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"With the early December snow and cold temperatures we are off to a great start to this snowmobile season," said Steve DeBrabander, DNR's state trails operations supervisor.

Over $5.8 million in grants have been issued by the DNR to cover all eligible trail grooming costs of the 69 trail sponsors for grooming equipment and repair, trail brushing, signing and grooming and parking lot plowing of staging areas for this coming season, which started on Dec. 1 and ends on March 31, 2008.

Funding to support the snowmobile trail improvement fund comes from the annual $25 Michigan Snowmobile Trail Permit, a portion of the snowmobile registration fee, and a portion of state gas tax revenue.

The 6,546 mile designated snowmobile trail system is a statewide network of signed and groomed trails that extends from the southern border of Michigan, up the west side of the Lower Peninsula and throughout the Northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula. This network of trails is on both public and private lands and the 69 local trail sponsors are instrumental in getting the trails ready for the season, and keeping them groomed. According to snowmobile industry estimates, snowmobiling in Michigan is a $1 billion economic impact to the state.

For more information on Michigan's snowmobile program, please go to www.michigan.gov/dnr, click on Recreation and Camping and then click on Snowmobiling.