Last year’s mild winter may have minimized snow removal costs for homeowners and municipalities, but the economic impact on the snowmobiling industry was less than beneficial for the regions numerous businesses that depend on winter tourism.
As a new season approaches, clubs are already hard at work preparing for what they hope will be a successful year on the trails and throughout the communities that benefit financially and socially from the regional pastime.
A renewed enthusiasm is accompanying the opening of a new trail corridor connecting two regions already heavily traveled by snowmobile traffic. This is the result of an ongoing partnership between TC Riders and Kasoag Trailblazers, clubs that maintain adjacent trail systems in Oneida and Oswego counties.
"This project is not only important to Camden and Williamstown, which are now connected through this corridor for the first time," said TC Riders Trail Chairman Bob Place, "but it could have a huge economic impact for the entire region and give snowmobilers ease of access never before available."
Forty-nine miles of trails through northern Oneida County maintained by TC Riders and 47 of Kasoag’s through eastern Oswego County are now connected through an east west corridor.
"We are so proud of the partnership that has developed," Place said. "Not only for this project but for the future of snowmobiling in the region."
The project was in the planning stages for several years before board members from both clubs met to discuss the possibility of partnership; but even after a commitment was made, developing the new C4M east west trail along Route 13 at the county border required the cooperation of several landowners and state agencies.
"It took two years just to get the leases and permits we needed to get started," said Kasoag Trail Chairman Peter Hopkinson. "We had to cut through a lot of red tape to be able to use the old railroad beds and cross state and federal wetlands."
Facilitating the process were Sen. Joe Griffo, R-47, and Senator Patty Ritchie, R-48, both strong advocates of the industry that is not only crucial to the economy regionally, but brings in $900 million across the state annually.
"This isn’t just a sportsman’s issue or a recreational issue," said Griffo. "It’s an economic issue. The benefits of snowmobiling to the economy of the region, and the entire state, has been proven, and it’s important that we continue to support the efforts of these clubs and be advocates of the industry through our tenure in the Senate."
