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By Cameron Hanson
Managing Editor, Iowa Snowmobiler
Nearly a dozen ISSA members flew to Washinton, D.C., in early April to
participate in the American Council of Snowmobile Associations' (ACSA)
Annual 'D.C. Fly-In'. Along with their counterparts from across the
Snow Belt, they spent up to five days in the nation's Capitol lobbying on
behalf of snowmobiling and access to public land.
Coordinated by ACSA Executive Director Christine Jourdain and her
staff, snowmobilers listened to guest speakers the first half of the
extended weekend and worked the halls of Capitol Hill the balance of the
time. Paraphrasing Past ISSA President Dale Vagts, ISSA President Terry
Durby described the D.C. Fly-In as the “best thing ACSA has done.”
Their efforts did not go unnoticed by Ed Klim, president of the
International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, the industry’s chief
lobbyist and no stranger to Washington politics. "My compliments again
to ACSA and to all of you folks who participated in the D.C. Fly-In," he
said, addressing the breakfast crowd at the 2006 International
Snowmobile Congress. “You may not know effective it is, but it really is
effective. I usually go in there a week after you’ve been there, and you
have an impact. You are appreciated.”
Evidenced by the amount of time lent to the topic at Fly-In, snowmobile
access to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks continued to
dominate the national discourse this year. Among the featured speakers
on April 3 were John Sacklin, chief planner for Yellowstone for the
National Park Service, and David Smith, then- Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Fish and Wildlife and Parks for the Department of Interior.
“The past couple of years in Yellowstone have been an anomaly because
of the uncertainty and because of past court decisions,” said Smith, who
resigned in July to pursue a private law practice. “I think because of the
legal history and administrative record with the park, the old days of
Yellowstone are pretty much over, unfortunately, in terms of a family
from Michigan, for example, who wants to load up their sleds on a trailer
and go out to Yellowstone on their own.”
For continued reading, see the September 2006 issue of the Iowa Snowmobiler.
Managing Editor, Iowa Snowmobiler
Nearly a dozen ISSA members flew to Washinton, D.C., in early April to
participate in the American Council of Snowmobile Associations' (ACSA)
Annual 'D.C. Fly-In'. Along with their counterparts from across the
Snow Belt, they spent up to five days in the nation's Capitol lobbying on
behalf of snowmobiling and access to public land.
Coordinated by ACSA Executive Director Christine Jourdain and her
staff, snowmobilers listened to guest speakers the first half of the
extended weekend and worked the halls of Capitol Hill the balance of the
time. Paraphrasing Past ISSA President Dale Vagts, ISSA President Terry
Durby described the D.C. Fly-In as the “best thing ACSA has done.”
Their efforts did not go unnoticed by Ed Klim, president of the
International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, the industry’s chief
lobbyist and no stranger to Washington politics. "My compliments again
to ACSA and to all of you folks who participated in the D.C. Fly-In," he
said, addressing the breakfast crowd at the 2006 International
Snowmobile Congress. “You may not know effective it is, but it really is
effective. I usually go in there a week after you’ve been there, and you
have an impact. You are appreciated.”
Evidenced by the amount of time lent to the topic at Fly-In, snowmobile
access to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks continued to
dominate the national discourse this year. Among the featured speakers
on April 3 were John Sacklin, chief planner for Yellowstone for the
National Park Service, and David Smith, then- Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Fish and Wildlife and Parks for the Department of Interior.
“The past couple of years in Yellowstone have been an anomaly because
of the uncertainty and because of past court decisions,” said Smith, who
resigned in July to pursue a private law practice. “I think because of the
legal history and administrative record with the park, the old days of
Yellowstone are pretty much over, unfortunately, in terms of a family
from Michigan, for example, who wants to load up their sleds on a trailer
and go out to Yellowstone on their own.”
For continued reading, see the September 2006 issue of the Iowa Snowmobiler.
