8178-R1_MSA_November2022_MaineSnowmobiler

From The Executive Board

Central Region VP Jack Lord Home: (207) 672-3915 / Cell: 207-717-7131 17 Dinsmore St. Bingham, ME. 04920 Email: jacklord5256@gmail.com I hope everyone in the Central Region got their membership packages. It took me 4 weeks to do one weeks work. People look at you funny when you are trying to give them a package from the MSA and they don’t have a clue who that is. Barbara is compiling all the information in a book so I will have the information to deliver anything I need to get to you, so as you can see I’m asking one more time for the following: • A drop off address (no PO boxes) • President : Name and phone number • Trailmaster: Name & phone number • The address your club meeting place • Day and Time of meeting I would like to make it to your meeting if possible. This should make it easier to accomplish. Trail work has started, there will be some rerouting of trails. Read the signs please, I would hate to hear that someone got lost. I’m writing this the night before the Snowmobile Show starts. I hope by the time you get the paper I will have seen many of you at the show. While out working to get the trails ready for the season please be safe. After all the work you put in for everyone to be able to enjoy the trails we want to see you out there having a good time also. Please remember if you need me feel free to contact me. You can also use any of the following information to send me the information we need for my book. KEEP SMILING, Jack Lord October They do this each year to give clubs in their immediate area and chance to sit and talk. Mike Grass and Barry Ryan were in attendance from MSA to answer any ques tions they might have. Also, thank you to Larry Lafland and Barry Ryan for attending the Bradford SC meeting in October to answer questions they had about grant processing and other MSA related questions. I had a chance to talk to a few Eastern Region club members and/or officers at the MSA Snowmobile Show in Oct. I always enjoy hearing what is happening in their area and offering to attend meetings they have if they want me too. The eastern region covers a large portion of this state and it is difficult to get to all areas but I like to see and hear from as many clubs as I can. I am in the pro cess of setting up some regional meetings, and may have already held one or two before you receive this paper. This gives me a chance to see more clubs all at once and allows neigh boring clubs to talk to one another. These regional meetings were put on hold for the past two years, so hopefully we can once again get together and talk. November also means you only have a short period of time to buy those super raffle tick ets. This fundraiser for MSA is also a good one for clubs. All they need is manpower to sell tickets and people to buy them. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, don’t wait too long. The drawing is coming up in December, just in time for the holidays. Thant’s it for November everyone. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families. It won’t be long before we can see each other on the trails and find those destinations we all like to go to. Until December, Eileen H i Everyone,

Eastern Region VP

the time to explain what the club is asking for, and how the trails help snowmobilers connect to other areas in our region and state with this trail system. I thank you for the efforts put forth to keep finding connections, helping landowners understand the liability law, and educating people on what it is that we do. There is plenty to do so make sure you promote your trail days, work events, meetings & social gatherings. With the new folks moving into the area there should be some new people in your area to help. Some schools require community service hours for high school students to graduate, reach out and engage the younger riders in town. The Northern region (Gary Marquis & I) put on a club workshop in April and are hosting another one in November, your trailmaster should have received an invitation. The focus of the fall meeting will be signage and grants. Signage is a place where we can always improve, it is the only way to communicate to riders once they are on the trails. I would encourage your club to ask someone who isn’t familiar with your trails to come for a ride and give some honest feedback. If you would like to do a trail side safety check or help host a snowmobile safety class, please reach out to me, these are great ways to spread the message of snowmobiling safely to the community. Lets get some set up for the winter! If you have a question, problem, concern, or idea on snowmobiling in “The County”, get in touch with me. You can contact me at the phone # or email below. I look forward to meeting as many folks who help drive snowmobiling in the Northern Region as possible, you are a hard-working crew and should be proud of the jobs you do. Matt Stedman I’m hoping for a cold December to freeze up swamps and water holes and generous January snows. Have a warm and friendly Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all, Mike communication with their respective clubs to find out if they have any trail changes for the upcoming season that will affect the MSA ITS map. If your club has any known changes, Last month’s snowmobile show in Augusta was an absolute blast for me. So many snow lovers all in one place. Lots of great friends to see and talk with, shiny new sleds and trailers and of course groomers. Want to give a shout out to Kris, Greg, Brian and Joe for making the MSA Trails Workshop another success. Lots of great info and interaction from speakers and the crowd of close to 75 people. Thank you all. This season, the MSA has partnered with BRPGo and Polaris Ride Command. Our MSA ITS trails will be included in their respective on-board systems to help riders find their way around Maine using the latest in technology. I had a chance to check out the Polaris system at the show with the help of Polaris Ambassador Matt Stedman, who showed me how it works. Pretty impressive with lots of cool features to make riding that much safer and fun. There might even be a picture of me sitting on that Polaris, which I rarely do. BRP’s new gauge is just starting to hit dealers so check that out when you get a chance as well. Trails committee is ramping up to hopefully start inspecting the ITS system after clubs have a couple weeks to get up and running on a “normal” schedule. Mapping meetings are underway to make sure everyone knows their respective route and club contact information. Trails committee coordinators build a relation ship with all their clubs and work with them to promote safe trail maintenance (signs, brush ing and grooming). Finally, to Al, Liz, Lori, Barry and all the crew who volunteered at the show, thank you for a spectacular event. Job well done.

Trails Committee Chair Report

Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 L.andE.lafland525476@gmail.com W ell, we are one month closer to the rid ing season and may be by the time you read this the ground will be freezing and we will have seen some snow some places in the state. We can only hope that Mother Nature and Ole’ Man Winter decide to bless the entire state this year with freezing temps early and feet of snow late into the season! It is time for all of us to have a chance to ride locally if we can. The snowmobile club trail crews have been working so hard to get trails brushed, bridges re-built or built and re-routes open so we can ride All these men, women and children who do the work all fall long deserve and BIG ROUND of applause for all they do to make the trails safe for everyone. Some clubs struggle to get people to help so please, if you can donate a few hours, find a club, and offer to help. Even though it is November, I know some of them are still working trails, putting up signs and getting things done before snow comes and they switch to grooming mode. Thank you goes to Glenburn Lakeside Riders SC for hosting a ten-club meeting in

Mike Grass, Jr., 207-368-2316 249 Condon Rd, Plymouth ME 04969 mgrassjr@gmail.com H ere we are, frosty November mornings, hunting season and turkey day. All great precursors to our favorite season. I’m hoping you all have your wood pile done, oil/propane tanks full, pool covered and your sled/trailer ready to go. Now is a great time to register that sled(s) and trailer. You made sure to check the spare tire air pressure, correct? Now is the time to make sure the checklist is complete as finding an issue on I-95 in January when it’s -10 degrees, snowing and blowing. No fun, so double-check that list now. The Trails Committee is still going strong with its group of volunteers all over the state, who work with clubs to make sure the ITS trail system is in place, brushed, signed and groomed to the highest standard possible. A standard, which you clubs seem to raise the bar on higher and higher each year. Trails Committee members are currently in

Northern Region VP

Western Region VP

Matt Stedman 207-557-1921 (call or text)

PO Box 621, Ashland ME 04732 Stedman.matt@jdirving.com

James Boyce, 207-265-6512 1168 Fosterhill Rd, Freeman ME 04983 Jboyce1168@gmail.com H ello Everyone, Here we are in November everyone is in full trail mode. Clubs are getting set for holiday fundraisers. Check with your local clubs and support them, with the way fuel costs are this year they will need every penny. We all want great trails to ride and with your support, we can continue to give you the best trails in the country. So most people ask what can we do? It’s pretty simple - get in touch with your local club and see what the big projects are or find out if there is a section of trail that needs to be cleaned up. If you live out of the state and can’t make it up for trail work, think about donating or buy raffle tickets but most importantly join your local club or a couple where you ride. Also with a lot of reroutes this year, please pay attention to the signs. From what I’ve seen the clubs are gearing up for a great season. Remember support clubs we are all volunteers and take a lot of pride in what we do. As always, enjoy the ride and stay safe. Jim

H fellow snowmobilers, Just home from the MSA snowmobile show, WOW what a great event. If you have never been, make sure you mark you calendar for next October. A great collection of snowmobile dealership displays, clothing, accessories, trailers and gear from multiple vendors as well as workshops/presentations from the State of Maine snowmobile program. Thank you to all who came out and/or helped make this great show happen. Is has been a warm & wet fall, and clubs are likely to find water laying in places we haven’t seen it the past couple years. If you have an issue to fix more than normal, reach out to Joe or Candice at the State office to ask if you qualify for Disaster Relief help. Please reach out & meet with the landowners on your system, there are many new faces in many of our towns and there may have been changes to ownership. Whether it be a phone call, text, email, or a drop in visit all landowners need to be asked for the privilege of using their property. Take

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