paintings, snowmobile gear, and a giant quilt made by a CNSA member. It was clear that the convention was a success and those who attended are already getting jazzed up for next year.