CNSA/Club news

[GarlandM8]

California Nevada Snowmobile Association- for anyone that didn't know.

Just curious how many are members and help get the word out to anyone that isn't, or didn't even know it existed. I know alot that are here on the forums are active in the sport and organized, Team Summit, Sac Sno Busters, Sierra, etc... Thumbs up guys for getting info out there and being a positive role in our sport.
It's the ones we all run into on the trails that have no idea that organizations exist and troubles we face in our battles with land closures, education, etc...
We all get bored at times on route designations, wilderness bills, and lawyer talk, but unfortunatley motorized recreation is always on the cutting block and without organization we'll lose our privledge to ride.

Sorry, I know I'm preaching to the choir with most on here, but hopefully as more come to the forums this thread can help get more information out there.
Maybe we can organize a ride together at the March Convention???
www.cnsa.net

Think Snow,
Blu

 

[donbrown]

California Nevada Snowmobile Association- for anyone that didn't know.

Just curious how many are members and help get the word out to anyone that isn't, or didn't even know it existed.

Just renewed the family membership.

 

[Mattt]

I have a family membership also

 

[jlowe]

good thread bluejay! you said it...it doesn't take much to support the CNSA through a membership and only a little more effort to organize your own club.

participation, awareness, activity. every snowmobilier in the state of california needs to apply these three attributes to the sport we love. california is one of the most vulnerable states to close winter riding areas due to the lack of snowmobilers in it. only about 12,000 registered sleds in a state of 25 million.

visit our website for an example of how you and your crew can organize a simple club/web presence and click on our CNSA link to get it started.

jeff

 

[Swami]

Lots of Cali stuff on that link, but this is close by -
The April 2007 update says
"The Alpine County Winter Recreation Plan has been developed and is out for Public Comment….. the USFS is taking input and has issued preliminary information.* This plan allows for opening up some new areas to allow disbursement out of Blue Lakes….. CNSA participated in the pre-planning of this Proposed Action….. This really enhances our Opportunity in the long run…"

Is this a done deal? Last Sunday I saw a bunch of new snowmachine boundary signs just west of Summit City. Is that is part of this deal? Guess I should go to the convention more often...

 

[RobG]

Somebody please enlighten me to the deal with CNSA that happened I think it was last year or year before... how they held a raffle for a snowmobile trailer, and it just so happened that the club president is the one who won. I find that a little interesting to say the least. Seems to me the club officers should have been inelegible.

Rob

 

[CA-Catman]

If the membership that is left only new what is going on!!!

 

[madmin]

Rob - Exactly what I thought.

Mike

 

[GarlandM8]

If the membership that is left only new what is going on!!!

Interesting?... Not to re-sling old mud, but anything you can enlighten us on?
I've only been a member for 2 years, and will admit I support by paying the dues. I'd like to be more involved, gonna try to go to convention this year, etc.... They seem pretty slow on getting out information, update website, etc..
I've been a member, and an ex-Board Member of the 4WD Association for 20 years, I know a state org is tough to run and to stay in the fight against all that we face. A few bad apples, no action or information, and eventual loss of membership, then everyone with a sled suffers.
Too bad if this is the case... organization is the key to allowing our kids to sled where we do today.

 

[BradT]

When I was a kid growing up in Idaho we belonged to a club and there was a bunch of people with kids. It made for alot of fun. Now that I have three boys and they have sleds I have not been able to find a club that has members with kids. I talked to the people at CSNA at one of there winter survivale courses and " no offense" but all the people were older and didn't seem to want to deal with kids, whick is our next generation of snowmobilers.

 

[ChesterMtnSports]

IMO Snowmobiling is under attack and is only getting worse in the coming years. We can't fight as individuals so we need to orginize and the CNSA is our only hope in this area. California's need to pay attention the boxer- feinstien bill is very scary and the upcoming Snowmobile Route designation will be even worse. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Swami]

What the heck is "Snowmobile route designation"?
Never heard of that but it sounds big. What does CNSA have to do with it?

 

[CA-Catman]

First of all everyone needs to understand that you do need to belong to a club!! and /or an organization to fight to keep our trails. I was a member of CNSA for 13 years up until October of this year.I was the one who started the
safety program in 1995/96. Communications within CNSA for the most part
is zero. We use to have monthly meetings where club reps and the CNSA board got together so everyone new what was going on,that all changed
in 2000. The currant board desided that they would have phone meetings
instead and the 3 regional reps could relay the info to the clubs, well great idea in theory but it does not work. They have a web site that you can NOT
post anything until it is approved, we have what they call the CNSA magizine
that has nothing in it but adverticing and was suppose to be free to the members ,because the printer received all the adverticing money well last year
at the convention we were told it is now costing $6000.00 per issue!!

I can show you the old CNSA paper that was upwards of 40 plus pages
where you could find out everything going on including all club events.
If you had your infomation in by the 10th of the month it was in the next issue, now anything you try to put in the magizine will show up in 2-1/2
months.

Me and my safety team were forced out, this October we did not QUIT like
they would like everyone to believe.

I know some of you would like to know why I'am posting this here, and the
answer is because we tried to post this on the CNSA site but it was removed!


I'am certainly not going to start bashing , as I could go on and on.

Membership is not good and there are alot of long time members who has left,
and like me now send our membership dues to Blue Ribbon.

However CNSA (president and Vice president) has done one hell of a job on the political side in Sacramento, but the down side is that alone does not
bring in membership!!

The Convention is coming up so for the ones who are going to attend you need to start asking alot of questions , by the way our conventions up until
2000 would have between 175 and 200 attendees ,now maybe 50 I think that speaks for it
self.

 

[Mooseknuckle]

What the heck is "Snowmobile route designation"?
Never heard of that but it sounds big. What does CNSA have to do with it?

Here is a link to an organization that is promoting (one) of the bills that Chadd referred to. The bills are primarily land designations converting to wilderness, the more important items to fight are the individual road closure designations. These are bureaucratic or administrative, they are not voted on by anyone.

http://www.wilderness.org/WhereWeWork/California/EastSierraWildernessBillMovesForward.cfm


Thanks CA-CAT for the back ground. I read this thread yesterday and got my back up a bit, was going to pm for details. I can appreciate your position, as I have been in similar situations also, but the point that I think speaks volumes about you and your love for the sport is that you still see merit in the organization and appreciate the skills of the leadership, though you may not agree with the "style" or the direction.

I hope those of you that read this, and find yourself feeling the same - whether about CNSA or youy local club, will follow the example here and remain an active supporter of the sport we wait all year for. Join another club or organization, meet with USFS or other governmant entities and by all means write your legislators at all levels, your friends, family, neighbors, dealers, etc. and keep the information flowing.

 

[CA-Catman]

Mooseknuckle

Nicely said Thank You

I do however have to respond to you. As far as the skills of the leadership when it comes to
politics I rate them at 100%. as to communications , web site posts , CNSA magizine(Snowtracks)
I rates them at 5%. The number one thing in any organization is communications!!! this was
all lost under the leadership since 2000. This is not rocket science you simply can not get up
in front of your membership once a year at the convention and talk for 2 hours about happenings
in politices when most do not have a cue on those issues nor do they even understand the issue.

So what happens you lose members , now a days politices are very important but you can not make
that the main priority and put the clubs and members second as with out them you have NO orginization.

 

[Mooseknuckle]

when most do not have a clue on those issues nor do they even understand the issues.


Bingo, I'm right there with you brother. I'd even submit that many of our fellow sledders don't really care because, "it doesn't affect where I ride - thats in Idaho, Yellowstone, Iron Mountain" etc etc

Forgive me while I get up on this here box...... If the above mentioned (in red) is your attitude, you my friend are sadly mistaken. Its just that your little piece of Heaven isn't that important to them, YET! Please don't take offense to my statement, but I think that if you take a look at whats going on with reguard to closures you see a couple of this happening.

One - They seem to be relatively large in size or relatively small. Big gets a lot of people (pro & con) riled up. Get enough people fired up and you have the momentum (publically) to close an area. People that don't sled, don't go to an area and "care" about the environment are the folks that are the easiest to sway, they don't know the truth about sleds and anything that is "good" for the environment must be OK. That is when you get closure from legislation, such as the Eastern Sierra Bill.
I think the more prevasive avenue of closure is when a bureaucrat (FS, BLM,etc)gets their ear bent (or has their own agenda) and makes a unilateral decision to close a small(er) area. (I know that there are many people in that process, but someONE person started the dang thing). If you can rally the troops, they'll either extend the comment time or back off for awhile. If the closure doesn't happen, they can wait and try again in the future. Thats why communicating and taking an "active" role is important.

Two - The FS claims that the reason for some of the closures is degredation of the environment. Their funding isn't such that they can "manage" these areas and restore them too, so closing them is a way to save the area from further damage and nature will take its course and do the restoration by itself. BTW, what is "management":face-icon-small-dis. So now we are funnelling more people into other areas and thus "more degredation" than before on those areas because of the increased use, so that takes more management and more money which the gov't never seems to have enough of. Anyone see a pattern. Remember that some of the gates you see are the sole decision of one person and what they think is best for the area.

Sorry for the rant I guess this should be over in land use, but the issue of communication to and education of sledders is pretty important to our little avocation. Not just, CA-Cat but anyone who feels a little left out, don't just give up. You don't have to be hip deep in club business to be an effective spokesperson for snowmobiling. You can be as effectice if not more so by cultivating relationships outside the confines of the clubs. Get to know the people that have the greatest ability to assist you in promoting policy and positive actions for the sledding community in general.

As I mentioned previously, legislators are good place to start. Their field reps and staff are an even better bunch to cultivate a working relationship with, since the politicians come and go but staff never actually leave the capital. Find someone in the FS (yes, there are good people in there) that you can have an open dialogue with, don't think that you'll agree on everything but work cautiously to build up some trust so that you can communicate honestly with them. Skip the hyperbole and acrimony, it won't lead to and meaningful accord or understanding.

Take the decision makers to task, make them explain their position, preferrably in writing or in front of a large group. Stay on the issue, attacking the person should be off limits, but position and policy are fair game.

And now back to your regularly scheduled CNSA thread. Me shut up now.

 

[CA-Catman]

Mooseknuckle

I believe between my post and yours this should give the (readers) members
enough information to start asking a lot of questions as to how CNSA is being
run and/or get involved to make changes !!!

As I stated politic es are important but I think the Clubs and members should
be the number one (1) priority.

As in my position of 13 years of volunteering and being involve and then being
forced out makes me bitter (But I have not given up, I just changed my direction of involvement)

Communications-Communication-Communications

 

[Mooseknuckle]

Again, this should probably be in Land Use but I wanted to show everyone who might be watching the club thread this piece of info I just now plucked from a thread about closures in ID from the general topics.

If you'll remember I was yapping about the way the FS goes about their business, unilaterally closing areas based on one persons opinion. Management requiring funding and the lack there of. I promise that those were my own words. I say that because these following link is copied right off the FS website concerning the proposed closures in ID.


http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/clearwater/Projects/TravPlan/Assets/Alt_1/Reports/071105_scoping_ltr_attachment_proposed_action_FINAL.pdf

Pay particular attention the the wording in the second, third and fourth paragraph on page two.

"the responsible official"

"current and anticipated funding levels........not sufficient"


I could go on and on, but won't other than to say - strike the Clearwater name and insert your favorite National Forest, they are all under attack.

Here is a link to the Cheif of FS 4 Threats. If ya'll care.

http://www.fs.fed.us/projects/four-threats/

 

[CA-Catman]

Safety first

Just want to make sure everyone (thinks) before they ride.
Do not ride alone , carry a pack with survival gear and make sure you know
how to use it.
Let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return.

With all the new snow be aware of avalanche make sure you and your group have your avy beacons , carry a shovel and probe.

Think Safety Ride Safely