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| Humboldt Sno-Skimmers new groomer in action. |
Mandate for This Winter Only
Citing the limited number of training opportunities, the Iowa Department
of Natural Resources (IDNR) has eased its mandate on groomer
certification this winter. Conservation officers will still be checking
operators for their cards, but warnings will likely override any tickets for
non-compliance.
“We are obviously going to be a little lax this season because we are just
starting this,” said David Downing, snowmobile program coordinator for
the IDNR. “We are going to accommodate people the best we can. I am
not going to pop a volunteer on a machine this year, but we are going to
stop you and make sure you are doing things right.”
To date, only two groomer certification schools have been held in Iowa
since Downing announced the requirement in 2003. A year ago in
December, 75 operators successfully completed the workshop at Rudd,
and at the ISSA Annual Convention at Okoboji in November, an estimated
200 snowmobilers earned their certification.
See the January/February issue of the Iowa Snowmobiler for further reading.
Citing the limited number of training opportunities, the Iowa Department
of Natural Resources (IDNR) has eased its mandate on groomer
certification this winter. Conservation officers will still be checking
operators for their cards, but warnings will likely override any tickets for
non-compliance.
“We are obviously going to be a little lax this season because we are just
starting this,” said David Downing, snowmobile program coordinator for
the IDNR. “We are going to accommodate people the best we can. I am
not going to pop a volunteer on a machine this year, but we are going to
stop you and make sure you are doing things right.”
To date, only two groomer certification schools have been held in Iowa
since Downing announced the requirement in 2003. A year ago in
December, 75 operators successfully completed the workshop at Rudd,
and at the ISSA Annual Convention at Okoboji in November, an estimated
200 snowmobilers earned their certification.
See the January/February issue of the Iowa Snowmobiler for further reading.