7909-R2_MSA_Mar2022_MaineSnowmobiler

An Official Publication of the Maine Snowmobile Association The Maine Snowmobiler r

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March 2022 • Vol. 53 • No. 7 MSA, PO Box 80, Augusta ME 04332 United we trail, divided we fail www.mainesnowmobileassociation.com

Polaris Ambassador Ride 2022 By: Matt Stedman

I t all started with a snowmobile magazine article and bucket list trip, to see the Ghost Trains at Big Eagle Lake. Fellow Polaris ambassador, Mike Keith, (fromMontague, Michigan) wanted to come see them. Mike and I connected through the Polaris Ambassador program. Mike had never ridden in the Northeast before but has planned and ridden many long duration trips in the past. We started talking in May 2021, and plans were made for Mike to come east February 2022. Throughout the summer of 2021 more Ambassadors from all over decided to meet up and make a group event out of it. We all “know” each other through social media, and a few of us have met at events over the past few years, but this way we could spend time together enjoying the sport we love! Our group now included folks fromMichigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Mas- sachusetts, New Hampshire and both ends of Maine. Fast forward (past all the thousands of messages, pictures of maps, res- ervations, new gear purchases, etc) to February 11th and the trip begins for the 1st group in Pittsburg, NH where Mike Keith and Arlon Springer trailered from Michigan and Pennsylvania to meet up with fellow Polaris Ambassa- dors Michael Hanley-McCarthy and Lenn Johnson. They made their way into Maine via Rangely, stopping at Tea Pond Camps in Eustis to meet up with Ambassadors Dan Noeth, Chris Letourneau (Trail master at Southern Maine Sno-Goers) and his wife Jen. They then headed East to Grand Falls for pictures and to meet up with Ambassador Jeffery Masse before landing at Hawks Nest for the next few nights. They spent the following two days touring the Central Region, taking in the sites (Coburn MT, Mount Kineo, Moosehead Lake), and stopping at local businesses along the way. The folks from the Mid-West do not have the terrain this region has to offer! As with any trip there is always a need for new or different gear, a part or two, etc. The dealers in the Central Region stepped up, a shout out to Moosehead Sled Repair (Rockwood) for a quick slide change. The second leg of the trip began Thursday, leaving the Forks for the next 3 nights with all their gear and heading towards Portage Lake. I met them

at Chesuncook Lake House with Travis Archer and 3 folks from New York who came up to join us. We headed across the lakes and to the Trains. Oh, did I mention, this was the day it decided to rain a bit, on & off, all day long! The rain broke long enough for us to have lunch over a fire at the Trains. We discussed the awesome history we were surrounded by between Chamber- lain & Eagle Lakes. Many pictures were taken, and some folks had their 1st ever red hot dog. We departed back down the length of Chamberlain Lake, through Libby Camps, to Portage where most everyone called Dean’s Motor Lodge home for the next 3 nights. Friday we had our planned group ride, inviting the public to join us for 8 stops throughout Aroostook County, picking up a poker chip at each location for a chance to win some awesome donated prizes at Dean’s later that eve- ning. About 20 of us took part in the group ride, visiting 3 of the 5 Polaris deal- erships, a couple clubs, and few supporting businesses. Thanks to Chandler Farms for checking some codes on a sled and County Sports Inc for slide install and a set of scratchers on our way through. A big day of riding, lots of snowmobile talk, new club memberships purchased, new gear and Bite Harder “Snow Dust Buster” helmet lights from LJE products to help combat the snow dust from the mornings’ fresh snow fall. The clouds broke mid-day to show off some of Northern Aroostook’s scenery and allowed for a few nice peeks at the farm & forestland our trails weave through. Back to Dean’s for supper and drawing prizes. We arrived to a packed house and had an awesome time handing out the gifts to those who joined us for the day, and door prizes to people who showed up for the evening.

Saturday, a few of the folks had to split off and head back to the Forks, the rest of us headed up to Ft Kent on ITS85 with a plan to hit Loring AFB hanger, but mechanical issues changed our plans. A huge thank you to Gary Johnson (Continued on Page 2)

One thing is for sure, we had a great time and are already plan- ning to do another group ride. We made friendships and mem- ories that will last forever. It is always great showing off our amazing state, and all the vari- ety our trail system has to offer. We only just touched on what Maine’s trails travel through.

Everyone that joined us has already said that they want to come back another time, some even have trips booked already! We are so very fortunate to have these riding conditions right in our back yards, and the opportunity to ride them as soon as the weather cooperates. Every day I hear another story of folks who trailer 15+ hours to get here. Riding with folks who know the area and having local connections is key. Multiple times throughout our trip, we leveraged local knowledge to adjust the plan on the fly, make arrangements to get some repairs done at a dealership, or asked a fellow snowmobiler to use their local knowledge to help our group in some way, shape or form. Snowmobilers are great people, always willing to step up and help their fellow rider. Thank you to all those who helped us along the way, you made our trip better every day. A huge thank you to all the 25+/- clubs who made it possible. Without the clubs and their members dedicating numerous hours of time throughout the year none of this would have ever happened. Our group joined clubs as we progressed through the trip, making sure to help out where we could. Clubs are key to this sport and our ability to enjoy it.

(Continued from Cover)

and Ft Kent Motorsports to helping us through this issue. We hit a few of the scenic overlooks and tried to imagine what they would look like on a clear day, but our view happened to be steady snowfall. Adjusting our route, we crossed Long Lake, and hit #105 from Van Buren Cove down to ITS90, and back to Portage. Sunday was the trip out of Aroostook County via Millinocket. An early morn- ing start, and finally clear sky forecasted the whole day. We stopped for some great overlook opportunities along the way, and the views of Katahdin once you get south of Shin Pond never disappoint. Another change of plans with one of the guys not able to ride further once we got to Millinocket. We stopped into the Northern Timber Cruisers clubhouse just after they closed, but Presi- dent John Raymond helped us out by finding a room last minute for the night. After arranging for a ride south for Mike and his sled, Travis Archer and I made our way back home. Michael Hanley-McCarthy and Arlon Springer

made their way to Jackman, then finally back to Pittsburg Monday. Total trip from the beginning to the end for these guys was just over 1,600 miles! Many long days, lots of new friendships made, trail conditions from awesome to not so nice, and an awesome showcase of what Maine has to offer, to many who had never visited before. Every large group and long trip has its challenges. Riding with people you have never met requires thoughtfulness and patience on everyone’s part. Not every- one has the same skill level, and the group needs to understand this from the start. Mechanical breakdowns will happen, you cannot carry enough stuff to get you out of every situation (Michael tried!). You will run into every trail condition imaginable, and every weather type possible.

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Maps Can Be So Helpful, right? By Chris Gamache

T he sport of snowmobiling has a lot of important components to it, other than having trails of course. There’s your sled, your gear, your helmet and a host of other items that are all important when on the trails. Out of all these items the ole map is one of best tools we have had for decades. Local riders know their trails and don’t need a map, but most trail traffic is made up of riders that are not ‘locals’. As such they need this tool to know where they are going and find their way. For many years now clubs, associations and agencies printed an annual map of the trails and it was either given away as a benefit of being a member of an organization, as a public service or sold to help raise some funds for trail maintenance. Over the years these maps have evolved from regular paper with hand- drawn features and marker drawn lines to being printed on Tyvek with GPS located trails. Often these maps have business ads on one side to identify where to find food, fuel, lodging or repair services when riding. Maps are usually made in the fall to be ready for the upcoming riding season, which means they are printed a month or more before the trails open. This leaves a lot of time for trail locations to change before, or even during, the season. That often means that we are giving away, or selling, a map that has some incorrect information on it. Nature of the beast; it’s been happening for years and years (and we always add the statement that the map was accurate as of the date of printing). But it was the best we could do at the time. But what happens when riders are using outdated maps or trying to fol- low a line that doesn’t exist anymore? Riders will be on trails that are not open for their use. They may ride into an active logging job, or through a valuable field, or even through the backyard of a new house. All can lead to some upset landowners, additional closed trails, or someone get- ting injured. Riders take responsibility for their own safety when riding, as they should. But we need to be doing what we can to make sure the riders have the best information we can provide them. Trail signage is one major way, but constantly updating maps is the other. I know, the last thing the few key volunteers for the clubs have is more time to update a

map! I get it.

STAY ON THE TRAIL. STAY IN THE KNOW. RIDE COMMAND BY POLARIS Do your part to keep snowmobile trails and riding areas open by only riding where you should. RIDE COMMAND partners with local trail clubs and associations to maintain and share the latest trail information. 3 WAYS TO CONNECT RIDE COMMAND technology is built into select sleds and you can access it on your favorite device. 7S DISPLAY WITH RIDE COMMAND Available on the all-new Matryx platform, the 7S Display features touch screen technology with integrated RIDE COMMAND GPS. RIDE COMMAND APP Bring RIDE COMMAND on the go on your smartphone or tablet with the free app. RIDE COMMAND WEBSITE Download and utilize the most up to date RIDE COMMAND data, plan your rides, and manage all of your tracks, waypoints, and more. You can even follow ride groups from home if you can’t make the trip! Times have changed. There is still a need, in my opinion, for there to be a paper map for riders to reference for planning or in emergencies in the woods. However, there is now a host of digital map options out there and riders today (and the rest of society) are finding their phones as their new tool and the digital Apps a true trail need. Many State Associations are now creating their own Apps. Those are typically great if you ride in that state only. They don’t cost much but are limited in the geography they cover. Others have more area, but sometime less than 100% of trail information. Do some homework. Digital maps are the next evolution in trail maps. If managed correctly they can help keep trail data updated; often on a daily basis. Did the pro- posed timber operation start a month early and the trail has been closed or rerouted? Upload the info. Did a landowner decide (for reasons that are theirs) to close a trail, or move it? Make the change on the map. Is the trail closed for 8 weeks for some reason? Or closed Dec/Jan but opening later? Temporarily show it as closed. This is a modern tool that can be used very well if clubs choose to do so. Help raise some funds for grooming or a new bridge by having your business ads on the digital map. This directs riders to your local business supporters, and their ad revenue helps keep the trails maintained, in the same way it is done with the paper maps today and yesterday. We are embracing new technology (ok, maybe not embracing but absolutely using) in groomers, and with club memberships and registrations sold on-line. Time to start using a valuable tool that can help protect all our landowners in the process. Update the trails when needed, not next season. These can be very easy to use tools. As easy as dropping an email or text to someone when there is a change or doing the edit yourself. If you have questions, feel free to ask. Chris Gamache, Trail Manager Polaris Ride Command (former Trails Bureau Chief, NH) chris.gamache@polaris.com

POLARIS.COM

©2021 Polaris Industries Inc. Polaris recommends that all riders take a training course. Do not attempt maneuvers beyond your capability. Always wear a helmet and other safety apparel. Never drink and ride.

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2021 Groomer of the Year - Travis Roderick

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WOODY’S PERFORMANCE CENTER 70 TOPSHAM FAIR MALL RD TOPSHAM, ME WOODYSYAMAHA.COM

YAMAHASNOWMOBILES. COM ©2021 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Product and specifications subject to change without notice. Professional rider on closed course under controlled conditions. Model shown with optional accessories. Always wear an approved helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Ride responsibly and always ride within your capabilities, allowing time and distance for maneuvering, and respect others around you. Know the conditions. Observe all state and local laws. Don’t drink and ride.

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From The Executive Board

From the President

figuring out how the office worked, tasks to be done, like paying bills, printing newspapers, planning a snowmobile show, super raffle and a golf tournament, not to mention all the other day to day stuff. We pulled back and put off hiring an ED, until we knew what our revenue streams would be and got the E-board’s approval to let the steering committee run the day to day business of MSA. Each of the 8 members took on a “piece of the pie” and made MSAhappen. Al, Lori, Mark, Bob, Eileen, John, Larry and I went to work, meeting at least once a week, sometimes more, to make sure we had all the bases covered. Along the way, we streamlined some of the processes at the office like switching to Zoom for our Trails Committee and E-board meetings, saving money in the process. We took the paper in a new direction with subtle changes in look and content. Anew website is live at mainesnowmobieassociation. com with a totally new look and lots of new features and the ability to add more features to make membership and other online tasks easier for clubs and members in the future. As all this was going on, we had a record setting Super Raffle, A Snowmobile Show and our biggest Golf Tournament to date. We have also hired our awesome office assistant, Liz, who pleasantly goes about the business of the MSA office with her sidekick Al Swett. A very positive checkbook balance and a zero credit line balance are another accomplishment of this team. To say I’m proud of this team would be an understatement. These guys and gals have worked their butts off for over two years “Making MSA Great Again”, to steal a slogan from a former US president. I could go Well, It’s been a very typical Maine winter so far. We got a late start but January brought us a blizzard and very cold weather. Welcome February, the January thaw came with this month bringing the thermometer into the high 40’s then into another subzero deep freeze. Lots of events in the last two months and still a lot ahead of us. A successful MSA meeting in Millinocket at the Northern Timber Cruisers SC with a great attendance and an awesome turkey dinner. Their museum is always a treat to view. Off, to the Lincoln Snow Hounds SC for their annual Sno X Race which was a great ! Good food and even better racing brought to us by the Tame The Track Race Series. Two great clubs getting it done and promoting snowmobiling in Maine. The annual Blessing of the Sleds in Dixfield was well attended. Unfortunately, I could not be in two places at once, but I know this club makes it happen and their dedication to our sport is incredible. The Katahdin Winterfest kicked off for the annual festival. The Timber Cruisers and town of Millinocket do it right! Anyway, by and large I feel that we have had a pretty successful season thus far for some, but I totally understand that the snow gods were not shining down upon some por- tions of the State. On the Trails Committee side of things, we have had a very busy season with many Trails Workshops across the State, Regional club meetings, inspected thousands of miles of trails, and helped clubs with Land- owner relations. Our Trail Coordinators have been very busy with all this and more, and for this, I cannot thank all of them enough for making it work once again. Unfortunately, April is right around the cor- ner and is the time when we need to make sure that we put our landowners property back the way we found it, and thank each of them for their gracious hospitality and usage of their land. This is one aspect of the MSA and all of its membership and 280 plus clubs where you all shine, taking care of our landowners has always been priority one, and I am proud to say that as a whole we are pretty darn good at it! Being that this will be the last article of the season, I will say in advance that I hope everyone has a fantastic off-season, and I am already anxious for what new adventures next season might bring! Till we meet again, thanks for reading. Mark

on about these folks but this paper isn’t big enough. An idea I had as president was the MSA showcase rides and our VP’s made it happen with successful rides in Medway, Portage, Limestone, Millinocket and hopefully Island Falls, all to help MSA connect with its membership and enjoy a day on the trails. Slybrook SC and Nordic Lakers SC also made sure the rides had great food along the way. Another change was getting back together with the International Snowmobile Council, Northeast Chapter. Former MSA President John Monk and I attended a Chapter meeting in Island Pond, Vermont in February. Associations fromNewYork, NewHampshire, Vermont, PEI and New Brunswick were represented. Great networking, processes, ideas, solutions and friendships were the agenda of the meeting and Maine will host it next season. A special thank you to my Executive VP, Al Swett, for always having my back and attending more events than I can count, making sure MSA has representation all over Maine. Al is moving to President in April and I can’t think of a better person for the job. I have been to many clubs and met so many snowmobilers who have the same passion for the sport I do. Representing MSA as your President has been very humbling and I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve and thankful for my MSA Snowmobile Family. I will always be available to talk or answer questions about MSA as snowmobiling is my passion. It’s been a great ride. Thank You All and Always, Think Snow, Mike In Jackman at the Border Rider’s Clubhouse their annual Groomer days was held with success. The Orrington SC was in the process have having their annual vintage show, which is always well attended. The Pine Tree Camp had their messy egg run in Hermon, which left Dysart’s Truck Stop onto the Hermon SC for the annual ride. It was some cold but they braved the weather and raised a lot of money for the camp. Lots of snowmobile adventures going on and good riding in our great state of Maine. I always comment about our clubs and I will again today. You are the BEST! You make snowmobiling in Maine the best in

Lori Hemmerdinger (207) 890-5455 544 Plains Road Poland, ME 04274 Treasurer@mesnow.com Treasurer’s Report

Mike Grass, Jr., 207-368-2316 249 Condon Rd, Plymouth ME 04969 mgrassjr@gmail.com

I t’s March and time to get those final rides in. The season so far has been a roller coaster of weather, with clubs/groomers working the snow like fine craftsmen. It hasn’t been a perfect season but it’s been better than some I remember. Sadly, this will be my last Presidential column I write. I have had just a fantastic run, surrounded by the best crew, board and snowmobile family anyone could ask for. I/we started this journey back in April of 2019 with our first order of business to replace our Executive Director. As we were on track to do that, Covid hit and turned everyone’s world upside down. At that time, we were still

Respectfully Submitted, Lori Hemmerdinger, Treasurer

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 32,111.87 $ 13,526.64 $ 18,585.23 $233,816.36 $ 83,259.72

Net Revenue

Checking (2/28/22)

DedicatedAccount (2/28/22)

Pay Pal (2/28/22) - Special EventsAccount (2/28/22) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (2/28/22) $ - Building Fund (2/28/22) $ 53,828.06 BrianWass Safety Fund (2/28/22) $ 1,285.10 the Northeast. Thanks to the business’s that support us and the landowners who let us use your land. And again thank you every club in the MSA that make it great riding from Kittery to Fort Kent. What would you folks like us to do for you? I’ve been thinking of contacting some business’s to offer discounts for all MSA member’s. I would think it might work it is a win, win, situation for everybody. Something to work on. Call or email me with any ideas. Hope you all have a great March! Be safe out there! AL point and of more significance to our world, is that if Sunday hunting were to pass, that a slated 25% of landowners stated they would close their land. That is of importance and now one may recognize why we are interested in this. Any surprise here? Not really, but this really calls light on the incredible behind the scenes work that our impressive clubs do year in and year out. I would like the chance to thank you all for being able to tag along with President Grass to the International Snowmobile Congress North East Chapter this past weekend in Vermont. Some incredible heavy hitters from NYSSA, NHSA, VAST, and others from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were present. ALL were extremely pleased to have Maine back as they truly felt we were a missing link in our region. In fact, look out next season as they may be hitting our trails. All present were very sup- portive to hear our input and we met some incredible people that are walking in the same shoes as MSA and this industry. The big take- a-way here was two-fold; Maine has it good and our peers are incredibly pleased with what we offer and how we do it! Again thanks to the impressive work MSA clubs turn out. As we stare longer days and higher sun angles just around the corner, continue to keep safety the top item for the completion of the season. March traditionally offers some of the best conditions of the season and will start putting the wrap on the 21-22 seasons. Please go the extra mile and extend a nomination for the people deserving of some of the MSA’s sig- nificant awards. See you on the trails, John Monk $

From the Executive VP

Steering Committee

Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com Executive VP Report

Trails Committee Chair Report

John Monk Chairman of Steering Committee

Hello All, Many are still rolling along here but we sure have been thrown a strange chain of weather conditions. What looked to be a very good start abruptly ended with a handful of (and I mean a whole bunch) of warmer storms. Quickly after, the cold air returned and clubs did what they usually do and resurrected what was left. Upward and onward! I recently heard from our friends monitoring the Sunday Hunting progress and the survey results have been opened. Of significant inter- est, were two points we will continue to fol- low. 12% of those that responded who were snowmobile users, stated if approved, would affect their use. As a sub-point, 34% of users reported to be affected as they are ATVers. While not our utmost concern, it is interest- ing to point this out for clubs who use ATV’s to maintain their trail in the fall. The second

Mark Chinnock,Trails Committee Chair 207-754-9874 435 Poland Corner Rd, Poland ME 04274 napadude66@hotmail.com H ello Folks, and just like that it happened, how did March get here so quickly?? It takes so long in the Fall for everyone to get “ready” and then to takedown in the Spring, we really need to find a way to slow down the actual “Snowmobiling Season” so that we can enjoy the Trails that we work so hard to create.

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From The Executive Board

Director’s Meeting 572 - Northern Timber Cruisers- Clubhouse, Millinocket - February 12, 2022 A t 6:30 Mike Grass Jr. called the meeting to order. Pledge of Allegiance. Secretary’s report for December, M/S/C and placed on file at the office. Central Region V.P.: Jack Lord- ITS 87 got moved 4 times this year, so read the signs. Things are going along pretty well.

heavy snow. We had radios to communicate and to converse, pointing out trail issues and brainstorming different ideas. We are currently watching two bills. LD-1813 ATV bill to increase the weight from 2000 lbs. to 2500 lbs and LD 538 Sunday hunting. Working on getting the Executive Director’s position filled. Hospitality: Gail Ryan- Contact me for your request to acknowledge anyone’s birthday, anniversary, illness, birth, death, or celebration with the address. Membership: Eileen Lafland- Western Region still number one. Rangeley is almost a thousand. We will recognize the top ten clubs at the annual meeting. Old Business: Northern Region showcase ride and directors meeting Saturday March 12 th will be meeting at the Big Valley S.C. on route 2 in Island Falls. New Business: Annual meeting is April 30 th at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer. Need nominations for dealer of the year, groomer of the year, club of the year, snowmobiler of the year and so on. Get your nominations in by the end of February. 2022-2023 MSA Officers Slate President-Alan Swett Coastal Region VP- Dave Watson Eastern Region VP- Eileen Lafland Northern Region VP- Matt Stedman Western Region VP- Jim Boyce Regional Directors: Coastal Region- Rodney Berry, Eric Perreault Central Region- David Cogley, Alan Dugas Eastern Region- Paul Bolstridge, Larry Lafland, Gary Dowling, John Monk, Craig Lemieux Northern Region-Nick Morrill, Denise Duperre, Lendall Buckingham, Jeff Brooks Western Region-Gary Okenquist, Paul Gallant, Jon Wakefield, Roland Bowie No other nominations from the floor. (X3) Executive V.P.- Mark Chinnock Treasurer- Lori Hemmerdinger Secretary- Brad Barker Central Region VP- Jack Lord

A s the crazy weather season continues it is finally starting to look like winter. Here in Kingfield 65 three days ago to -17 this morning. Hopefully we all have a great March it could be the new February. A lot of clubs took advantage of the mild weather and had trailside cook outs and if you haven’t yet always donate your time or drop a couple bucks in the donation box we could all use it. Another thing I’ve been seeing a lot of up this way is more and more family’s out enjoying please set good examples of how to right safe and respect for our great landowners. It’s up to us to pass this on. There is still great riding to be had but Mother Nature is going to catch up to us. The view of Katahdin was spectacular. He observed 4 snowmobilers that had crossed the ditch and had run over some fir trees. When asked why they did this? Their response was, “ They knew the land owner.” Which happened to be Irving. (Again an example of education.) We also need to educate the new generation of landowners. Pot of Gold- Oakland Sno-Goers. No director present, $400. forfeited. Meeting adjourned 8:15 Respectfully submitted, Brad Barker, Secretary. Brad Barker-President of the Leeds Stump Thumpers S.C.: Our challenges of off trail riders. One recent rider in Leeds went off a clearly marked trail onto a landowners woods road, drove up over his woodpile and hit his wood splitter. Upsetting the landowner to say the least. What can we do about this? Which lead to a lengthy discussion of education, going to the schools with virtual teaching and linking it to our website. We have one of the best safety directors ever, that connects with the students. Have him do a safety video. This is how we can get the word out across the state. What does MSA stands for? Why are here? What it’s like to go ask permission from a landowner, go blaze a trail through the woods, clear a path for snowmobiles and groomers, what happens when someone goes on the wrong side of the snow fence and puts all of this at risk. What it’s like to approach a landowner after there has been trespass, which the landowner either gives us one more chance or permanently closes their land to us, and we have to start all over again. MAYBE. What it is like to put a bill through legislature. Respect our privilege to use the trails. The consequences of breaking the law. What MSA stands for. Have contest for the students make to make their own video and get rewarded for the best ones. Eileen- Kids will watch kid’s videos. Get support from BRP, Polaris, BIW or others. Maybe require juveniles (and new out of state renters) to watch these videos. Mike enjoyed the scenic ride today. Here I sit, it’s February 11th and it’s 42 degrees in Bingham. The snow is melting, I check every morning and we are losing it at a rate of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches per day, it is not making me Happy. Even with that we have loads of people out riding and most of the clubs in the region are grooming regularly. So with the conditions and the traffic, Ride Safe, Be Careful and know what’s around the next bend or corner. We have had reports of small ponds and boggy areas that are spring fed having open areas or thin ice. So have fun and be careful. Keep Smiling, Stay Safe ENJOY THE RIDE AND STAY SAFE. Jim H i Everyone,

Northern RegionV.P.: Matt Stedman- Thank you for having us. Great ride today. Nice to see Katahdin mountain from a different angle. Got snow early this year and have been grooming since Christmas. Really set up well after this last storm. It has been ridiculously busy doing benefits for trail grooming every weekend. Northern Region showcase ride and directors meeting Saturday March 12 th will be meeting at the Big Valley S.C. on route 2 in Island Falls. Come see a different part of Aroostook County. Safety Committee Chairman: Al Swett: Jim White, past MSA president has Covid and is in the hospital in Bangor. Chris Merrill was out grooming in the Bethel area. Out on a Skandic, took a shortcut home at the end night grooming. He hit a cable went up over the sled and landed on the drag, broke his neck and got a concussion. Another accident in Sidney, a girl missed a corner and broke her back, leg and nose. She is in pretty bad shape. One fatality so far this year, he ran a stop sign and got T-boned. Had some close calls. In Rangeley, I was clipping along on the power lines and three snowmobilers blew past me just off the trail. If they only knew the dangers just beneath the snow cover, rocks and stumps. Luckily it was a miss. All the accidents have a huge effect on the people around you, your family, friends and employer. Stay alert out there. Stay safe. The folks in Brookfield has been so helpful with the safety posters. They did 800 at the cost of $1200. Our friends at BIWwant to help. What do you need? Special signage.- 24/7 Grooming and the curvy arrow signs for twisty trails. Got 100 of each, predrilled and reflectorized. They look great. Let me know what you need for a sign, there is a two day turnaround. 50/50 $97 Brent Spaulding, Eastern Maine S.C. President was drawn. Steering Committee: John Monk- Spoke of his 200 mile ride. Fatigued from the challenging conditions, trees in the trail and has been closed down in other parts. The clubs have done a great job grooming; their dedica- tion to our sport is second to none. They’re the best in the business. We have some incredible business’s that also support us and a big thank you for another season goes out to them. And, of course the landowner’s big and small we’d be out of business if we did not have our generosity, over 90% of our system is on your land - A big thank you to you all. Safety and snowmobiling, we try to get the word out to drive within your means. Next year, I think we should have a bill passed in the legislation that requires young riders to take a safety course and I’d invite their parents along for the morning class! It does not hurt for any one of us to take a refresher course to update the sport we all love to do. As we go into March, please slow down and enjoy what we offer in this beautiful state, scenery that you can only see on a snowmo- bile on a clear blue-sky day. Watch out for the moose this is the month their on the move. Be careful of other wildlife, folks on bicycles, people on snowshoes, cross-country skier’s and the other snowmobilers. We have safety signs available here at the office for your clubs to put up in your club- house and on the trail. We can get them out to you. Eight different ones get the point across from drinking and driving to riding alone. Be safe out there! AL

Treasurer”s report. Read and placed on file at the office. Special event is the virtual race. President’s Comments- Contacted by Joe Higgins, handed a off trail issue to MSA. BRP and Polaris will contribute a monetary value for the MSA trail mapping. A recent 292 mile ride was detailed with Brent and John, clearing birch and maple trees out of the trail. Then it accumulated 15” of snow and then they ended up in the dark. Signage was “some good and some not”. Pattern was perfectly signed. Executive V.P.: Al Swett- Next director’s meeting is unfortunately the same date as the groomer and signage workshop. I’ll be in Millinocket and then come up to Island Falls. Our season was slow to start, but now getting snow to set up a good base, and hopefully we get a lot more snow. Eastern Region V.P.: Eileen Lafland- Thank you to the Northern Timber Cruiser’s kitchen crew. One of the highest memberships in Eastern Region. Thank you to Larry Lafland for escorting us on our 116 mile ride today and making sure everyone made it back to the clubhouse. We hit two feet of slush at White House Landing, but we made it and everyone powered through. Thank you to James Stedman for bringing two plaques in the shape of the state of Maine with the MSA initials which went to the person who came the furthest by sled to this meeting which was Brad Barker for riding 250 miles from Leeds. The other one went to the one who came the furthest by car which was Eric Perreault who drove 175 miles. The Eastern Region is doing the best that we can with the snowfall given. Coastal Region V.P.: Dave Watson- This is my second home. Thank you for the great dinner. In my region trails were opened and everybody was out grooming. Then we got rain and they were closed. We had a short season but a great response.

Western Region VP

Safety Committee

James Boyce, 207-265-6512 1168 Fosterhill Rd, Freeman ME 04983 Jboyce1168@gmail.com

Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com

H ello,Fellow Riders, Well, It’s been a bad month for accidents. Three fatalities this year, two Maine gentle- men and one fromMassachusetts. Heartbreak- ing news for everyone. Serious accidents and injuries that will last a lifetime. As safe as rid- er’s are there could be a point on the trail that challenges even the best riders. One way or another and no matter how safe you think you are you could get hurt. Please use caution. The conditions this year have been record-breaking cold days to record breaking warm days. Snow rain and ice. The trail sys- tem has held up in some areas of the state but

Central Region VP

CLUB MEMBERS Once grooming begins Submit your trail reports to: MSA@MESNOW.COM Please include your name and club affiliation

Jack Lord Home: (207) 672-3915 Cell: 207-717-7131 Email: jacklord5256@gmail.com

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and the generosity of private landowners who allow us there. Thank you for all that you do, it is greatly appreciated and valued by so many who love the sport and need the tourism for their business to survive. Another positive I have seen over & over again in the County this season is clubs helping clubs. When someone goes down, calls are made, and people all over the State are helping to find the part or parts that are needed. Snowmobilers & those close to the sport know the urgency and short season, and they want to make sure everyone has a good time. Clubs loaning everything from small parts to spare tracks, grooming other clubs’ trails after doing all their own. It’s a great feeling to see it all happen, mostly by people who do not benefit in any way. Thank you to all those who took the opportunity to help another club out, took the time to look for parts, call people you know around the snow- belt to ask for help. Every one of you made someone else’s day better. A couple of items to think about and ask yourself how the snowmobile community can help solve some concerns. Snowmobile trail safety: Grooming & riding I see patterns of riding on the trails and have the misfortune of meeting others in not so nice places. It is up to all of us to call out riders we know riding in an unsafe manner in the moment. Sleds are all 4ft wide. If you are not leaving at least that much space between you and the other side of the groomed trail than you are not “riding right”. It took me longer than it should have to figure this out for myself. Please take the time to speak it? We had some tremendously cold tempera- tures, (like -20’s) with extremely cold wind chills (- 30’s), big snow snowstorms with over a foot of snow, then rain and temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s. That was just the first half of the month!! The old saying, “If you don’t like the weather in Maine, just wait a minute” sure came true. We are in to March and that means our season is quickly coming to an end. Some areas of the state had great conditions but only for a few weeks, other areas it was longer and then other areas did have the snow but those well below zero temperatures dis- couraged riders and some snowmobiles from starting and going. That’s the way it goes in our great state and we snowmobilers adapt and enjoy the time we have. Someone (I think it was Aleta Rioux) always said, “We go for ATV members this season. We have also lost a treasured long-time member, Katie Buck. Katie was a very generous and supportive member and one of the nicest people on this earth. We truly miss her and her talents. We have many beautiful photographs to remind us of her thoughtful nature. Our thoughts are with her family. Before the end of the season, we would like to have a business meeting and/or supper. We have missed seeing each other! Please watch the Star-Herald and our Facebook page for a notice. We have all missed so many mile- stones in the last two years. Let’s hope that the Covid cases continue to decline. Enjoy the trails and call Mickey (764-1236 or 227-6365) anytime, if you have any ques- tions about the trails. Stay right and please sled responsibly. Sue Maynard Secretary W ell February sure was a roller coaster ride when it came to weather wasn’t

events in the past year due to Covid but are back to it this year. The March paper is the last full MSA paper of the 2021-2022 season. I would like to take some space and thank ALL Eastern region clubs for your hard work and dedication to the sport we all love. Again, we had quite a few clubs in the top ten in membership for the state, which is a great accomplishment. I also want to thank the five regional directors for this region: Paul Bolstridge, Craig Lemieux, Gary Dowling, John Monk and Larry Lafland. Covid caused us to not have regional meet- ings this year, but with all five of these people returning we will be holding them next year. That’s all for this year, but just wait until next year. Stay healthy and safe everyone. Enjoy the couple months away from the grind and comeback in the fall ready to do it all over again! Eileen

with someone about snowmobile safety, lead a ride with new riders & demonstrate the right way to ride. If we can all impact our circle of friends to ride safer, our trails will be better, and more folks will return home from their trip the same way they left. Trail use entitlement: Trails are maintained by volunteers. The work being done, be it landowner relations, signage or grooming is done in addition to what each of these individuals have for personal & professional commitments. It’s often easy to forget this when we are out and riding along over many different clubs’ trails the number of hours it takes to make it all happen. When asking about trail conditions or bringing up a concern on signage, be polite and tactful. Ask questions and offer solutions rather than being negative. Share this message with those you know who aren’t club members or volunteers. Not everyone can take the time to do trail maintenance and maybe they put $100 in the trail fund box instead, but a gentle reminder of how it all works can go a long way. If you know of a way to get this message to the masses, let me know and I’ll be glad to help in any way possible. Get out & enjoy the rest of the season, check out someplace new, support a club & a local business. When Mother Nature cooperates, March is the best month to ride in my opinion. 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. Matt Stedman Many thanks also to the Northern Timber Cruisers SC in Millinocket for hosting the MSA February directors meeting on the 12th. I can tell you that club knows how to cook a great turkey supper and they did so that night. If you are ever in the area on the night of one of their suppers, it a must stop for event. They also do a great breakfast and lunch and many snowmobilers have stopped in to enjoy their meals. They have not been able to do these ice cream cones. The mighty St. John River is a frozen white ribbon following its path between the mountains, the same trail it has followed for thousands of years, trees filled with white waiting to shed the branches load of snow on an unsuspecting snowshoer or snowmobiler and yes, even the road is covered in white, leading off into the distance. (Keep it between the telephone poles). Truly every- thing is white. Tomorrow, they are predicting a foot of new snow and on Tuesday another 8 inches. We are in February so the temperatures have warmed somewhat and we still have 5 to 6 weeks of prime snowmobiling left. The daylight is a lit- tle longer and you can ride almost 12 hours in daylight. The evenings and nights have mellowed as well and riding in the dark is now even more enjoyable. And that time between setting sun and dark is a truly magical time here in the north. The sky turns a unique color of blue orange (Yes, it is a color) that can only be seen in our northern area. If you have never seen the sun setting in our area over the mountains and rivers as you are snowmobiling on our trails, you have missed one of those experi- ences that you read about in books. But why would you want to read about it when you can live this experience. We have the snow, we have the meticulously groomed trails (Thank you, Jeff and Roland). snow!” The second Eastern Region Showcase Ride did happen on February 12th. I again want to thank Larry Lafland for leading the way on our 116-mile ride. Some people went the full distance and others went a different way after we had lunch but everyone made it back. Temperatures and weather are the two things we can’t control when we plan these rides, but at least we got it in.

Eastern Region VP

Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 llafland@midmaine.com

Northern Region VP

Coastal Region VP

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

David Watson, 207-205-1558 412 Roberts Ridge Rd East Waterboro ME 04030 dwatson6841@gmail.com

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

We have the woods and waters, and we have what is truly ours, our northern Maine hospi- tality. Our lodge, The St. Francis Sno-Angels lodge is open on every Friday and Saturday with a hot meal served on Saturdays. Ask anyone who has stopped in. They leave with a smile on their face. We are ourselves, a unique blend of Scotch, Irish and Frenchman. Come in and meet us, we want to meet you. Don’t forget about our Race your Neighbor Radar run on March 12th. I can smell the hot- dogs and hamburgs cooking and that unique smell of Snowmobile fuel. Nothing like it. What is the one constant... How great riding in Maine is!! Hats off to our groomers and volunteers across the state for doing what you do. People from across the U.S. come to enjoy our beautiful trails and the scenery of Maine. I’m proud to be part of that, March riding is hopefully going to continue April is our Annual MSAmeeting. Jeff’s catering in Brewer hope to see you there. Enjoy the snow Thank you for your dedication to our sport. Dave Q uestion? Can anyone really predict the weather? As I write this article it’s 46 degrees, rain is done. Yesterday, it was 18 degrees, great riding fantastic trails!! Tomorrow, Snow, 13 degrees (predicted) Weather forecasters have a tough job. It has been a mixed bag this year for our sport. Making the best of it is all we can do.

H Hello fellow snowmobilers, School vacation week during snowmobile season is always an exciting time. So many people spending time in the outdoors with family & friends. The weather leading up to the week was a bit of a yo-yo with temperature & precipitation of every sort falling across the State. It made for some challenging conditions, but clubs stepped up and snowmobilers showed up! Trails and businesses were busy, clubs & their volunteers stepped up and provided a great product for all to enjoy as well as multiple events across the County for fundraising. I continue to be amazed with both the dedication of people to take time out of their lives to do somuch for Snowmobiling inMaine

MSA Club News

Deadlines for club news is the 25 th of the month prior to the publications. Please submit articles to editor@mesnow.com

NORTHERN REGION

CHAPMAN RIDGE RUNNERS SNOWMOBILE AND ATV CLUB Chapman, ME

Kim M Ouellette Club secretary.

Dear Members, The winter is rolling along, with great snow- mobiling this season. Grooming has been hard to keep up, with several storms dumping at least 1 foot of snow, followed by rain. But we are back to freezing temps again. Continue to be careful out there, due to streams, brooks and low areas opening back up with warmer weather. The club is hard at work on grants and plan- ning ahead for the next few years of grooming. Our crew has worked very hard and deserves a pat on the back for their hard work. We con- tinue to have the directors handle any issues with the club and the groomers still meet every Wednesday night at 6:00 to maintain the trails and all equipment.

BENEDICTA SNOWGANG Benedicta, ME

Hey Gang,

It is Feb. 23, 2022. It is 55 degrees as I write this news. Big rain has taken most of our trails. Did I mention it is Feb.23rd!! Our fishing derby was well attended on the 19th of Feb. with around 100 fishermen. Many thanks to Kim & Pat Joyce for hosting this event once again. Did I mention it is 55 degrees!! This may be the end to a very frustrating season!! Woops~~~ it’s now 56 degrees!! Did I men- tion that it is Feb. 23rd!! I am going out to see

ST. FRANCIS SNO ANGELS St. Francis, ME

Whiteout!!!!! Have I got your attention? As I sit here and type, I look out over fields of white, covering what in the summer will be green fields and places to walk, ride a 4-wheeler and enjoy summer. The houses, barns and building are all covered with a few feet of white, looking like a variety of

We have gained many new snowmobile and

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Sunday April 24 Board meeting 5:00 p.m. Club dinner 6:00 p.m. Membership meeting 7:00 p.m. Annual meeting (election of officers / directors) Saturday May 7th Dinner auction! Dessert auction! Silent auc- tion! Bean supper with all the fixings $10 per person or $25 for a family. Meal from 5:00 to 6:00 with the auction starting at 6:00 p.m. This is one of our annual events that people seem to love! Local area businesses and some members donate goods to the club that we auc- tion off! The highlight however is the dessert auction! Homemade pies and baked goods! Another big draw this year is a replica NASCAR Hood with the Monster Energy logo. So for the NASCAR fan, Monster Energy fan, or one of the K Busch Racing brothers fans this is a much desired item for the game room or man cave! Enjoy your winter, do your snow dance, get outside and enjoy Life! Think Snow! Ride right! Troy G Trail grunt February into March has been nothing but nightly grooming and equipment maintenance ranging from welding, to repairing a final drive and even replacing a diesel engine. The workload and schedule have been mindbog- gling. Thanking a groomer is much appreci- ated because so much of their job is unseen by the public. Join the local club or clubs even if you ride once on our trails. Safety is next on the list as we have had sev- eral significant sled crashes and injuries in the area. In general, we have seen riders exceed- ing a safe speed for their ability, the trail con- ditions and the amount of trail traffic in addi- tion to not staying on their side of the trail. Maybe the excitement of a new sled, the first opportunity to get on the trail and maybe some degree of aggression must all be overcome to maintain the required discipline to stay safe. Creating safety is a personal responsibility. Every year we see water related hazards and this year is no different. Pressure ridges are a little know danger that will ruin your day every time if not treated with respect and anticipa- tion. They are immovable, can be large and pop up literally overnight. Safe passage yes- terday is not a guarantee for the following day. Next is the occurrence of slush or over-wash on lakes and bodies of water. Sometimes it may be completely covered with fresh snow and unseen. It can be inches or feet deep and be caused by the weight of the snow and ice or prior rain. In any case, the likely-hood of getting stuck fast is great and the ability to get out is difficult or nearly impossible. Finally, a few words on trail etiquette. The groomers are trying their best to give you per- fect trail conditions yet many riders are doing their best to destroy those trails as quickly as possible. Your friends that do trail burn- outs, leave rooster tails, make trenching on the straight-aways or plowing the snow off of turns with speed are not friends of the trail and other riders. Don’t like moguls, ride with respect for the trail and it will be in good con- dition tomorrow. MOOSEHEAD RIDERS sc Greenville, ME Find us on Facebook

there to finish out the evening with us. We hope you are all able to join us, we realize it is much later than normal, but we all know, nothing is normal anymore! Bring your credit cards/checkbooks, your sense of humor, and a friend, because this is a super fun fundraiser! The focus for this year’s fundraising is build- ing a new groomer garage. The guys have worked out of the “shed” that we currently have long enough. To say we have outgrown it is an understatement! So, please make plans to join us for the Annual Pie Auction. This is a fun filled evening that does not disappoint! As always, follow us on Facebook to see what we have going on. To join our club, visit us at portagelakers.org. Ride right, Respect Landowners, and Think Safety! MOLUNKUS VALLEY SNO-DRIFTERS Sherman, Maine Hello friends, 40 degrees as I sit and write this news :) We held our annual poker run on Sat. Feb 19th Thank-you to all area businesses for their donations. Without them these would be harder to do. The top winners were: 1 st Roberta Lane of Sherman $300.00 2 nd Brian McNally of Sherman $200.00 3 rd Joyce Cummings of Stacyville $100.00 WORST Hand was Kaden Lane what a great sport he was :) 50/50 went to Art Faulkner of Houlton $79.00 Again, Thank-you to everyone who helped in any way shape or form. It was greatly appreciated: March Nominating Committee April Elec- tion of Officer for 2yrs May Landowner Appreciation Mighty Molunkus Duck Race /Family Fun Day!!!!! Watch the Molunkus Valley Sno- drifters Facebook page as things are always changing. New Members are always wel- come. We are the Club Where there Are NO strangers ONLY FRIENDS YOU HAVEN’T MET !!!!!!!!:) Til Next Time- Keep On Keepin On!!!!! Deb Long (Club President) CASC had a couple of weeks in February when if you could get out and ride, you should have, because the snow we had disappeared when it rained and warmed in to the forties and fifties. We did get some grooming in but had mechanical issues with the SUV. The grooming sleds picked up the slack and then the weather did us in. Hopefully it turns around and we can once again get out a do some local riding in March. On a different note, CASC received some sad news at out February meeting. Our pres- ident, Nancy, and VP, Dola, whose house we have been meeting at and where our groom- ing building and equipment is kept have sold their place and our moving to Greenville. This means the club will be looking for a new meeting place and for some place to move our building and equipment to. The new owner of 55 Bradbury Brook Rd was at the meeting and is willing to look at a lease with the club for a year or two, but we need to start looking now. Being such a small club, we only have a few options, and will begin to explore those ASAP. Our last meeting where we are will be the April meeting. This also means we need to find two new officers to take their places. Again, we only have a handful of members and filling these shoes will be difficult, but we are determined to keep the club going. It also means no more homemade goodies from Dola as we start next Tammy Kenney Club Secretary EASTERN REGION CLIFTON AREA sc Clifton, ME Welcome to March everyone!

season. As we move through this process, we will keep members informed via email and personal contacts. By the time you read this we hopefully will have held our Dinner/ Auction fundraising event. We moved the date into March so as not to conflict with other area clubs’ events. We didn’t hold this event last year due to Covid but decided to this year to help place money back into the accounts. We spent a large por- tion of our funds purchasing the grooming building and putting it in place. Now we need to replenish the money so we can find a new place for the building. So, this will be the last news from Clifton for the 2021-2022 season as there is no MSA paper in April. When we return in September, we will give everyone an update and hopefully have new officers in place and ready for the 2022-2023 season. Enjoy the rest of this sea- son and have a safe off season. Officers, directors and members of CASC

if I can hear the trees budding ~~~ this is a cruel joke, thank you Mother Nature!! Got to go get my tractor serviced, be mowing in no time!! Jim Splan, Reporter @ Large P.S~~ $#@@(())_$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.SS ~~ @))*&^$#!!#&*___!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.SSS ~~ ((&^%$(&^!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P.SSSS~~ And I mean it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROCKABEMA SNOW RANGERS Patten, ME Email: rockabemasnowrangers@gmail.com FB: Patten - Rockabema Snow Rangers We had a great monthly meeting this month with lots of good dishes shared for the Potluck Supper. Bob welcomed those at the meeting. Reports were read and accepted. Laura discussed infor- mation on grant money from the trail reroute we did on ITS81 going into K & C Quik Stop. This is a multi-use trail with work done by the ATV Club and shared funding with the snowmobile club. The two clubs often work together in sharing expenses for the main cause of the sports. Laura also shared infor- mation on the recent donations received from JR Fabrication, trucking donation by Small- wood Inc and a club member family showing their appreciation for what the club does. We are grateful for all donations received from businesses, or members and the snowmobile community and its members. We had an extensive presentation by Michelle Gallant on her suggestions on redo- ing the By Laws. She will continue to work with a few members to get these ready to be voted on. There was brief mention of increasing mem- bership dues since a good portion is taken for MSA support and less received by the club and costs have been rising. We discussed doing a raffle for our groomer fund with more to come on this at a later date. Grooming equipment information- we are down one machine for the year but all others in working order with repairs as they come up. Trails 112E has a plowed portion on the Pat- ten end as there is a landowner that is living there and will be building next year. This por- tion will continue to be plowed from Route 11 to his place. The other end of 112E is plowed due to active logging in that area. Club Raffles winners were drawn and posted on our FB page. We have had some warm days and hope- fully the trails will stay good and the season doesn’t end early. They are talking about rain this week. I hope the weatherman is wrong on this one. Time will tell. Until next Month. Meeting is on Zoom and announced on FB under Events. If you can’t make it in person, join us on zoom. Next meet- ing is March 12 th at 6pm. Charlene Fraser, Club Secretary Hey Fellow Snowmobilers, The season will be winding down by the time this paper reaches your home. The weather has certainly been something to reckon with this year. We have gotten spoiled the last several years without those sub-zero temps, but this year they are back with a ven- geance! The trails still appear to be in great condition, I guess there is a silver lining to those cold temps. Thank you to the handful of groomer guys that volunteer their time to make our club members happy. Who doesn’t love a smooth trail? The Polaris Ambassadors were in Portage last month for a ride around the County and dinner at Dean’s, to end their day. What a great crowd they had, with door prizes donated by area merchants. The Pie Auction date has been set for Sat- urday April 30th, at the Portage Municipal Building. The band Too Far North will be PORTAGE LAKERS sc Portage Lake, ME

EASTERN MAINE SNOWMOBILERS Holden, ME easternmainesnowmolibers.com Find us on Facebook

Winter came to EMSC and the snow came fast and deep! Was almost too much at once! Almost! The small but dedicated (stubborn) trail crew took the challenge and made the trails great! The parking lot was full. Local sledding was amazing... for a week. Then it rained. Back to square one we went. Then boom another 18-inch dumps on us! Let’s do it again! So, we had 3 great weeks of great local riding that is currently All gone. Darn hot water! We are on pause; we are not done with Win- ter yet! Club News We currently have an opening for our build- ings and grounds position. This is generally keeping an eye on the club, keeping on top of things that need to be maintained and being there for appointments when necessary for work to be done. If any of our members are interested, please let us know, thank you. Our clubhouse is available to rent for func- tions meetings etc. Information can be found on our website. Trails Please be aware of active logging and con- struction crews working on the I-395 extension from Wilson Street in Brewer towards Route 9 Eddington. We are in contact with them directly and they keep the trails open and we have things marked and flagged as necessary. Many thanks to our members for stepping up and working hard to bust open the trails and groom them up! Please check our Facebook for when the trails are reopened when we get more snow! Also, for closures and reroutes due to construc- tion and or trail conditions. Upcoming Events Sunday March 20. Board meeting 5:00 p.m. Club dinner 6:00 p.m. Membership meeting 7:00 p.m.

Thanks for your support. Bob Ludwig, Secretary raludwig184@gmail.com

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