7306-R3_SS_Sep2020_MESnowmobiler

Snowmobile Safety Well, it’s getting toward maintenance time for your groomers, sleds and drags. Please work safe, take your time, always use a support jack, beam or blocking after lifting your rigs twigging them to prevent falling. Wear the proper PPE to protect your eyes and ears a good pair of gloves and proper boots for support are helpful. Yeah, PPE ! Personal Protective Equipment it’s been in the news a lot! Safety lights are being considered for the rental fleets... just thinking of some way to protect the rider’s that only come ahead and replace it with a new one. We need to try to give our riders a sense of reassurance so that they feel comfortable in knowing where they are and how to get to where they are headed at all times. A few things to remember when signing a trail, keep it simple, keep it legible, give the rider plenty of time to head the warnings and remember the signs are NO COST to the clubs, I would rather see to many signs than not enough. A couple more things before I sign off, if any club would like to hold a Trails Signage Workshop in your region please contact me I would be more than happy to come to your place and hold one, also please note the “WHERE TO GET SIGNS INFO” within this column. So let’s all get out there and enjoy what we work so hard for, god knows we deserve it! Work hard.. Play harder but above all Be Safe. Thank You, Mark

September 2020 Maine Snowmobiler 7

H ello Rider’s Well, last year was one for the memory books. We had good snow in the higher elevations and hardly any Downeast. But what we did have was lots of mishaps. Resulting in twelve deaths. Tragedy struck in all areas. It’s a shame people ride our trails and do not make it back home. I’m sorry it happened and I’ll try harder next season to try and educate folks to ride right and ride smart! The on-trail safety checks seem to work and the safety posters are well received. I went back to Medway and

I have seen and talked with a large number of clubs who have already been organizing work details. We are seeing numerous bridges being built, trails being brushed, re-routes taking place and just an overall enthusiasm in the sport that I haven’t honestly seen in a long time. This is Very much contagious and great to see! With a positive outlook on the snowfall predictions and the fact that chances are likely that riders will have to spend most of their seat time in our great state, I feel we are in for a record-breaking season all around. So get ready and let’s make this one for the record books, lets show 2020 what snowmobilers are made of! As far as trails go, I definitely don’t want to sound like I’m preaching but let’s not forget the basics of what got us where we are and what makes are trails #1 in the Northeast. By and large most of the land we snowmobile across is privately owned so with that being said PLEASE make sure you make contact with every land owner in your trail system. That is probably the single most important thing that we as clubs need to do. We are all anxious to get out there, start grooming and lay out the white stuff. But before we do that lets take a little time and make sure our trails are signed properly with easy to read directions, and if they’re faded go spoke at the middle school, had a great time! The kids ask questions and tell me stories of the times on their sleds. I cannot thank The East Branch S/C in Medway for their continued support and helping me on this project. They’re a great group up there and I’ve developed a lifelong friendship. More safety posters will be available this year and hopefully more safety checks. Trail workshop’s with Trailmaster Mark Chinnock were very successful and we have been talking already to do some more in other areas of the state this season.

up once a year to ride. Like to see both hands on the handlebars! Rescue Boggins for the club’s and Fire House’s are being talked about along with more Landing Zones for our friends at LifeFlight. Call or email me if you need anything. Wear ear plugs and safety glasses when mowing lawns or running any outdoor power equipment. And no flip flops when cutting the grass! We will make it through this!

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

Ride Right Ride Safe! Al

Trails Committee Chair Report dollars to Maine’s economy each year and is an absolute necessity to having a successful Maine economy.

MSA CLUBS: To Order Needed ITS & JCT SIGNS

Contact Mike Grass Sr. MSA Trails Committee 252 Condon Rd. Plymouth, ME 04969

Hello Everyone, So here we are knocking at the door of another snowmobiling season. For some it is a new beginning and for others it is a continuation of the past season, meaning that for some it is a 12-month dedication to the sport in some capacity. Either way it is a passion like no other and takes the relentless effort of 280 some odd clubs and over 13,000 members to make it all work. I take my hat off to each and every one of you, THANK YOU. 2020 has been a challenging year thus far without a doubt, a shortened season last March coupled with the on-going struggles that we ALL are facing with Covid-19 has brought many clubs to a near standstill but through it all we have managed to find a way to make it happen and keep things moving forward. As we, all know the snowmobiling industry brings in over 600 Million Mark Chinnock,Trails Committee Chair 207-754-9874 435 Poland Corner Rd, Poland ME 04274 napadude66@hotmail.com

207-368-4914 home 207-745-2745 cell

Grasslands252@gmail.com To Order Club Trail Signage Candice Pinkham DACF/Snowmobile Program 207-287-4957 Office 207-878-8111 Fax Candice.M.Pinkham@maine.gov