The Recreation Trails Program, created by Federal Highway legislation in 1991 and reauthorized in two later acts, is a critical source of funding for recreational trails that benefit a wide spectrum of uses, including bicycling, horseback riding, skiing, and snowmobiling.

This important program, administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in concert with state agencies like the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), has brought more than $15 million in matching grants to fund public and private trail projects, trailhead facilities, maintenance and construction equipment and recreational easements, among other uses, in New York State. 

Snowmobiling in New York has benefitted immensely from the RTP grants as well. For example, the program has provided grants to local clubs to purchase much-needed grooming equipment in order to help keep our trails safe.

While the RTP grants are administered by the US FHWA, the funding is not a handout.  The program simply returns portions of taxes paid on fuel used for non highway, recreational use, to the states in order to fund recreational trails projects.

Trail supporters representing a wide variety of user groups agree that it is important that the US Congress continue this program, and ensure that this source of revenue- funded by the users themselves and not at the expense of taxpayers continue into the future. To that end, NYSSA, as part of the American Council of Snowmobile Associations (ACSA), supports the efforts of the Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) to ensure that the RTP is reauthorized in the next round of transportation legislation.

The CRT also urges Congress to fund a USDOT study of non-highway recreational fuel use, increase the level of RTP funding to $550 million over five years, and adjust the allowable FHWA administrative expenses to 1% of the actual available annual funding.

As snowmobilers in New York State, we fund our sport through registration fees that provide clubs with trail development and maintenance grants through OPRHP and local sponsors. We pay our own way through our dues payments to clubs, supporting club fundraisers, and dropping cash into groomer jars at the businesses along the trails.

Our club volunteers log thousands and thousands of hours in clearing trails, building bridges, grooming trails, and the myriad activities that support the sport. Many of the trails we maintain are used by other user groups who share the trails with us. We also support a thriving winter economy in New York that provides an annual economic impact of over $1 billion.

Snowmobilers in New York are not asking for handouts; we willingly fund our sport. To that end, we call on Congress to continue the RTP program by including it in upcoming transportation legislation. We ask our elected representatives to the US Senate and House to allocate this funding, paid by off-road recreational users, back where it belongs and where it can benefit the millions of recreational trails users in the US.