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N E W S L E T T E RNAMI CHECK 2018

At our Fall board meeting on September 16, 2018, Matt Kuntz, Executive Director for(NAMI) National Alliance on Mental Illness, was presented the check from TransMontana for the 2018 charity ride. Presenting were President Jason Howell, and Co-chair, Cliff Walter. All money raised during our charity ride goes to NAMI including some donated by Montana Snowmobile Association. All the money stays in Montana to help those in need. NAMI has offices in various towns in Montana. They help anyone that needs help including kids and veterans. A few of their areas are depression, anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease, education in Montana schools, peer support group, non-opioid therapeutics for acute or chronic pain, and suicide prevention.

Ron Albee is our leader for TransMontana. He organizes riders, donations, sponsors, banquets, plans the ride and works with each club. In 2018 TransMontana rode from Colombia Falls to West Yellowstone. They had 25 full time riders with many day riders each day.

snowmobilemt.org

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R I D E W H E R E T H E R E ’ S E L E C T R I C I T Y I N T H E A I R A N D N O T A P O W E R L I N E I N S I G H T.

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SNOW FACTS 2017Thought I would share some general information about our sport of snowmobiling. Is the industry growing? How’s the other parts of the nation doing? Is it a young person’s sport?

There are still basically the four major manufactures. Arctic Cat in Minnesota, BRP also known as Ski Doo in Valcourt, Quebec, Yamaha headquartered in California, and Polaris in Medina, MINNESOTA.

The US has 1.2 million snowmobiles registered. Canada has over 600,000 registered snowmobiles. In 2017 over 118, 000 sled were sold worldwide. 50659 were sold in the US and 44161 were sold in Canada. Montana does show there are 22500 sled registered in Montana. I’m sure quite a few of these might not be running anymore.

The Economic Impact of Snowmobiling: United States: $2 6 Billion annually Canada: $ 8 Billion annually Europe & Russia: $ 5 Billion annually Over 100,000 full time jobs are generated by the snowmobile industry in North America. Those jobs are involved in manufacturing, dealerships and tourism related businesses.

The average age of a snowmobiler is 44 years old. The average snowmobiler rides their snowmobile 1175 miles / 1891 km per year in North America.

The average snowmobiler spends $ 2,000 each year on snowmobile -related recreation. 47% of snowmobilers trailer their snowmobiles to ride. 53% snowmobile from their primary residence or have a vacation home where they keep and use their snowmobiles.

Snowmobilers are caring neighbors, they raised over $3 million for charity annually . There are 3000 + snowmobile clubs worldwide, involved in trail grooming, charity fund raising , & family activities. There are over 42 registered non -profit associations representing snowmobilers in the US, Canada, Europe and Russia. Snowmobiling is great exercise bringing people outdoors interacting with nature and each other. It is an invigorating sport , great for stress release and good mental health. Snowmobiling is a great family lifestyle. It is an activity keeping parents and kids together. Historically individuals who snowmobile at a young age continue to snowmobile with their parents throughout their lives, sharing great experiences as a family. In many winter regions, snowmobiling is simply the main form of winter outdoor recreation and in some cases the main method of transportation.

Let’s get out there and enjoy this wonderful white powder as much as we can. It won’t be long before we see those 50 and 60 degree days.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE - OCTOBER 2018I hope this new addition of the MSA Newsletter finds you well. As you can see we have changed up the look of our Newspaper to now a Newsletter due to the production costs and the lack of Club content. Hopefully this new format will serve our membership well and keep our costs to a more reasonable price. You will also be able to find this electronically on our website at snowmobilemt.org The Montana Snowmobile Association (MSA) is strong and vibrant and busy working on new projects and getting ready for the upcoming State Legislative year. We have no new bills that we are working on, but we are working on updating the Out of State Temporary Snowmobile License. Some changes that we are proposing are to increase the fee from the $25 annual fee to something more like $45 (not in stone yet), and will also include Snowbikes, Fat Tired Bicycles and Tracked ATV’s / UTV’s when allowed for non-residents. This particular License has not been updated for many years and we have fallen behind many other states for the price of our out of state snowmobile licenses.Our Association is always looking to include new people and we hope that you as members or former members will help us stay strong. The battle to keep our snowmobiling areas open whether it’s Forest Travel Planning or lawsuits from the Environmentalists will always be coming at us, it’s up to us as snowmobilers to stay informed and be involved. Please help by joining a club in your local area and also joining MSA. The benefit that you get by being members in the local clubs and the state

Association helps in the overall fight. It takes a lot of voices to be heard, and if we are not united and organized we will continue to lose our riding areas.MSA just recently this late summer held elections for its officers. I along with Mary Herzog will be representing you again for another 2 years. We will have elections again in late summer of 2020 and hope to maybe see some new faces come forward to help move MSA forward. I am on my second 2 year term and will be termed out come 2020. It’s very important for our State Association to get new people involved and help keep our Association strong and vibrant. MSA was incorporated in 1973 by Alberta Kronen and Raymond Smith. Without these peoples foresight it would be impossible to snowmobile where we do today. These people had a vision and a passion for snowmobiling, and later on in 1977 worked with the State Legislature to get a portion of the Gas Tax to fund the snowmobile program that we have today. This gas tax money provides us and our clubs with groomers and grants to provide smooth trails to get to where we want to go. We are forever thankful for everything they did back when they did it. If you ever have any comments or concerns please feel free to e-mail at president@snowmobilemt.orgRegards,Jason Howell

WESTERN CHAPTER SCHOLARSHIP 2019 APPLICATION FORM

Applicant Name: Email: Phone:

Mailing Address: City: State/Province: Postal Code:

State Association / Provincial Federation:

Member of which local Club(s)?

Graduated from what high school or GED equivalent?

Attending which college, technical or vocational institute?

If already enrolled in a program, what year are you in?

High School or Equivalent GPA:

If applicable, College, Technical or Vocational GPA:

o Have you attached a cover letter introducing yourself?

o Have you attached a resume detailing your involvement in snowmobiling as well as extra-curricular school activities?

o Have you attached an essay on the following subject (must be at least 2 pages, double-spaced and typed)?

Essays will be judged on depth of content, clarity, and organization.

MSA SCHOLARSHIPMSA is sponsoring a $500 Scholarship. Requirements for consideration are as follows:

Applicant must be a member of Montana Snowmobile Association and have been accepted to an accredited post-secondary academic or vocational/technical school. Students with non-traditional education, individuals re-turn to the work force and continuing students are encour-aged to apply. He or she will submit an essay for judging. MSA’s scholarship winner will be eligible to compete for the Western Chapter $2000 Scholarship.

2019 Essay Topic: The cost of everything in winter recre-ation over the past ten years has skyrocketed. Snowmo-biling is an expensive sport when you take into consid-eration all things connected to it. Groomers and all their attachments, the ones doing the grooming, a home for the groomer, Sno-Parks, plowing, administration, trail con-struction/maintenance, and the list goes on. Money does not grow on trees in the USA or CANADA. Even when we find money to help our cause, we run into roadblocks be-cause of the origin of the items we are trying to buy. There must be a better way.

Essay Challenge: In the USA and CANADA, there is money available to support our needs in the snowmobile world. Finding it, qualifying it, and acquiring it is the be-ginning of your challenge. See List Below:

1. Where traditionally do the funds come from for your local and State / Provincial snowmobile needs? 2. What are the funds available to be used on? 3. How do you petition for these funds? 4. Are there funds available that are not being petitioned for in your area?

Finally, can you share with us your thoughts and ideas of how to financially support our cause for the next genera-tion of snowmobilers?

For more information go to the website: snowmobilemt.org Please mail your completed application to:

Montana Snowmobile Association Scholarship Committee P O Box 56 Black Eagle, Mt 59414 snowmobilemt.org

SNOWMOBILING 2018-2019 SPECIAL EVENTS PLANNED

TransMontana 2019

HASLETT, MI, September 20, 2018: There have been a few nips in the air and snow in the Rockies, so that can only mean that winter is on its way - hopefully bringing lots of snow, cold weather and great snowmobiling. On behalf of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association members – Arctic Cat, BRP, Polaris and Yamaha Motor Corporation, we are excited to announce the continuation and expansion of the Safe Riders! You Make Snowmobiling Safe safety campaign. The Safe Riders! materials include our updated snowmobiling fact book, brochures, posters, A NEW SAFETY VIDEO SERIES (Coming in October 2018), and decals for snowmobilers to use in supporting their safety campaign activities.We invite all snowmobilers to participate in the International Snowmobile Safety week – January19-27,2019. This is a great time for clubs and associations, safety trainers, etc. to take time to teach snowmobilers about safe riding. Many dealerships also support and help by putting on seminars, showing customers how to maintain their sleds to keep them running in top condition, and also promoting safety related activities. Visit the www.snowmobile.org website and download the Safety Week Campaign Action Manual which contains ideas on how to promote safety week and gives ideas for putting on safe events throughout the winter. Also, if you hold a Safe Riders! event during International Snowmobile Safety Week, let us know by placing it on our Facebook Page at www.Facebook.com/GoSnowmobiling. We will send one Safe Riders! long sleeve shirt per event posted. Please provide us with your mailing address and shirt size.The Go Snowmobiling/Take a Friend Snowmobiling Campaign continues to grow as more people visit the website www.gosnowmobiling.org for information on how to get started in snowmobiling. The website is a great information source for all

Montana Snowmobile Association sponsors a charity ride each year. The Trans-Montana Ride (TMR for short) is an annual winter charity ride going across our great state of Montana raising awareness and money for NAMI Montana (The Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness). To learn more about the ride, check out our website www.trans-montana.org  We also encourage your club to sponsor riders! And we appreciate all that the local clubs do for us when we visit your area--local clubs supply guides for our ride and often host a breakfast or dinner when we are in town...it really is a great way to get to know new people! In return, we’ll add your club’s logo to our sponsor page and link to your site!The ride is a week long (6 days), but you don’t have to do it all--come ride some or all with us! Experience the beauty of Montana. Enjoy the camaraderie of fellow riders. Enjoy the satisfaction of helping those in Montana who are fighting the daily battle of mental illness. We have so much fun each year making new

snowmobilers with links to other snowmobile related websites, state and provincial associations, and more. We encourage you to check out the www.gosnowmobiling.org site. You may wish to join in the Go Snow mobiling effort and ask some friends to go snowmobiling. Many people have tried snowmobiling for the first time with the experience resulting in the purchase of a snowmobile. That new snowmobiler can then become a club member, an association member, and expand your friendship – all because you asked them to come along and try out your winter recreation of choice.The 10th Annual Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week is scheduled for February 9-18, 2019. You can grow your organization by partnering with local businesses and Chambers of Commerce to encourage your non-snowmobiling friends to join us for a time of fun. For information and ideas on holding a Take a Friend Snowmobiling event, visit www.gosnowmobiling.org . The Campaign Guide contains many great ideas.We are looking forward to a great year and thank you for your support. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please visit our two websites:www.snowmobile.org and www.gosnowmobiling.orgYou can send us an email message and check out our latest releases. We also encourage you to “Like” our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/GoSnowmobiling We are expanding our Social Network and our Facebook page is growing! We hope you join us for fun snowmobiling interaction. We will be recognizing individuals and clubs who hold Go Snowmobiling/ Take a Friend Snowmobiling events by sending a Go Snowmobiling long sleeve shirt to those who post their event on our Facebook page and then send us their mailing address. We will send one shirt per event posted so include your shirt size.

friends, seeing and riding through new places all while raising money and awareness for a great cause.This dates for this year’s ride are January 27 - Feb 1, 2019 (with an auction and banquet on the 26th in Great Falls.Benefit Dinner and Auction! Saturday night Jan 26th, we will hold our Benefit Dinner and Auction in Great Falls in conjunction with the MSA Riding Convention. The public is welcome (fee at the door) and donations are being accepted for items we can auction off.Go to the website: trans-montana.orgor contact Ron Albee:Ralbee2000@yahoo.com406-366-4158

TOP 10 REASONS TO JOIN A SNOWMOBILE CLUBSnow Goer staff October 24, 2017

YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD IT BEFORE: Snowmobile clubs are the reason that snowmobile trails exists. You probably also know that the people in the clubs and grassroots networks are most often the ones who work on varying levels to protect trails and public lands, and your right to ride. Clubs are also a great social outlet for like-minded people.

Yes, most snowmobilers know all of that. But most snowmobilers don’t actually belong to a snowmobile club. There are all sorts of potential excuses — maybe you don’t know where to find your local club, or maybe you’re an introvert and/or intimidated at some level. Maybe you just consider yourself a non-joiner, or maybe you have a preconceived notion of what belonging to a snowmobile club means.

Chances are, however, that if you don’t belong to a snowmobile club, you probably just haven’t gotten around to joining

TransMontana 2019Jan 26 (Saturday):  TransMontana Riders Arrive in Great Falls MSA Riding Convention Kings Hill in the Little Belt Mountains (optional) - TMR Meet and Greet Meeting (late afternoon just before the banquet) - MSA / TMR Banquet and Benefit Auction (evening) at the  Elks Club in Great Falls

Jan 27 (Sunday): TMR Day 1 - Kings Hill in the Little Belt Mountains 9am - 4pm - Travel to Helena for the night

Jan 28 (Monday): TMR Day 2 - Ride the Helena Area 9am - 4pm - Travel to George Town Lake area for the night

Jan 29 (Tuesday): TMR Day 3 - Ride the George Town Lake area - Travel to Ennis for the night

Jan 30 (Wednesday): TMR Day 4 - Ride the Ennis/Virginia City area - Travel to Buck Creek for the night

Jan 31 (Thursday): TMR Day 5 - Ride the Buck Creek area - Travel to West Yellowstone for the night

Feb 1 (Friday): TMR Day 6 - Ride West Yellowstone area - Rider Award Banquet

Feb 2 (Saturday): TMR Ride is over - Time to head home

Note: Schedule is subject to change and dependent on weather and snow conditions.

one. Well don’t lump this in with dentist appointments, fixing a dripping laundry room faucet, creating a will and other tasks you regularly put off – snowmobiling needs you! Quit being a freeloader and join a club this fall – either by contacting one of the clubs over the next three pages that are reaching out to you, or by finding a club in your riding area.

To describe the benefits of joining a snowmobile club, we turn to a widely circulated column from the now-defunct Snowmobile Magazine, describing the Top 10 Reasons To Join A Snowmobile Club. The list was compiled 20 years ago but it all still holds true today:

10. Snowmobile clubs gain land access to create snowmobile trails. Without the clubs securing land leases and paying insurance costs, no trails would cross private property, and that means the sport as we know it would not exist. All this takes time, effort and money.

9. Snowmobile clubs clear and create trails. After the land access is received, somebody has to clear away the brush, cut down interfering limbs, haul out trash and smooth the base of the trail. Club members also must build bridges over creeks, rivers and low spots, and that takes a lot of work and a lot of money. This is all done by volunteers who truly love the sport. Without these hidden heroes, the trails would not get cleared, bridges would not get built and most trails would disappear.

8. In most areas, snowmobile club members groom the trails, or hire the people who do. Sometimes these groomer operators get a token fee for their hard work, but the dollar-per-hour rate is menial at best. Again, these are more of the hidden heroes who spend their time in a slow-moving groomer, tending to the trails. Remember, if you are not a club member you have no right to complain about trail conditions.

7. While we’re talking trails, who do you think puts up all the stop signs, the directional arrows and the signs that tell you the distance to the next gas station or restaurant? If you said “the snowmobile clubs,” give yourself 10 points and keep reading.

6. When funding is needed to pay for groomers, insurance or trails development, do you know where that money comes from? Sure, the $15 or $20 people spend to join a snowmobile club helps, but in many states money also comes from snowmobile registrations and gas tax rebates. Why does our sport get this money from the state? Because our sport is organized. If the state snowmobiling association can talk about its 25,000 members, for example, and those members call their local lawmakers and ask for support, the funding has a much better chance of getting approval. Furthermore, it is the snowmobile clubs and state associations that fight the battles to open public lands to snowmobilers, and there is strength in numbers. Become one of those numbers.

5. With some clubs and associations, membership brings financial benefits. There are often discounts at sponsoring businesses, breaks on lodging and sometimes cheaper registration or trail permits from the state.

4. Belonging to a club makes for better, safer snowmobiling. Historically, surveys and accident statistics have shown that snowmobile club members have a much lower accident rate than non-club members. Why? Because club members tend to be conscientious, they tend to stress safety and they are aware of safe-riding issues.

3. Belonging to a snowmobile club provides a great social outlet for your favorite hobby. You can attend club rides or trips, go to club meetings, take part in club fundraisers or partake in off-season fun. Belonging to a club gives you a good opportunity to ride with different people, experience different areas and hang out with people who have similar interests.

2. Belonging to a snowmobile club makes you a part of the solution instead of a part of the problem. If you think the snowmobile trails should be groomed more often, that a certain trail should be rerouted or if you consider some section on the trail poorly marked, get involved. Most snowmobile clubs seek fresh opinions and want more feedback.

1. And the No. 1 reason to join a snowmobile club: It’s just the right thing to do. For all the reasons listed above and many more you should belong to a snowmobile club. The costs are minimal, the benefits are great and it is your responsibility to support the sport. It’s cheap, it’s simple and it’s right.

Now, here is a list of snowmobile clubs that are specifically reaching out to you, seeking your membership. Scan the list, find one in your area and reach out to them — you won’t be sorry.

FACTS ABOUT SNOWMOBILING-2018 Haslett, MI, September 18, 2018: As we begin the 2018-19 snowmobiling season, we thought you may be interested in the following facts while you are preparing to go ride this season: 1. Snowmobilers come in all ages. The average snowmobiler however, is 45 years old. 2. The average snowmobile snowmobiler last season rode 1,250 miles / 2,012 kilometers. The number of miles ridden,

on average, is dependent on snow cover, so we will see if Mother Nature brings us more days of snow for riding this season.

3. 60% of snowmobilers belong to a club and participate in many of their club’s events. If you do not belong to a snowmobile club, I recommend you consider joining! Clubs hold great riding events, great parties, and are made up of wonderful people that become great friends. Join a club and have a great time!!!

4. About 49% of the people that snowmobile, trailer their snowmobile to their riding area. The other 51% ride from their home or cabin.

5. Snowmobiling is a family friendly activity. Most of all those responding to surveys report that they snowmobile with family and with friends and with club members.

6. Snowmobilers are outdoor recreationists all year around. Following is a list of recreational activities that snowmobilers participate in when they aren’t out riding: 59% go ATV Riding 56% go Camping 56% go Fishing 52% go Boating Page 2 Facts About Snowmobiling-2018 44% go Hunting 33% go Hiking 32% go Motorcycle Riding 26% go Golfing 24% go Personal Watercraft Riding 19% go Downhill Skiing 13% do other recreational Activities Yes, we are a year around active group!

7. Approximately 82% of the snowmobilers are male. 8. Snowmobilers are a big part of the winter economic engine by spending an average of $2000 each year going

snowmobiling, traveling to their snowmobiling spot, and food, gas, and lodging. In many places of North America, snowmobilers pay the bills for many people involved in the Winter Tourism Industries and related businesses.

9. To help snowmobilers promote their sport, the snowmobile manufacturers have created a number of supporting communication tools. a. a. We have created a Dropbox where interested individuals can access the most current family friendly

snowmobile photos. (Just click on this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kjcb8kcpv6vlaos/AADSnxI8H8V-ZhV1KO51dGlNa?dl=0 ) We encourage people to use these photos in the development of trail maps, advertising pieces, or just flyers supporting a snowmobiling activity. The photos are free and can be used in promoting recreation family snowmobiling.

b. b. Also, ISMA has created a Facebook page www.Facebook.com/GoSnowmobiling . If you are on Facebook and want to see snowmobiling posts, please FOLLOW our page. You can also share your snowmobiling pictures, events, etc. on our page and they will be viewed by followers from around the world!

c. c. We have two websites: www.snowmobile.org and www.gosnowmobiling.org that contain a lot of information, links, downloadable materials, etc. to help support you and educate you on key issues related to snowmobiling and help you better know the activities going on. Our websites are connected to other websites around the world including all of the United States and Canadian State and Provincial Snowmobile Associations which contain all of the local information that you may need.

The winter outlook is looking good for snowmobiling and we are looking forward to a great season!

SNOWMOBILE SALES OUTPERFORM ECONOMIC GROWTH WORLDWIDE

HASLETT, MI, August 2, 2018: A long lasting cold and snowy winter in much of the snowmobile community, and continued enthusiasm and interest in snowmobiling powered snowmobile sales to increase worldwide to 124,786 new sleds sold this past year. This is an increase of over 6,100 units, which is a 5 percent gain from last year. Sales in the United States grew to 53,179 new snowmobiles sold – a 5 percent gain from last year, while sales in Canada rose over 6.4 percent to 47,024 new snowmobiles sold. The sales increase wasn’t confined to North America. Sales increases were realized in Norway, Sweden, and Finland in Europe.

The snowmobile community is optimistic following the above average late snow fall throughout most of North America this past season. The 2018 manufacturers’ spring snowmobile shows reported increases in attendance. In many of the spring shows, attendance was up over 20 percent. Spring orders were strong and that points to a good 2019 sales year.

The snowmobile industry reports that registered snowmobiles in North America remained at 2 million registered snowmobiles. Increased registration in Northern Europe continues.

Snowmobile related tourism also increased in North America and beyond. This can be seen in economic impact studies conducted throughout North America by major business colleges and universities. Miles ridden by snowmobilers (which is always predictive of economic impact) showed an increase from the 2017-2018 season. This is a result of riding conditions and improved and expanded riding areas and trail systems.

The average age of a snowmobiler this past season was determined to be 45 years of age. Snowmobilers are active, outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy snowmobiling with family and friends.

Surveys conducted by ISMA have shown that 73 percent of first-time buyers in the snowmobile market purchased a used snowmobile. Many of them are young adults and they move on to purchase a new snowmobile later in life.

The majority of snowmobilers in North America are Club members and/or Association-Federation members (over 60 percent). These active, involved, outdoor enthusiasts build the trails and support snowmobiling access. Snowmobilers are also active charity fundraisers who raised over $3.5 million dollars for National Charities last year.

The Go Snowmobiling website serves as another strong indicator for the interest in snowmobiling. This year, the Go Snowmobiling site received more than 2.4 million hits. 40 percent of those visitors to the website were new snowmobilers or individuals who do not own a snowmobile but are expressing a great deal of interest in owning a snowmobile and going snowmobiling. 20 percent of the visitors to the site visited the rental outlet pages of the site. Indications are that many of the individuals visiting the rental site do not own a snowmobile but want to rent one during their winter vacation. This high level of interest in renting bodes well for future sales and the growth in the snowmobile rental market.

Additional surveys have found that snowmobilers are active in many outdoor activities. Snowmobilers are also boaters, motorcycle riders, camping enthusiasts, hunting enthusiasts and general outdoor recreationists.

Many families have discovered that snowmobiling is a great winter recreational activity. Research shows people go snowmobiling for reasons such as viewing the scenery, be with family and friends, to get away from the usual demands of life and be close to nature.

State and provincial snowmobile organizations continue to grow and expand club membership. Many organizations report that new trails are being developed to support the positive economic impact of snowmobiling and job growth for the rural community. Economic impact studies generated by universities in North America show that snowmobiling is growing in importance as part of the overall economic engine and job growth for winter tourism. Studies show that snowmobiling now generates more than $30 Billion Dollars of economic activity in North America. The economic activity generated by snowmobiling provides many jobs and investment opportunities and generates considerable tax revenue for local governments which eagerly support snowmobiling.

OUTDOOR RECREATION’S CONTRIBUTION TO US ECONOMY

The Snowmobile Manufacturer members of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Welcomes Final Release of First-Ever Government Statistics on Industry’s Contribution to U.S. Economy

Report Formally Recognizes Outdoor Recreation Among Nation’s Largest Sectors

HASLETT, MI, September 27, 2018: The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), on September 20, 2018, welcomed the final report on the first-ever government statistics recognizing the outdoor recreation industry as a significant contributor to the U.S. economy.

The report, federally funded by the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce, was released by Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The new measurement is called the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA). It finds that the outdoor recreation industry had a U.S. GDP contribution of 2.2 percent and annual gross economic output of $734 billion. This economic contribution level is greater than other key economic sectors, including the mining, utilities and chemical products manufacturing industries. In addition, with 4.5 million jobs, the outdoor recreation sector generates similar employment as other major job creators in the United States, including hospitals, transportation and warehousing, and educational services.

The release was the final, revised report, following prototype statistics released last February. The updated report reflects expert comments and feedback solicited by BEA and submitted by a wide range of organizations in the outdoor recreation economy.

The release of the data is a significant milestone for the outdoor recreation industry, which has long called for its sector to be formally included in government economic analysis. To mark the announcement, ORR organized a Capitol Hill briefing with key federal officials, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Bureau of Economic Analysis Director Brian Moyer, Department of Interior Senior Advisor Rick May, and a video message from Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT).

“The report provides official government recognition of the outdoor recreation industry as a powerful force in the American economy,” said Ed Klim, Board member of ORR and President of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association. “As one of the nation’s largest economic sectors, it is critical that our national leaders do everything they can to keep the economic engine running at full speed. That includes common sense policies to expand public access, modernize infrastructure and remove barriers to efficient and effective public-private partnerships. We thank the teams at the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account for their tireless work in making today’s report possible.”

The BEA’s analysis also found outdoor recreation to have a strong wage growth rate of 4.3 percent, which surpasses the overall U.S. wage growth of 2.7 percent.

“The outdoor recreation industry contribution to our nation’s GDP has more than pulled its weight, and we’ve been a major engine behind the recent economic growth rate. Due to its importance to the overall economy and especially rural communities, outdoor recreation deserves to be a priority at national and state levels. ORR looks forward to working collaboratively with leaders to implement growth-oriented policies that will ensure our industry remains a strong GDP contributor and jobs generator for years to come,” said Klim.

ORR strongly supports continuing and expanding ORSA. Senate legislation funding the Department of Commerce operations for fiscal year 2019, beginning October 1, 2018, specifically includes on-going funding for ORSA and its expansion to generate state-level projections. ORR has called upon the House to follow the Senate’s lead on ORSA and thus implement the Congressional direction contained in the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016.

Space for District Info or Membership Application

MSA OFFICERSSeth McArthur FWP Snowmobile Program 406-444-3752 smcarthur@mt.gov

ASSOCIATION OFFICERSJason Howell President 406-461-1023 president@snowmobilemt.org

Mary Herzog Vice President 406-590-1458 vp@snowmobilemt.org

Connie Walter Treasurer 406-590-0386 treasurer@snowmobilemt.org

Scott Herzog Past President 406-899-5126

Peggy Albee Secretary secretary@snowmobilemt.org

Laura Mehrer Membership Chair 406-788-6027 membershipmsa@gmail.com

CLUBSAnaconda Snowmobile Club 45 Fire Lane Anaconda, MT 59711 406-563-7789

Beaverhead Sno-Riders P.O. Box 867 Dillon, MT 59725 406-660-1295

Big Hole Snowmobile Club P.O. Box 141 Wisdom, MT 59761 406-370-2587

Big Sky Snowriders PO Box 365 Livingston, MT 59047 406-220-0803

Bitterroot Ridgerunners 220 Camas Crk. Lp Hamilton, MT 59840 406-363-3224 www.ridgerunners.org

Cabinet Ridge Riders PO Box 1577 Trout Creek, MT 59874 406-827-3226

Deer Lodge Snowmobile Club PO Box 44 Deer Lodge, MT 59722 406-491-2776

Flathead Snowmobile Association PO Box 5041 Kalispell, MT 599-3 406-871-4606 www.flatheadsnowmobiler.com

Gallatin Valley Snowmobile Association PO Box 3164 Bozeman, MT 59772 406-600-6063

Great Falls Snowmobile Club PO Box 70 Black Eagle, MT 59414 406-899-5126 www.great-falls-snowmobile.org

Helena Snowdrifters PO Box 5505 Helena, MT 59624 406-431-3659

Jackpine Savages Snowmobile Club PO Box 65 Wise River, MT 59762 651-983-4985

Lincoln County Sno-Kat Club PO Box 1180 Libby, MT 59923 406-827-0524

Little Belt Snowmobile Club PO Box 213 Hobson, MT 59452 406-366-8924

Meagher County Little Belters PO Box 315 White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645 406-547-3966

Midland Empire Snowgoers PO Box 3554 Billings, MT 59103 406-628-5202

Mining City Trail Riders, Inc P.O. Box 4885 Butte, MT 59702 406-782-4613

Missoula Snowgoers PO Box 2441 Missoula, MT 59806 406-251-3301 www.missoulasnowgoers.org

Montana Nightriders PO Box 420242 Haugen, MT 59842 406-544-5416 www.montananightriders.com

Ponderosa Snow Warriors PO Box 933 • Lincoln, MT 59639-0933 406-362-3334

Seeley Lake Driftriders PO Box 174 • Seeley Lake, MT 59868 406-677-7777 www.driftriders.org

SledMonkeys 740 Conway Billings, Mt 59105 406-671-7470 kirk.hansen@usbank.com

Summit Snowgoers PO Box 301 • Cut Bank, MT 59427 406-229-0665

Sweet Grass County Recreation Association PO Box 922 Big Timber, MT 59011 406-930-1396 www.sgcra.com

Ten Lakes Snowmobile Club PO Box 404 Eureka, MT 59917 406-297-3377

Troy Snowmobile Club PO Box 1002 Troy, MT 59935 406-295-4322 www.troysnowmobileclub.org

Upper Yellowstone Snowmobile Club PO Box 1111 Cooke City, MT 59020 406-838-2207

Vigilante Snowmobilers PO Box 145 Virginia City, MT 59755 406-581-1776

West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce PO Box 458 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 406-646-7701 westyellowstonechamber.com

DISTRICT 1 Rick David 94 West Pine Cr Rd Libby, MT 59923 406-212-1230 tammydavid4@gmail.com

DISTRICT 2 Mark Sverdsten 24695 E. Meadow Rd Cataldo, ID 83810 208-682-4963 msverdsten@hotmail.com

DISTRICT 3 Kirk Foreman Missoula, MT sparkygeorgeforeman@gmail.com

DISTRICT 4 - OPEN

DISTRICT 5 Skip Olson 406-832-3265 skipolson1@yahoo.com

DISTRICT 6 Robert Yunck 406-362-3209 rjyunck@gmail.com

DISTRICT 7 Ron Shortridge 406-799-3917 snow4fun@hotmail.com

DISTRICT 8 Fred Bailey 406-431-9402 snocatenator@gmail.com

DISTRICT 9 Ron Albee 406-535-4852 ralbee2000@yahoo.com

DISTRICT 10 Kemp O’Neill 406-539-6143 kempo@wispwest.net

DISTRICT 11 - OPEN

DISTRICT 12 - OPEN

FWP Trails Coordinator Michelle McNamee Michelle.McNamee@mt.gov

Legislative Lobbyist Margaret Morgan 406-431-9836 mgtmorgan@consults.com

Join MSA online by going to snowmobilemt.org

Montana Snowmobile Association Districts

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