7361-R3_MSA_Nov2020_MaineSnowmobiler

From the President

fall foliage still hanging on and an absolutely gorgeous view from the meeting place, the deck/porch of the club President, Adam Ahlquist. Barren Mountain in all its beauty staring right back at us. It was a great meeting with 16 members which I think is more than the population of Elliotsville! I brought them up to speed on MSA news and they in turn told me how many miles (42) of trail they groom with their 2020 Skandic and mini mogul master. I learned a whole bunch of new short cuts during our meeting that I can’t wait to hit this winter. Another great group of hard working snowmobilers that take pride in their trail system and their beautiful area of Maine. Thank you Adam for the invite. Make sure your club gets their Super Raffle tickets in for the drawing. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a new sled or trailer or new gear? How about slow in coming, however if your club would like to hold an area workshop and have the space to comply with the “number of people restrictions” I would be more than happy to come to your location and put one on for you. In the absence of the workshops, I would like to share that the focus of the MSA Trails Committee is still on Signage. We without a doubt have the best trail system in the Northeast and keeping our signage on par with that is a must and keeps our riders safe and a reassurance of knowing where they are at all times. Please take a look at your signs and if they’re faded or falling apart take a few minutes and go over them or replace them. If you need paint markers or signs let me know or call the numbers attached to

an overnight stay or dealership gift certificate? One ticket could be the winner of a prize. I personally know a guy who bought one ticket and won a sled. You never know. December and the holidays are just around the corner now as well as the official start of the snowmobile season for Maine. Now is the time to get the sled serviced as well as your trailer. Don’t forget that new shield for the helmet or other gear that might have made it’s last trip last winter. My theory is, “It’s better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it”, especially on those long trips. Mother Nature is about to unleash whatever weather she’s got and I know the clubs of Maine are ready for her. A little snow on Thanksgiving always makes the meal taste better. Hope you all have a terrific Thanksgiving. Until next month, Think Snow, Mike this column and we will make sure that you get them, keeping in mind the ITS signs and Club signs come from different sources and are at no cost to the clubs. As I mentioned earlier there is some new information added for riders on the map, look for “Dan- ger” areas and highlighted areas that are subject to trail changes with pos- sibly little warning due to constantly changing highly logged areas. As always, the Trails Committee is here to lean on if needed by a club or member to help with any Trail related issue, so by all means call, email or message me and if we don’t have the answer we will find it. Till next time Thank-you for read- ing and keep on fighting the good fight! Mark

around the state have seen their first coating of snow with more forecast tonight. We are getting ever so close and I for one am really starting to get the itch. Hoping everyone got their October paper OK, remember, if your club/ MSA dues aren’t paid, you don’t receive a paper. The October paper continued to see small subtle changes as we move forward with a “new look”. Speaking of new looks, how many of you have checked out our website, mesnow.com? It too has seen some much needed updates with more to come. The trails conditions page has been a topic of much discussion and last year we started making changes to it as well. It is a “one stop shop” for trails conditions for clubs all over the state to chime in with their respective conditions. Most clubs post theirs to Facebook so just copy and paste them Chinnock head trail man for the MSA make us hard to beat! That’s just my opinion, you all make me very proud of what you do and how you do it. This year has been overwhelming; the virus has changed us emotionally and physically. Everything is changing or will be changed. Many points of destinations we’ve gone to for years are not reopening. So what do we do? We’re going to ride and have fun, just now it looks like a sandwich on the trail instead of a hot meal! I hope things lighten up by the start of the new season, so it will business as usual. We’ll see. The area VP’s are once again standing up and doing an awesome job from Matt in the far North and down east with Eileen, to the Coastal with David and heading West with Jim these folks are a great team and I’m very happy with all they do! I was invited to attend a drive thru Landowner’s Supper with the Leeds Stump Jumper’s. It was great! Raffle tickets were sold and the food was great! The meeting at The Ossipee clubhouse was a success and it was great seeing you folks from the Western/Coastal part of the state. To the smallest to the largest clubs in Maine Thank You for all you do! Call me if you need anything.. Be Safe, AL you need a card sent for any reason. Birthday, Anniversary, death in the family or birth announcement drop me an email. (skidoo6000@aol.com) or give me a call 207-945-6809 or 207-478-6821. Leave me a message and I’ll send it out ASAP. Happy trails, Gail

to us to post on our site as well. The MSA office continues to be swamped with calls from snowmobilers from all over New England and beyond. With the Canada border currently closed, many snowmobilers are looking to Maine for their winter vacations. Al Swett, continues to volunteer at the office in Augusta, answering the phones, getting the mail and returning correspondence. He has been a life saver for our office with the departure of Susan. We have interviews for a new office manager starting the first week of November so hopefully, we’ll have someone in place by Turkey day or first of December. One of my favorite things to do as President of MSA is visit with clubs. In October I got to attend a meeting with the E-Ville Riders of Elliotsville. We had a beautiful day with some

H ello Maine Snowmobilers! The Great Pumpkin has come and gone. Now there is frosting on that pumpkin as we get ready for Turkey day. As I type this, many places Mike Grass, Jr., 207-368-2316 249 Condon Rd, Plymouth ME 04969 mgrassjr@gmail.com

From the Executive VP

Trails Committee Chair Report

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

H i Folks

Here we are November has arrived. The month is a time to get ready for a new season of riding. Many clubs have been very busy getting the trail system back in shape after the off time. New bridges and widening of some areas have been completed. Still, a lot more to do by the backbone of the Maine snowmobiler. A group of volunteer’s that are second to none! Their devotion and passion for a sport that makes riders from all over the Northeast come here to our state and ride the best trails. We’ve come a long way, new equipment, tractors, groomers, drags and a better signage program with the help of Mark I t’s time I introduced myself . my name is Gail Ryan I am married to Barry Ryan the Assistant Treasurer of the MSA . I’m a Mom of 2 and grandmother of 4. I’ve been snowmobiler for 40 years or so. I love snowmobiling and the people involved. Now on to the job I’ve taken on.If

Mark Chinnock,Trails Committee Chair 207-754-9874 435 Poland Corner Rd, Poland ME 04274 napadude66@hotmail.com Hello, Everyone, so by now the 2020-21 ITS Map should be in the hands of the MSA V.P.’s, Directors and the Trails Committee. You can pick them up at the MSA office in Augusta or at any one of our monthly Directors meetings. You may notice that the map has somewhat of a fresh new look to it starting with the cover as well as more information for the rider on the Map itself. One of the programs that I started a year ago was the Trail Signage Work- shops which we held several across the state, and by and large proved to be fun and informative, the work- shops outline the information in the signage handbooks that are put out as well as some basics of good signage practices and things that the Dept. Of A.C.F. and the MSA would like to see on the trails. This year with the advent of Covid-19 the workshops have been

Treasurer’s Report

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

Respectfully Submitted, Lori Hemmerdinger, Treasurer

Hospitality Chair - Gale Ryan

Monthly Income Monthly Expense Net Revenue Checking (10/31/20)

$ 56,224.29 $ 27,312.23 $ 28,912.06 $ 49,185.33 $ 26,176.41 $ 53,648.44 $ 1,284.78 $ -

Dedicated Account (10/31/20) Credit Line (10/31/20) Building Fund (10/31/20) Brian Wass Safety Fund (10/31/20)

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