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October 2007 President’s Message By now many of us have planned our snowmobiling trips and our reservations are confirmed. I am mindful that flexibility must be included in my trip planning because of snow uncertainties. One of my plans is to do more snowmobiling this year from Sunday to Wednesday. My business gives me this flexibility. Also, I find it much easier to change trip plans using the first part of the week for snowmobiling trips. But, I am waiting for Bombardier to ship my new Skidoo Summit I ordered last spring. I can hardly wait to get it on the snow and go on powder and trails. My last article mentioned the ACSA (American Council of Snowmobile Associations) Land Summit that will be held at the Howard Johnson, Madison, WI on December 1, 2007 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The ACSA Midwest Chapter is hosting this event with a hospitality suite Friday evening. The desire of ACSA for this year’s land summit is to focus on growth of club membership. This is a time for our clubs to take advantage of some education about growing its club membership. I encourage each club to send at least one member to this event. There will be good speakers and discussions providing information we can take back to our club to help it grow and become more active. We can make plans to share ride expenses and room costs. . If you are interested in attending please contact me at 317-507-5436 or l.neisler@insightbb.com. Our next event, the ISA Ride-in January 24-27, 2008, is set. Reservations can be made at Bay Mills Resort and Casino by calling 888-422-9645 and mention Indiana Snowmobilers Association Ride-in. The event package for adults is $87.00 ($107.00 after January 11, 2008) and for a child is $37.00 ($57.00 after January 11, 2008). The ISA is in its planning phase for this event. Don’t forget that our cash raffle is open until December 13, 2008. First prize is $750.00, second prize is $500.00 and third prize is $250. This is a great opportunity for each club to generate additional funds. The ISA will donate to the club ½ of the ticket money they generate. Sell $500.00 in tickets and the ISA will donate back to the club $250.00. This ISA is here to work for you. Please let us know what you would like the ISA to do for you. You are welcome to contact us via webmaster@indianasnowmobilers.com or l.neisler@insightbb.com or call me at 317-507-5436. We want to hear from you. If your buddies do not belong to the ISA encourage them to join. We need your help growing the ISA membership. The ISA and ACSA are no stronger than the size of their membership. The larger the membership as a whole to stronger is our voice in State of Illinois legislation issues as well as national issues. The access to public lands issues are not going away. Please help grow our membership for your benefit. Many of you will be making your first snowmobile trip(s) in December. We encourage you to check your sled over early to prepare for your trip(s). And, remember to respectful and responsible for the property of others along the trails and most of all drive responsibly. Let’s go snowmobiling! Len
November 2006 Presidents Message Snowmobilers, do you have your sled(s) ready for riding? Don’t wait for the first snow. Trails will be opening very soon! Boy, I can hardly wait for snow to come! Your ISA board members have been very busying the past three months in telephone conversations with Club Presidents and Indiana Snowmobile and Trailer Dealers. Yes, your board members are attending Club meetings and visiting with Indiana Dealers to keep informed with their activities. And, we are there to also inform Club members about what is happening at the ISA and national activities. ISA board members were present at the R.T. Sales Open House, October 21, 2006 and the Phoenix Lawn and Garden (Arctic Cat) Open House, November 3 & 4, 2006. The ISA board members and spouses were very much involved in the operation of the 2006 ISA Winter Snow Show on October 28 and 29, 2006 at the Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN. I want to express my appreciation for all their volunteer time for the Snow Show to help make it successful. The 2007 ISA Winter Snow Show will be at the Memorial Coliseum October 27 and 28, 2007. This year the ISA board wanted the Saturday evening banquet, during the Snow Show, to honor our dealerships and recognize their value to us. Our Dealer Recognition Banquet was very successful, thanks to the efforts of the board for their work to get our Indiana Dealers to take time from their busy season to attend this event. And, thanks to the ISA members who attended the Dealer Recognition Banquet to show their support of our Dealers. October 21, 2006 Linda Riley, ISAVice President and I, along with our spouses, Kevin and Dorthy, attended the ACSA Mid-West Chapter meeting at Rock Island, IL. Linda represented the ISA and I assumed my position as Vice Chair Mid-West Chapter. The meeting was very informative including discussions about loss of use by snowmobilers in a 470 square mile area in Northern Idaho and other threats of our use of National Forest and Park lands. We continue to fight for your right to snowmobile on public lands. Also, there was discussion about the new snowmobiling laws in effect in Wisconsin this coming season. They include a 55 MPH night time speed limit and an 86 db sound requirement. Some good news in Michigan is the trail opening, the MSA’s decade-long effort to re-connect the Gaylord-to-Cheboygan Trail. The ISA board members are very involved in preliminary activities regarding the ISA Ride-in. There is an ad in this month’s magazine about the event. This year you will pay your motel room cost directly to Bay Mills Resort and Casino. The registration fee for the Ride-in activities will be paid to the ISA. This change in the registration process is so the ISA can have more control of costs for the event activities. Please pay attention to the announcements and note the deadline for getting your registration fee paid. Yes, you can make your reservations now at Bay Mills Resort and Casino. Make certain to mention the ISA package to get the room discount rate. Occasionally, I receive email announcements issued by ACSA and ISMA (International Snowmobile Manufacturer’s Association) that are updates to current organizational activities and actions asking for our support. Due to time constraints on our volunteer organization and the sense of urgency for response it is not possible to include them in our magazine or send them by mail. We did announce last year that any member who wants to get these timely messages must provide us your email address to our Secretary, Barb Thatcher, at webmaster@indianasnowmobilers.com. Please consider becoming part of this ISA Email News List. Please do not forget to volunteer some time to help one of the Indiana Trail Clubs (Potawatomi Snowmobilers, Elkhart Co. SMC, South Bend SMC, Salamonie Trailmasters and Hoagland Blizzard Blazers) to do maintenance on their trail. It’s a great opportunity to make new acquaintances, help support the Indiana trails you ride on and your Club gets points towards Club of the Year. ISA. Secretary/Webmaster, Barb Thatcher, is posting the Club trail maintenance dates on the ISA website. Our website is now very informative about Club and membership activities. Please take some time to view it at www.indianasnowmobilers.com. Dorthy and I have attended Club meetings for the Snow Drifters of Hamilton County, Elkhart County Snowmobile Club, ISA Past Presidents Club and Eastern Snowmobile Club. As your ISA President I believe it is my duty to visit each club at least once during the year. I look forward to visiting with many of you at that time. The ISA board members and their families wish each of you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving. Let’s get some snow! Len
October 2006 President’s Message Are you getting the itch to get on your snowmobile and go riding? Do you have your snowmobile ready to go riding? Recently, I took one look at mine and decided it was time to get them out, clean them up and take off last years stickers. While I had the sleds off the trailer it was important to remove some Michigan mud and sand that accumulated inside the trailer from my March 26, 2006 trip to Lake Gogebic, MI. All that is left is to grease the trailer bearings and I am ready to go. Wow! I can hardly wait for the snow to get here so we can go riding. ISA members, the ISA needs your help and the Potawatomi Snowmobile Trail is asking for help. The ISA needs your help to grow its membership. There are over 15,000 snowmobiles registered in the State of Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Many of us pay dues to other organizations that help us grow our businesses, maintain the quality of our working environment and livelihood and some provide social activities. The size of membership in each of these organizations which we belong has a direct impact on their ability to provide good services and support to their membership. The larger the organization’s membership the larger the voice when there is a need to take action in support of the purpose of the organization. The ISA is your organization that is dedicated to providing its membership with social activities, educating the public about our wonderful winter recreation and your voice for the right to snowmobile on public lands. The ISA belongs to the American Council of Snowmobile Associations, Inc. (ACSA) which includes the state associations from 25 northern States. Because of ACSA’s large membership, including these northern States and their members, it is a large voice for us with Congress and other government agencies and many State agencies. The ISA needs to become larger in membership to help ACSA regarding national issues and regarding State issues where we snowmobile. This will help all of us when we are confronted by those organizations who think they want to take away our rights to access public lands to recreate. We need your help to increase our membership for the reasons stated above. You can help by asking those you snowmobile with and others you come into contact with to become members of the ISA. Our Membership Coordinator, Tonya Walden, announced the “Three for Free” ISA membership program. It gives you the opportunity to get your ISA membership free next year when you sign up three new ISA members. Please help us grow our membership so that your association can become stronger voice in local and national snowmobiling issues. The Potawatomi Snowmobile Club, founded in 1979, needs our help regarding the re-development of the Potawatomi Snowmobile Trail. Due to a considerable amount of growth in the Angola area the Club has lost access to many miles of their trail. Their Trail Master, Denny Jones, and I have exchanged emails and conversations this summer regarding the re-development of their trail. They have talked with many land owners east of Angola along US 20 in an area that would allow them to create 30 miles of trail. They want to get the trail open for this season. Many of the landowners have agreed to allow the trail to pass over their land. But, there are a few who are slow making a decision. If you know any of the landowners in the area up to 15 miles east of Angola and north of US 20 please contact Denny Jones at dennyarna@msn.com or call him at 260-665-1324. Denny and the Potawatomi Snowmobile Club can use your help. Your Club can also get points for the Club of The Year Award by helping them get their trail open. It’s the time of the year to start working on applications for the Club of The Year, Snowmobiler of the Year, Ed Heiner Mileage Award and Scrapbook of the Year. Your Club President has received the applications. Bay Mills Resort and Casino is ready to take your reservations for the ISA Ride-in January 11 – 13, 2007. You can call them at 800-888-422-9645 and please mention you are a member of the ISA to get the special lodging package. Don’t forget to attend the ISA 2006 Winter Snow Show at the Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, IN on October 28 and 29, 2006. We look forward to seeing you there. Think “Snow by December 1st.” Len
August 2006 President’s Message Hello, everyone. Your board has elected me as your President. I want you to know that I will continue to represent you as I did as your Vice President. I am always open to hearing about new ideas for the benefit of our membership. We did have a planning session the end of April to help the board focus on current situations and planning for this year’s events and communications with the clubs and membership. The planning session resulted in the establishment of committees for the board members. In the past few years we have not been very visible at club functions. To correct this situation the board has assigned to each board member clubs to communicate with their President and attend some of the club’s functions during the year. We are interested in doing whatever we can to help our clubs grow and continue to function. Your club’s President will be receiving a letter from the board acknowledging who is their contact. Also, I plan to visit each club at least once during this season. The board has made up a committee for the purpose of visiting and communicating with our Indiana snowmobile dealers. We want to hear more about what they are experiencing and find ways to be of help. Also, we want to know when the dealers are having their open houses so that we can communicate it in our magazine. Each of you will be receiving with your dues renewal notice an announcement about the ISA Winter Snow Show on October 28 and 29, 2006. We believe this year’s snow show will be bigger and better than last year. Please make plans to attend. The board has agreed to put some membership growth incentive plans in place. Our Membership Coordinator, Tonya Walden, will be informing you of these plans in her article. Dan Blaney and I attended the American Council of Snowmobile Associations, Inc. (ACSA) Washington D.C. Fly-in on April 2 and 3, 2006. Sunday ACSA and Midwest Chapter board meetings included discussions about snowmobile issues and what to discuss with our Senators and Representatives. Monday included presentations by key personnel from US Forest Service and other US Government Agencies. Tuesday, we met with our Indiana US Senators and Representatives staff discussing issues about snowmobile recreation. The first week of June, 2006, Dorthy and I attended the International Snowmobile Congress in Burlington, VT. The educational sessions were very informative, presentations were given by the US Forest Service and Ed Klem, Executive Director for International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. ACSA and the Midwest Chapter had their annual meetings. I accepted the nomination to be Vice Chair for the Midwest Chapter for another year. My wife, Dorthy, was the ISA representative for Midwest Chapter delegate actions. It was a great time to learn more about snowmobiling issues that we in Indiana are not personally involved in but their outcome could have serious impact in our abilities to use public lands in the States we snowmobile. We continue to have a fight on our hands when is comes to issues such as access to public lands, engine sound and pollution. The ISA will continue to fight for your right to snowmobile. Our ISA Summer Bash, July 28th and 29th, was well attended. The ISA Past President’s Club conducted their club meeting. Everyone had a good time. The hog roast was great. We are in need of more advertisers for our magazine, the Hoosier Snowmobiler. LBL Printing and the ISA are working on an advertising plan where the club can receive a financial benefit for getting a new advertiser for the Hoosier Snowmobiler. Many of the trail clubs are in preparations for this winter and need volunteer help to get them ready for snowmobiling. Our form of recreation has the largest group of volunteers in the nation. Your Indiana trail clubs would greatly appreciate additional volunteers to help with opening the trails. Please give them a call and volunteer a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday. Also, the Potawatomi Club is working with a new group of land owners to renew their trail east of Angola. It is a challenge. If you know any land owners east of Angola you may be able to help them secure the lease they are asking the landowner to sign. Please give their President, Phil Welch, a call at (260)927-0119. How was your summer? Dorthy and I had a wonderful time vacationing, visiting the grandchildren and representing you at the International Snowmobile Congress. Our hope is that the many days with above 90 degrees temperature is an indication that we will have a colder winter and much snow. We look forward to visiting with many of you during dealer open houses and at your club’s functions. I look forward to being your leader and working closely with our board to administer and implement programs to help perpetuate the recreation of snowmobiling in Indiana and other states our membership visits. Also, I ask for your input. You are welcome to contact me via my cell phone at (317)507-5436 or my email me at l.neisler@insightbb.com. Working together we can make it happen.
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