7448-R1_MSA_Feb2021_MaineSnowmobiler

MSA Club News

of the Swedes Trail (Trail 81) that had to be rerouted for a few hundred yards from where it had connected to ITS 83 near East Road. Trail 81 still connects to ITS 83, but it will now be via the Matt Williams Trail (Trail 88E). So, heading east on Trail 81 and after crossing Capitol Hill Road, follow the trail, as usual, down the

meds are in a twist. With that being said we have been meeting with the COVID Restrictions and planning our Feb Poker run for Feb 20. Registra- tion starts at 9 at the MVSD Club- house, 58 North St. in Sherman! The guys and gals have been very busy clearing trails from the storm we had earlier in December. We want to thank everyone for ALLYOUR VOL- UNTEERING to get the job done & the crew that drove 3 hours to volun- teer!!!!! Memberships are still com- ing in …We are a club where there are no strangers only friends you haven’t met!! To join, send us a message and we will get back in touch with you! One of our groomer guys (Steve Bechard) had surgery earlier and is doing fine, but will not be grooming this year. All we want is that he keeps healing as next year is another year! we have 2 more groomer operators for our big groomer! Congratulations Shawn Southard and Ray Fogg Jr. Not much to report but we hope you all have a Happy New Year and be safe! Keep on Keeping ON!!!! Deb Long (MVSD Club President) EASTERN REGION We all had such high hopes for the 2021 season of riding here in Clif- ton and so far, (Jan.20th) we haven’t been able to do any trial riding except in trucks and work vehicles to repair storm damage, and beaver issues. Our main trail towards Milford (Con- nector Trail 107) had some serious washouts due to heavy rains and crit- ter issues. We have been in contact with the landowners and have been able to do some work to get the trail open for this year. That is if Mother Nature and Ole Man Winter both ever decide to grace us with cold, cold weather and heavy, heavy snowfall which hasn’t happened yet! It is get- ting colder at this time and hopefully all the running water will freeze solid which would be a big help. CASC is still not meeting in person due to not having a place big enough for everyone to social distance. The Town of Clifton did allow us to meet there twice earlier in the season but we can’t do that anymore so we talk via phone, text and email and keep doing what we can to make the best of a terrible situation, just like everyone else is doing. By this time of the year, we are in the planning stages for our annual fundraising event, the dinner/dance/ CLIFTON AREA sc Clifton, ME

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auctions events. It appears we will not be doing that this year again as restrictions do not allow it at this time. It takes a great deal of planning for our small group of members to pull off this event but one we all look for- ward to each year. As with so many other events we read about each day, just wait until next year! One project we are going for- ward with is a new storage building. Nancy and Dola are allowing the club to place a structure on their property where the tent shelter is now. We are so grateful to them for allowing the club to do this. Part of ground work is already done and the building is being ordered for a spring delivery. It will be a major expense and without our fundraiser to replenish the bank account it could be tight for a while but in the long run a much-needed purchase. That’s all from Clifton for Febru- ary. When we get snow, hopefully we will see you on the trails. The Officers, Directors and Mem- bers of CASC BLUE RIDGE RIDERS Rockwood, ME Hello from Blue Ridge Riders in Rockwood! It has been a S-L-O-W start to the snowmobile season! The rain in December took our snow and pre- vented good ice from forming. Jan- uary didn’t see much snow either. In addition, the temperatures didn’t make great ice. Part of our trails are on Moosehead Lake. As of this writ- ing, the lake has not been staked. As always, stay on marked trails and use extreme caution when riding on lakes and ponds. Our meeting in January was can- celled due to COVID as well as lack of snowmobile activity. Don’t despair though! February is a new month! Ice is forming on Moosehead. Rockwood did receive some snow and cold temps which is making our base strong. Our club is ready for riders when conditions allow. Because of the late start to the sea- son, many people will be taking every opportunity to get out and ride. The border to Canada is still closed which will result in more people riding in the U.S. Please be careful out there! As a reminder, February is Calendar Month for Blue Ridge Riders. This is a great opportunity to support our club while having a chance at being a winner. We draw a name each day in February for a cash prize. To get your calendar, contact a BRR Club member or Dottie Boynton at 207-

205-0413. Also, if your membership hasn’t been sent in, now’s the time! Have fun, stay safe, respect land- owners, and support where you ride! Respectfully submitted, Emily Bodemer, Secretary

Portage Lakers would like to send out a huge thank you to our members and business members for their con- tinued generosity! We’ve received a large amount of donations even though business is not normal due to COVID19 and the lack of snow. It is greatly appreciated during this diffi- cult year! Due to COVID19 we’re uncertain at this time whether or not we’ll be able to have our fun-loving events that we hold every year. With that being said the Portage Lakers highly recommend registering your snow- mobiles no matter what because that’s where next year’s grant revenue will come from which will help out every club in Maine. The guys have been busy making sure everything is ready for when the snow comes. Looking to volunteer? Please contact us at info@portagelak- ers.org Club can’t survive without a great group of volunteers. Without our remarkable crew we wouldn’t exist and neither would our amazing trails. Please consider volunteering a few hours of your time. This is my first newsletter for the club and hopefully everyone finds it informative. The club has elected new officers which are listed as follows: Bub Anderson-President; Steve Ander- son-Vice President; Phyllis Orthaus -Treasurer; Denis Orthaus -Secretary; Brent McKeen-Trail Master; and Bar- bara McKeen -newly appointed Club News Reporter. Officers have been holding their meetings via Zoomwhich has worked very well for everyone. Club members have been very busy the past couple of months placing signage on trails. There is a section ~ Chelsea Stratton NORDIC LAKERS sc Stockholm, ME

SHIRLEY BOG TRAIL BUSTERS Shirley, ME Check out our website https://sites.google.com/site/ shirleybogtrailbusters Like us on Facebook: Shirley Bog Trail Busters Get in touch with us at

ShirleyBogTrailBusters@gmail.com It is late January as I write this news- letter. Finally, a little snow and trails have been signed and groomed. How- ever, grooming will be at a minimum until we get more snow. Our trails are multi-use trails. Please be aware that we do have Dog Sled Teams on the trails daily along with cross country skiers and walkers. Slow down and go by them slowly. No one wants speed limit signs, so be courteous. As always, drive safe. We would like to thank all of our landowners in the Shirley area. Without your land for our trails, we would not have such a great winter sport and trails. So, THANK-YOU to our Shirley landowners; Charlie Baker, Greg Young, Dean McKusick, Karen Jodrey, Mike Muhr, Penobscot Forest LLC, Carrier Timberlands, LLC, Hutch Gagne, Dave Taylor, Mark Gagnon and Denis & Wendy O’Connor. Debi Lynne Baker Secretary Last winter we started a regular program of posting, on our Facebook page, a nightly trail report with video while grooming. This gave the riding public accurate information on where grooming had taken place the night before, the snow conditions and the grooming results. More than half of our trails are on mountainous terrain with endless twists and turns and there is a lot of variation in snow accumu- lation. Grooming is always difficult and the results are not always perfect. But it seems the riding public is more accepting when they see and hear actual timely information. Most of our riders come a distance and many make route plans days and weeks in advance. Social media is becoming an increasingly important means of providing the information they need so they can adjust their expectations MOOSEHEAD RIDERS sc Greenville, ME Find us on Facebook

hill. Once across the small bridge over the stream at the bottom of that hill and after coming up and over the rise into a small field, make a hard right-hand turn and follow the new signage on Trail 81 which will bring you to a T-intersection with Trail 88E (the Matt Williams Trail). At this intersection, if turning left, ITS 83 is approximately one mile away. I am sure all clubs are feeling the same way with very low snow totals so far but I know when the snow comes the trails will be busy with anxious sledders!! With COVID 19 still very active people will be anx- ious to get on the trails and get a break from staying inside. I am sure some will stop by restaurants to grab a bite to eat or have a hotdog roast alongside the trail, whatever you choose please be safe and have fun!! Please make sure to respect landowners. If you carry in carry out. We are very fortu- nate landowners are gracious enough to let us use their land to pass through to get to our trails. Hopefully we will get some snow very soon and we can get out to enjoy the trails. Stay safe and please make sure to wear your masks. Barbara McKeen MOLUNKUS VALLEY SNO-DRIFTERS Sherman, ME Greetings from Molunkus Valley Sno-Drifters in Sherman. As I’m writing this it’s 23 degrees and we have a very light covering of snow on the ground! Our Snow Queen has been dancing but Mother Nature’s

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