Tug Hill snowmobilers spend millions every year, but some industry changes urged

Mr. Skipper asked that a committee be formed with representatives from snowmobile clubs, the county, tourism businesses, trail landowners and law enforcement.

The focus of the committee would be to find ways to strengthen sledding in the county by ensuring the trail system stays in tact, finding a way to compensate landowners who volunteer to allow trails on their property and promoting more policing on the trails to crack down on extreme speeding and drunk driving.

“Our snowfall, our access to beautiful wilderness here, makes Lewis County really a winter destination and a snowmobiler’s dream,” Mr. Skipper said. “And really, we’re on the precipice of losing all of that if we don’t do something.”

To put the economic impact study in context, he said that in other areas of the state where snowfall is not as reliable and doesn’t last for as long as it does in Lewis County, especially on the Tug Hill Plateau, investment in snowmobile-related businesses is not as viable or likely.

“When you go to other areas of the state with the exception of Old Forge and some very small areas in Western New York, snowmobiling and the economic activity that comes from it is just a bonus. Here it’s something that’s relied upon,” Mr. Skipper said. “And you can rely on it because even in a bad snow year, you still get 150 inches of snow.”

The statistics shared by Mrs. Aucter that resulted from the study bore out Mr. Skipper’s assertion.

According to the survey, there are 35,254 individual, “unique” Tug Hill snowmobile trail users every year, 52% of whom come from outside of the Tug Hill area.

The out-of-town riders spend a combined equivalent of 347,337 days snowmobiling in the Tug region every year and spend about $192 per day.

That spending is for everything from lodging and food to snowmobile equipment and repairs, as well as gas, shopping and entertainment, among other things.

The survey findings indicate that 866 jobs, earning those employees a combined total of $28.8 million annually, is a result of the snowmobile tourist spending, with sales adding up to about $81.58 million across Tug Hill, Mrs. Aucter said. Annual sales tax revenue adds up to about $444,000 for Tug Hill counties.

Respondents to the survey came from ZIP codes all over the state, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and even farther afield.

The data provided was for the Tug Hill Region, which includes Lewis, Jefferson, Oneida and Oswego counties, but did not include the second significant snowmobile area in Lewis County, the Adirondack Park trails in the Brantingham area, Legislative Chair Lawrence L. Dolhof pointed out.

“Really what I want you to do tonight is listen to this presentation and realize that this is really important,” Mr. Skipper said. “It’s not just really important because of all the money that it’s bringing in. It’s really important because if we don’t do some things, I want you to consider what Lewis County’s going to be like without that money coming in.”

Landowner and trail participant Gary Rosiczkowski, who also spoke to the board, has been advocating for a maximum $750 state tax credit for landowners, but it has never gained any traction in Albany from legislators without significant snowmobiling presence.

There was general agreement that a committee to address the issues is the best way forward.