7732-R1_MSA_Sep2021_MaineSnowmobiler_Web

From the President

MSA calendar the following season. Also, be aware of the groomers, sign installers and brush cutters and nominate groomers and clubs for the annual MSA awards in April. Make sure to join a club, or two, or ten if you like, but support the volunteers who make snowmobiling happen in Maine. Maine snowmobiling has over 14,000 miles of trail to enjoy so take a vacation, sick day or “skip” day and get out on the trails. Each issue of the Maine Snowmobiler newspaper will showcase a region with favorite day trips, places to eat, clubs in the area and showcase landowners. Finding a great day ride or destination can be found here each month. Your MSA volunteers are very excited to get the season started and hope that everyone, Mainers and our snowmobilers from away have a great season. If you need information or have questions about snowmobiling in Maine, contact myself or the MSA office. We will gladly answer your questions or concerns to make sure your stay in Maine goes as “smooth” as possible. Contact information for all your MSA volunteers can be found in this issue. Looking forward to a long, cold, snowy 2021-2022 snowmobile season, it out of committee. The MSA did not favor this due to the fact of some landowners may get confused of what was or may have been agreed upon as far as a snowmobile. MSA understands these machines have their place (even with clubs grooming with them) but did not want to muddy the waters with confusion. Registration will continue as it has been done in the past for those who chose to see the sites in this fashion. Along the registration lines, LD 1244 did get over the hump with legisla- tive approval. This bill,” An Act to Extend Electronic Proof of Registration to All-terrain Vehicles, Snowmobiles and Watercraft” just brings along with it the way we all commu- nicate in the current world. MSA took a “not for nor against” with this bill as it really is the current way we all seem to communicate. This will allow riders to display their regis- trations electronically. I guess this is where we are headed, but make sure your phone is charged. Upward and Onward! On the steering committee front, we have opened discussions on revamping our web- site. We have been blessed for years with a solid, steady, informative place for riders to go for info, but will be entertaining a new direction with more flare and excitement to showcase Maines best. Also under construc- • 2022 Ski Doo Renegade 600 EFI 137 E/S Rev from Moosehead Motor Sports In Greenville • 2022 Arctic Cat Z200 from Kramer’s in Sidney • 2022 Nitro Hybrid Trailer from Nitro Trailer’s in Pittsfield • 2022 Alcom open trailer from Alcom/Sno Pro in Winslow • Kittery Trading donated a $500.00 gift card • Many other gift certificates will be drawn as well. Climb on board help us out join a club. Thanks, Al Mike Grass Jr., MSA President i Folks! With over 88,000 sleds registered in the state, we had some serious accidents and six fatalities. We all hope that at the start of each winter we don’t lose anyone. When the phones rings and the person on the other end says we had a death on a sled it makes me very sad. Many folks panic and get lost in the moment then tragedy strikes. Hurt for the rest of their lives or even worse death. We have to educate more first time riders and reeducate some of the old ones! Today’s sleds are quiet, • 2021 Polaris XC Matrix 850 137 E/S Rev from Team Woody’s in Topsham Safety Committee Chair Report H

the 2020-2021 season as a way for all Maine snowmobilers to get a glimpse of what MSA does. Starting last month, we put together the MSA “club packets” that are mostly hand delivered to all of our 286 +/- clubs all over the state. These packets are full of useful forms and instructions for membership, officer update forms (still available in paper form but a new online one is preferred) and other information for clubs. The MSA office is working hard to make more “stuff” available online for MSA, clubs and membership. All in an effort to “lighten the workload” as you are all volunteers as well as MSA. Next month we are having the annual snowmobile snow in Augusta. Most of our vendors from past years and some new ones will be filling the floor of the Civic Center with snowmobiles, gear and goodies for the upcoming season. The MSATrails Committee will hold their Trails Workshop on Saturday for all you Trail Masters and trail workers who have questions about anything trail related. A great slate of speakers is in the works. December brings the drawing of the Super Raffle prizes just in time for Christmas and hopefully, the start of a snowy, cold winter. While you are enjoying the trails this season, take lots of pictures and send them into the MSA photo contest. Many are used for the cation from riders, clubs, grant writers, and trail maintainers strongly encouraged their legislators this was an important issue. NO ONE wants to pay more to ride or register a sled, but again NO ONE wants to ride miles of rough trail or worse yet, the same NO ONE wants to deal with broken groomer issues during prime season. This funding hits both of these directly and exclusively. Compare Maine’s trail funding to all other regions and after fact finding, you’ll discover our process is the MOST effective and this improvement continues to just keep Maine on pace. From those involved with the funding, Club Grants have already been increased from $180/mile to $210/mile and Municipal Grants will be boosted for all that significantly over spent their grant year after year. As far as Capi- tal Equipment Grants, (grooming equipment purchases), that program is slated to double if registrations stay consistent. That is the first increase to program since its inception in 1998. New Groomers, here we come! As another angle to peak at it, how many of you are still riding or towing with a ’98 sled or pick up? Yeah…. it was time. In other legislative news, LD 944, “An Act to Support a Single Registration for ATV’s With Tracks and Snowmobiles”, did not make support the best trail system in the Northeast. It’s all done with volunteer’s very considerate business owner’s and the best landowner’s in the country. They make it happen! We appreciate them so much. Last season the state registered over 88,000 sleds. That’s incredible. Each section of the state is divided, and each has it’s own Rep’s we call Vice President’s. We have the Northern Region (The County as we call it) is staffed by Matt Stedman. The Eastern Region is a big area to run by Eileen Lafland usually with husband Larry in tow! Heading west, we have Jim Boyce stationed in the Kingfield area. The Coastal covers a lot of coast line and Davis Watson is at the helm. The Central VP is a long stretch as well and Jack Lord gets it done there. These VP’S go above and beyond! They all have an incredible work ethic and its shows in their regions. They make me proud and are terrific friends. So fellow snowmobiler’s join us on the trail this winter, please check our calendar section on the website or follow us on Facebook the clubs are starting up as we speak with events to raise money for trail work. Help out a club with your labor to clean brush, trim trail and donate in those jars on the counters of stores and clubhouses. Buy clothing, many club’s websites are offering merchandise for sale. Also, the MSASuper Raffle is taking shape. We have some great prizes this year:

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

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

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 4,780.17 $ 14,656.64 $ (9,876.47) $103,771.56

H ere we are again. September and another Maine snowmobiling season is fast ap- proaching. Myself and my fellow volunteers at MSA want to let you know that the MSA is focused and ready to jump into the 2021-2022 season. It all starts with this “first” newspaper issue of the season. This newspaper goes out to everyone that registered a sled during

Net Revenue

Checking (8/31/21)

DedicatedAccount (8/31/21) $ 38,450.60 Special EventsAccount (8/31/21) $ 18,026.65 Credit Line (8/31/21) $ - Building Fund (8/31/21) $ 53,760.26 BrianWass Safety Fund (8/31/21) $ 1,284.99

tion is a streamlining of MSA’s method of membership processing. The office will be dabbling in a couple different avenues with some of the larger and extremely small clubs this season to try and find a program or pro- cess that allows efficient transfer membership for all. Hang in there folks, cause the works of volunteers go at different paces. (As opposed to government speeds, because we all know those work so quickly, right?) In closing, I would like you all to consider thinking of how you maybe can step up and volunteer for MSA. MSA is similar to your local club in that our goal is to share the sport of snowmobiling with education, industry facing issues, environmental concerns, and of course the safety of the sport. Appreciation and respect to the landowners is our forefront! We align almost perfectly with the clubs ini- tiative’s, but broaden the spectrum a bit more in the fact that some issues facing the South- ern and Eastern Regions, differ from North- ern and Western only buy weather trends and snow patterns. Collectively though, we must fight as one giant family. Please, throw your hat in the ring. Let the 2021-2022 Season Begin! John Monk, Legislative Committee Rep. quick, and can be made to go fast. This year I’ll be working closely with IF&W to promote snowmobile safety in Maine. We plan on more safety stops, schooling, and edu- cation in schools. We lost ground last season account of the virus. Hopefully this year we can make things happen. We still have Safety Posters/Signs on hand give me a call or email I’ll get some out to you, also I bring them to the MSA directors meetings each month come to the meeting to pick some up. You know many of us knew what PPE was before the famous Doctor’s broadcasted it over the air waves for the last year. So wear your PPE, ear plugs safety glasses along with goggles good pair of gloves and boots when you’re out there trimming trails or working around your homes. Personal Protection gear is made to protect you. It only takes a sec- ond to put on a pair of earmuffs, glasses or earplugs. I hope you new folks will join us this sea- son. We have 14,000 miles of trail and the best landowner’s and supporting business’s you could ask for! Also the clubs are second to none. They make it happen, they’re the best volunteers, their passion runs deep, their love for our sport to make the best trials runs deeper! Ride Right Ride Safe! AL

Steering Committee

John Monk Chairman of Steering Committee H ello Maine Riders! It’s that time again! The office, while it hasn’t in any way stopped is now gearing up for the 21-22 Season. Did I just say that? From the Steering Committee/Legislative arena, there are a few high notes we would like to share. First off, THANKS A TON to ALL that supported LD-280, “An Act to Increase Funding to Snowmobile Trails and Snowmobile Grooming”. The communi- From the Executive VP & Safety Committee Chair

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

G reeting’s Fellow Rider’s. Hope your summer went well. It’s time to get going and take you into the Maine snowmobile season, every September all of you folks get this September issue of the MSA newspaper loaded with knowledge from the best snowmobile club’s in the state. We welcome you and hope you all join a club to

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