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September 2021 • Vol. 53 • No. 1 MSA, PO Box 80, Augusta ME 04332

An Official Publication of the Maine Snowmobile Association

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United we trail, divided we fail www.mesnow.com The Eastern Region is Calling You to Come Ride.

By: Eileen Lafland

Entering Jo Mary Trails

members to stay and eat at, and some of the lesser traveled trails in the state. There are many, many different places to park and ride for the day, week or how- ever long you want to. You can connect to all other parts of Maine from this region and the opportunities to explore the entire state of Maine by snowmobile are endless. Here is four areas you can park and ride from that will show you some of what the Eastern Region has to offer. In Newport begin at the Park and Ride on Route 7 just out of town. ITS 84/85 is next to the parking area. Jump on and stay on ITS 85 and head up through Dex- ter toward Dover. In Dover you can con- tinue on ITS 85 to Guilford, Abbott, Shirley, and into Greenville. How about taking ITS 82/83 out of Dover and heading towards Milo and Brownville? You can get on Con- nector Trail 110 and swing back over to Greenville then back to Dover and return

to Newport. Makes for a long day, but you will see some great scenery along the way. Want to make an overnight of it? From Greenville cruise on up to Rockwood and enjoy the beauty of Moosehead Lake area. Stay there or come back to Greenville and stay the night. Continue your ITS 85 North travels the next day through Kokadjo, to Millinocket, Shin Pond, and even further in to the Northern Region if you really, really want to spend days riding. Depending where you go and for how long you could ride on trails of fifteen to twenty Eastern Region clubs. Another great area to park and ride from is from the Katahdin Irons Works parking area off Route 11 North of Milo. Space here is limited so you will want to get there early in the day. Take Connector Trail 110W towards Greenville to ITS 85/86 along to Connector Trail 109 on to Connector Trail 111 and on to ITS82/83 back to KI. There are a few places to get gas and eat in Kok- adjo and Brownville. Riding Down east Maine? Start at Washington Jct. outside of Ellsworth and get on ITS 82 also known as the Downeast Sunrise Trail. There is a large parking area here. Head towards Machias and ride on down to Pembroke. There is a place to get gas in Franklin, about seven miles out the parking lot and then in Machias and East Machias. Four different snowmobile clubs maintain this trail. Another area that you can park and ride from which also has limited parking is off the Lincoln Exit off I-95, so get there early. Park at the salt shed area at the end of the extension. Head up ITS 82 to ITS 83 which takes you towards Medway and East Millinocket or take Connector Trail 109 and Connector Trail 111 through the Jo-Mary area. If you continue to Medway, you can take Connector Trail 110 and cross

over I-95 on the hot top to go towards Danforth and Springfield. All these areas will have places to eat and get gas as you travel through. You can also cross the Interstate and pick up ITS 81 which can take you to Mattawamkeag, Benedicta or Springfield depending on the trail you take. If you decide to go in to Lincoln from the extension road, be aware there are bridges to cross on the hot top. These are just a few of the many, many day trip rides you can take in the Eastern Region. They average 100 to 150 miles in a day depending on the route you pick. Views of Mt. Katahdin, the Atlantic Ocean, and Moosehead Lake are a small portion of the scenery you will see. Watch for deer, moose, and coyotes as they like to use the trails in these areas as well. There is even a place outside Kokadjo that if you stop to eat a snack beside the trail, do not be surprised if you are visited by Canada jays wanting you to share with them. From all of these areas there are local club trails you can access. Check with the local club to find out their recom- mendations. Many times the club trails are not as heavily used and offer some incredible scenery and places to eat and get gas. As with any area of the state you ride in, please support the wonderful busi- nesses who support us by becoming a MSA Supporting Business. You can find a list of these in your MSA newspaper and on the back of your MSA ITS map. They may also have a MSA Supporting Business decal displayed on the door or window as you enter. So, gear up, ser- vice your sleds, register early, and plan to come to the Eastern Region. We are waiting for you!

Sunrise Trail ITS 82

I t’s September, and hopefully you are thinking ahead to this season of snow- mobiling riding. Do you have any ideas where you want to ride? Are you look- ing to try something different and see new areas of Maine? The seventy plus snowmobile clubs in the Eastern Region are inviting you to come ride their trails. We offer scenic views, inviting business

Recreational Trail by Jo Mary

Crossing the breakwater in East Machias on the Sunrise Trail

Background Image: ITS 83 & Connector 112 intersection East Millinocket

2021 MSA Golf Scramble By Mike Grass, Jr. but in the end, each brand was well represented. Door prizes were picked by a draw from the hat as the golfers were smashing their golf balls with the MSA & Chase Toys logos (Thank You Chase Toys). Prizes were given out as soon as golfers arrived back at the clubhouse, speeding up the after scramble festivities. The MSA would like to thank our sponsors, Reggies Ski-doo of Leeds for our “Hole in One”, Chase Toys of Unity for the golf balls, our Blizzard sponsors, A.E. Robinson, Hammond Lumber and Mainers (gloves

O nce again this year, the MSA Golf Scramble was blessed with a fantastic day. Golfers came from all over Maine to enjoy a great day on the course and of course, off season “bench racing” while golfing at Palmyra Golf Course. The Fireball team from Cher- ryfield won the “Open Class” while the Benedicta Snowgang won the “Club Cup”. All the golfers enjoyed the well-maintained course, a BBQ served by “Chef” Mike Grass Sr. as they made the “turn” from the front nine to the back nine. Some nasty bench racing may have occurred on the deck over a burger or hot dog

and mittens). Royal River Boatyard and Jeff Brooks Septic System Design were our Storm sponsors. We had many Hole sponsors too so our tee boxes were all fully sponsored. The MSA would also like to the staff of the Palmyra Golf Course for the top-notch service and hospitality for our event. And finally, thank you to all the volunteers who helped to make it all happen. A great day was had by all and we hope to see you all and more of our snowmobiling friends next year as we hope to surpass 18 teams.

Landowners are the base and backbone of all recreational activities in Maine By Larry Lafland.

L andowners are the base and backbone of all rec- reational activities in Maine. 95% of all land in Maine is pri- vate. Landowners are the number one connection for all outdoor recreation

you know the land has changed hands, take as much info as you can to the town/city tax office. Let the clerk know who you are and what you are looking for. Be nice and ASK politely for their help in determining who the current landowner is. I have had good results using this approach. For snowmobile trials, if you need to do a re-route due to changes, I have found landowners are more likely to allow a new trail to be placed on the property lines if you ask. This helps them identify their property as well, so it can be a win-win situation for all parties. Be sure you re-check the landowner lists EVERY year, as things change. If you have a question again the fol- lowing year, just check in with the town office again. In the last couple of years, a lot of real estate has changed hands and the town websites may not have been updated in the last six to twelve months. A conversation face to face with the landowners is a good way to develop a relationship with them. You need to be courteous and respectful and above all else, a good listener. Do not be argumentative, and don’t TELL them what you want. Instead ask them and listen to what they say. This will most likely be very helpful and in the end you and the landowner can usu- ally come to an agreement. Another issue that may come up when you are asking

a landowner for permission to use their land is land- owner liability. The State of Maine has limited land- owner liability for landowners who allow recreational activities on their land. (Title 14 S159-A). It covers up to $400,000 of landowner expenses if he/she were to be sued for damages. Some larger landowners require a larger policy for ATV and snowmobile trails, up to $1 million in protection. Snowmobile clubs and ATV clubs can purchase this through V&V Insurance for addi- tional costs to the club. Clubs can also purchase more coverage to cover events like public suppers, yard sales, radar runs, grass drags, Hunters Breakfasts, etc. Another misconception is power Lines. Some are owned by the power companies, but many are still owned by the private landowner. The power com- pany then has an easement or right of way to have the poles there. Make sure you know who owns the line and include both the private landowner and the power company in your discussions regarding access. Respecting the landowner, no matter how big or small, should be the number one goal of anyone rec- reating on land in Maine. They own the land and are being gracious enough to allow people, snowmobile clubs and ATV clubs to use their land. Establishing a good working relationship with the landowner from the beginning will go a long way with them.

sports: hiking, biking, ATV riding, snowmobiling, hunt- ing, fishing and all other sports. The statement, “Ask for forgiveness instead of asking for permission,” does NOT apply when you are dealing with landowners. There are ways to determine who owns the land that you plan to be on and it is YOUR responsibility to do that. All town offices have this information and it is public information. Most tax maps are on their web- sites, showing the map and lot number of property. The person looking for this info must be familiar with where the property is on the ground. In the case of snowmobile trails, this person should be the trailmas- ter. If you are not computer savvy, you can work with someone who is to get the information. You will need the map number and lot number and the owner’s name, and address. If the information you find is not clear, or

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Showcase YOUR club and its members by nominations to the MSA Club Contests By John Monk.

E ach year, the MSA staff tirelessly look for the clubs, businesses, dealers, and members that continu- ously and quietly continue to make Maine Snowmo- biling what it is. Everyone knows that somehow it continues to get done and is ready when we all want it to be. We, like most of you perform our duties as a matter of pride, well-being, and the wonderful enjoy- ment of seeing people out enjoying our natural beau- ties. This has been true for 50 plus years. This is the very reason the MSA Contests exist! So, go the extra mile and recognize them! It is no secret the current “Club of the Year”, the Norway Trackers, and other previous winners such as the Rangeley Lakers, Portage Lakers, and Penob- scot SC have set the bar high. All these clubs recently have just seemed to gel at the right moment and been nominated by one of their peers that felt they took the extra step. Here’s a news flash… There are 284 of you other clubs that continuously are doing the same things behind the scenes. Each club out there all have equal ability to show a social presence, commu- nity outreach, landowner support, membership cama- raderie, a fancy trail system, and a big ole giant wal- lop of snowmobiling patriotism. The winners are most often selected on a great written nomination with supporting pictures, letters of support and a general conveyed feeling of “It sure would be fun to hang with

these people”! THAT’S IT! Come on Folks! Nominate your Club’s. There are five different contests. Dealer of the Year, Groomer of the Year, Supporting Business of the Year, Snowmobiler of the Year, and as mentioned, Club of the Year. Do not for one second try and convince us that every person to ever grace a seat of a sled can’t name someone who got them in this game. (Here is where you and the nomination part come in). Groomer of the Year? No Brainer, right! Someone out there has expended some serious time to lug that title home. Hint: Check out Travis Archer in the Western Region for a few pointers. We might add that there’s bit more involved than just turning the key and driving around a bit hauling a hunk of metal behind. Bring ‘em to us folks! Would you agree Travis? Dealer of the Year, while very competitive, is gen- erally squared off by a strong nomination pushing the cream to the top. Last season’s winner, “Reggie’s” in Leeds, again edged out some of the other long-time dealers by a strong following of happy customers. But it was the nomination that got it done. Supporting Business can be all over the place. The tie last season were in almost opposite ends of the state ironically with almost similar names. R+M Market and G+MMarket. Both supported their neigh- borhood clubs, members, and trail systems with tre-

mendous backing and the riders of the area were blessed to have them! The key denominator here? A nomination! Snowmobiler of the Year is an incredibly strong phrase to pull together. Considering there are 85,000 registrations. The MSA is truly blessed to have our current treasurer, Lori Hemmerdinger, flying this flag and yanking the MSA chain and towing with it num- bers many thought were never imaginable. The point here? There are 288 other treasurers, secretaries, presidents, and countless grant writers, groomer operators, burger cookers, trailmasters, parking lot plowers, business owners, LANDOWNERS, and of course SNOWMOBILERS that are deserving of this. It’s as simple as a nomination. One often overlooked award is the Photo Contest Award. Yep! no nomination necessary. (Now that just derailed this speech). Send in your photo and bring home the thought your special moment will grace the front of the next years MSA Calendar! Now that gets some visibility… and some hardware at next year’s annual meeting. Congrats to Jeff Bourassa for this year’s efforts! As we all roll through the season, place those names in your helmets and these positions need to be recognized. The nominations are due in the MSA Office on February 28, 2022. Make it happen.

2021 Club of the Year - Norway Trackers

2021 Dealer of the Year Reggie’s Kawasaki Ski-doo

2021 Supporting Bussiness of the Year G & M Market

2021 Groomer of the Year - Travis Roderick

2021 Snowmobiler of the Year - Lori Hemmerdinger

2021 Supporting Bussiness of the Year - R & M Country Store

2021 MSA Picture of the Year - By Jeff Bourassa

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2021 Groomer of the Year - Travis Roderick

Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife SNOWMOBILE SAFETY COURSES IF&W Recreational Safety Unit: 207-287-5220 An updated list of courses and options for online course registration are available at:

maine.gov/ifw/programs-resources/safety-courses/snowmobile-safety.html Hollis 11/14/21 – Buxton/Hollis Rod & Gun, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm Contact Shaw Sage – (207) 329-7096 *Combination ATV/Snowmobile. To Schedule a course contact the safety coordinator for your area: York Cumberland: Stephen Barr, 207-446-4173 or Stephen.L.Barr@maine.gov Kennebec: Michael Foster, 207-446-4122

Androscoggin/Oxford: Michael Mayo, 207-446-4125 or Michael.Mayo@maine.gov Lincoln/Sagadahoc: Vacant Franklin: Vacant Penobscot/Piscataquis: Charles Schaffer – 207-446-4132 or Charles.B.Shaffer@maine.gov Hancock/Washington: Vacant Aroostook/No Penobscot: Vacant

or Michael.J.Foster@maine.gov Somerset: Craig Gerry, 207-446-4249 or Craig.I.Gerry@maine.gov Knox/Waldo: Jasmine Pomerleau, 207-441-3270 or Jasmine.A.Greenleaf@maine.gov

MSA Looking to Gather a Bit More Info. By John Monk It comes as no surprise to many of the information that was asked for and gathered on the economic impact study reflecting our sport. Many were surprised at the outcome it returned as most of it is handled by the “professional volunteers” that just seem to do what we all do. One question that blatantly seems to come up and is often a hot topic is the visual large gap between club members and the number of registered sleds. On the surface, the immediate results are not real positive…. But Wait! This season, MSA has added a numbered check box on your MSA Membership cards. It is called out as “How many sleds did you register last season”? The purpose of this is to get a better handle of how many members are supporting the state organization and their affiliated clubs. Currently, the gap appears large from actual MSA members to number of registered sleds. We believe the number to be much better than it appears as one family membership to a club and/or MSA could translate into 2,3,4 etc. of sleds. This can be skewed in many ways and will never possibly be 100% as some folks register new/used sleds during the season and the same sled can be registered twice or more after a sale. Hang with us as we continue to improve ways to get everyone to carry a chunk of the load. Please be as accurate as possible when filling in the box. This primarily is being tracked for showing the support of the clubs in Maine and the number of sleds tallied by its members. Thanks all for the added input and Ride On! And be safe!

The calendar features photographs from across the state, contributed by MSA members whose work captures the beauty andexcitement of snowmobiling inMaine. It includes information about the MSA, the list of MSA-affiliated snowmobile clubs, and marks major holidays throughout the year. The price for a calendar is $10, plus postage. Calendars are shipped USPS/Priority Mail - please include your US Postal Service mailing address. Calendars are also available at the MSA Office, 7 Noyes Street Place, Augusta. The calendar is produced by the MSA; proceeds benefit the Maine Snowmobile Association. Thank you for supporting the association through your calendar purchase.

Here’s my order for the 2021 Snowmobile Maine Calendar Number of Calendars: ________ x $10.00 = _____________ + Postage (1 Calendar): $3.00 _____________ (2-5 calendars): $7.75 _____________ Total Payment: _____________ Checks payable to the Maine Snowmobile Association Mail Calendar(s) to: Name: __________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________ City/State/Zip:____________________________________ If paying by credit card: Name:__________________________ Ph:_______________ Address:__________________________________________ Card Type Check One: MC_____ VISA_____ Discover _____ Card #___________________________ CVV Code:_______ Signature: ________________________________________

Mail form and payment to: MSA-Calendar, PO Box 80, Augusta, ME 04332 Credit Card purchases may be faxed to: 207-622-7669

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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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ing almost every week as the MSA Steering Committee throughout the summer, making everyday decisions, paying bills etc. Working with the office staff getting ready and prepar- ing for the MSASnowmobile Show, the Super Raffle, the first edition of the MSA newspaper and the Epping Grass Drags, not to mention the MSA Golf Tournament (which was back in June and was a huge success). We’ve also been getting the new ITS Trail Map ready for print and all the components that go with that, and let’s not forget all the regional Trails Workshops and mapping meet- ings coming up throughout the Fall. So need- less to say there have been many people in the MSA office and on the Steering Committee that have been working very hard for the last several months to keep things going and keep us on task for what lays ahead. I say this with great pride, not for myself but for my peers because there are people, volunteers in these positions that put far more time and dedica- tion in than I myself do, so to all of these peo- ple we need to say Thank you. Ok, so back to Trails stuff. The Trails Com- mittee had its first meeting in August and by the time this newspaper comes out will have had its September meeting to rally the troops sort of speak and to contact clubs statewide to make any notable trail changes to insure the most accurate ITS map possible. We are also working on setting up a few regional workshops around the state, with one in the user is moving trails. Hopefully it will be set- tled by the time snow flies. V.P. Northern Region-Matt Stedman: Report relayed by AL-working on the grass drags in September. Bringing the super raffle sleds up for display. Safety Al Swett: Big demand for safety posters. Every fatality is one too many, we had six, six too many. Educate more peo- ple. Mike Sawyer just retired from IF&W Safety division, they are interviewing for his replacement. MSA Trails Committee: Mark Chinook: This year we are having a snowmobile show, missed it last year. Will have a MSA booth. Trail workshops are scheduled in the Carabas- sett and Shin pond area. Working on ITS trail maps, deadline of September 15, get it printed in time for the show. First trail meeting. Zoom is working well. C-4 maps are updated every year or so. (This is Central Lakes Region Kennebec County plus covers trails from Androscoggin River to the Kennebec River, Southern towns Sabattus and Richmond to the Northern towns Farmington, Mercer, and Norridgewock. Advertising on the back makes it a great map for $5.00.) Hospitality- Gail Ryan: No report. Membership Committee- Eileen Lafland: Look for the officer update form in the mem- bership packet, Can be all filled out online to make it easier, any questions call. Steering Committee Chairman-John Monk: Shared the sad news that Rebecca “Becky” Theriault passed away recently, wife of Tim Theriault -State Representative in the China area, who has been a great supporter of snow- mobiling and MSA. All the grant applications have been mailed so please check those P.O. boxes and get them right back to me. One change you will see this year is that the Club Grants and Municipal Grants have the same deadlines for applica- tions and reimbursement requests. The dead- line for applications is December 1st,2021. Hopefully this will help and be less confusing by having one set of deadlines for both trails’ grants. Items needed with your grant applica- tion are updated maps, project descriptions, list of landowners and a completed Trails in-Aid Grant Application with signatures. Any questions with the grant process, please send

Kingfield area as well as the Shin Pond area; I would also like to see one in the Newport and Oxford Hills Regions. We will also be hosting the annual Trails Workshop on Sat- urday morning October 23 rd . at the MSA Snowmobile Show in Augusta and I will have more details in next month’s paper. If anyone would like to hold a Trails Signage Workshop in their area feel free to reach out to me and we’ll see if we can make that happen. We are working on the new ITS Map as I said before and should have that in every- one’s hands by the first week in October. Something else we will be holding this fall is Regional mapping meetings where we the Trails Committee get together by Region, i.e., Western, Northern etc. and go over ITS Trail inspection routes and discuss this year’s focus, which I can tell you will be on Trail Signage once again this year. Two years ago we started a campaign on improving trail sig- nage and taking it up a notch. By educating ourselves on this we were able to give the trail riders a hopefully better experience by hav- ing well marked trails, and I have to say I like what I’ve seen and by and large the clubs have really stepped up to the challenge. Well Folks I think I’ll call it a day and say goodbye for now, and as always if anyone has any questions, comments or something of interest that they would like to share give me a call, text or email. Thank you, Mark. At a trails committee meeting, a sugges- tion was made to make the ITS signs reduce the emblem and make a space at the bot- tom for arrows, GPS coordinates, or other information. USDA grants awarded- one partial funding for a new large groomer. LD 280 “Increase in registrations”, will drastically increase the funding for snowmo- bile trail fund and capital equipment grant, this will enable our volunteers to improve how they can do their jobs more efficiently. (Signed by the governor 6/8/21) LD 944 “An act to simplify dual registra- tion of snowmobiles and ATV” This is two separate programs, we have worked very hard for our trail system. So MSA opposes this bill. ( Placed on legislative files. Dead) LD 1244 “An act to Extend Electronic Proof of Registration to All-terrain Vehicles, Snowmobiles and Watercraft (Signed by the governor 6/8/21) LD 1033 “An Act To Allow Sunday Hunt- ing on Private Property with the Written Per- mission of the Landowner” (Signed by the governor 7/9/2021) LD 1212 “An Act To Allow Sunday Hunt- ing North of U.S. Route 2 from the New Hampshire Border to Bangor, North of Route 9 from Bangor to the Canadian Border and within That Portion of the White Mountain National Forest inside the State” (Dead) LD1370 “An Act To Establish Trail until Rail Corridors” (Signed by the governor 6/15/21) LD1439 “An Act To Clarify All-terrain Vehicle Registration Requirements and Establish Regular Maintenance of Designated State-approved All-terrain Vehicle Trails” The deadline for Capital Equipment Grant Applications is still June 15th, 2022 for this coming round. We have great news on the Cap- ital Equipment Grant fund. Legislation passed LD280 that gives this program a much-needed increase in revenue. The Capital Equipment Grant fund started in 1998 and has not had an increase in funding for 21 years. You all know equipment can be incredibly expensive so hav- ing this additional money to help more clubs is a huge plus. I look forward to working out the details with the State of Maine Snowmobile me an e-mail or feel free to call. Joe.higgins@ maine.gov 207-287-4957

Trails Committee Chair Report

MSA CLUBS: To Order Needed ITS & JCT SIGNS

(Signed by the governor 6/15/21) Scholarship -Harvey Chesley: No report. Hall of Fame-Beth Bowie: Looking forward the representing MSA at the Epping Grass Drags. Need more people for members of Hall of Fame. Great season looking forward. Old Business: Super Raffle- Ordered 85k tickets and now have 3 cases left. Expect they will sell well at Cumberland and Fryeburg Fairs. Incredible. Rich Armstrong-Snowman Printing, Herman- one week turn around. Posters available. Snowmobile Show Update- Oct. 22,23 & 24 nearly full. Things are lining up for a great show. Membership Packets-Ready to ship. Newspaper Deadlines & Articles- Need more club news. Get it in and we will find room for it. New Business: Voted to raise lifetime mem- bership to $300. Have a whole pile of 2022 calendar’s. New Website: Working on a new design, what to use, what not to use. Advisory Council: working hard to spend the money where it is needed. Looking at rais- ing the Capital equipment grant cap of $200k, will take time to get it through the process. The projected funds for capital equipment grants will go from $430k to $860k. Club grants will increase to $200 per mile. September 12 Landowner appreciation Statewide cleanup day. 50/50 Ted Migaszek $85. Pot of Gold: Streaked Mountaineers unclaimed Advisory Council on some policy upgrades to the Capital Equipment Grant and will hope- fully have a process in place before the end of this year. A big thank you to the Maine Snow- mobile Association, IF&W committee and all who supported this bill. Can’t wait for the cooler weather and I hope to get out more on the trials this coming snow- mobile season. Look forward to seeing a lot of you at the Maine Snowmobile Show. Stay Healthy and Take Care. Joe Higgins State of Maine DACF Snowmobile Program Supervisor Contact Mike Grass Sr. MSA Trails Committee 252 Condon Rd, Plymouth, ME 04969 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 Meeting Adjourned 7:38 Respectively submitted, Brad Barker, Secretary

Mark Chinnock,Trails Committee Chair 207-754-9874 435 Poland Corner Rd, Poland ME 04274 napadude66@hotmail.com H ello Everyone, and so we begin another season. It definitely has been a roller- coaster of emotions being that it seems like just yesterday that I was rather sad saying goodbye to last season and now I sit here writ- ing this and am excited to say Hello to a new season! It has been an extremely hectic summer, not just personally but we have been meet- A t 6:35 PM President Mike Grass Jr. called the meeting to order. Secretary’s Report can be viewed on web page, no action taken. Treasurer’s report. Read and placed on file at the office. Dedicated account is the Super Raffle account- money from last season, Spe- cial Events account is the Virtual Sno-cross Race account. President’s Comments- Mike Grass Jr.: Wel- come to our first meeting of 2021-2022 sea- son. Thanked all, for their hard work for this meeting and the E-Board meeting last week. AL for coordinating the Super Raffle prizes, sleds, trailers. MSA things are very exciting. Executive Vice President-Al Swett: Mem- bership Packets-boxes put together and ready to go. Newspaper-incredible. Bank account-awesome. Working on getting MSA easy-up tents. Will make us look more pro- fessional. Super Raffle prizes- Polaris 850, Ski-doo 600, Artic Cat ZR 200, Nitro Trailer, and more incredible items. Big thank you for all the donations and discounted items. Snow- mobile show is coming along, mostly all the booths are filled. V.P. Eastern Region- Eileen Lafland: Mem- bership packets are going out. Working with landowners. Clubs are working. Thank you to Lori and Bob for all you do. V.P. Western Region- Jim Boyce: “Wild Summer !” Explained the recent challenges of the Carrabassett Valley trail system. Every- body is moving to Maine. Explained how landowner that pushed his patience too far with the end results. V.P. Coastal Region-Dave Watson: Things are quiet, and clubs are working on trails. V.P. Central Region- Jack Lord: Weyerhae- Little did I realize that when I came into the office this August 25th, 2021 that I would be asked to write a quick note for the MSA paper. It is 93 degrees, hot and humid. Think- ing about snow does help a little though. I’m sure you all have heard the older we get the faster the time goes, or is it the faster time goes the older we get?? Either way, summer has been extremely busy and here we are going into September and snowmobiling is on our minds. This is a great time to catch up with your landowners and get permission and thank them. A sincere thank you goes a long way. H ello Landowners & Club Members,

Director’s Meeting 566 Secretary’s Report - August 24, 2021

Snowmobile Grant Applications are in the Mail

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clubs and the contact people within the club. The MSA Snowmobile Show is a go this year!! The office has been working extra hard to line up dealers, vendors and exhibitors for this year’s show. At this time, it looks like all booths have been or are nearly sold, so we are looking forward to a great turnout. Watch for more information in this paper and next month. Super raffle tickets are printed and according to Al Swett, flying out the door of the MSA office. Al worked out to get some GREAT prizes for this year’s raffle. Price will still be $2 each or 6 tickets for $10. The club keeps half the money and MSA gets the other half. It’s a wonderful fund-raiser so make sure your club gets tickets soon. FOR EASTERN REGION CLUBS- I will have a supply of Super Raffle tickets at my house, or be able to get them from Augusta within a day or two. If you need some, please call me and we will make arrangements to deliver them. This is an attempt to save MSA postage as they are heavy and the mail service is slower lately. Make sure you contact me a week before you need them so we can get them to you. ALSO FOR EASTERN REGION CLUBS- I will be setting up an Eastern regional meeting in September in the Holden area. I would like as many Eastern region clubs as possible to attend so we can distribute MSA club packets to you. This may have already happened by the time you get this paper, if so just contact me. If you haven’t heard from me about your club packets, please contact me at llafland@midmaine.com or call (207)-843-7813. Again, we are attempting to cut down on postage costs and to make sure this information reaches the clubs directly. Be safe on trial workdays everyone! Make sure you are contacting your landowners and getting their permission. Do not assume it is the same per- son as in the past, because a lot of changes have taken place in the last year. Until October, Stay safe and buy and sell those raffle tickets!! Eileen Lafland, Eastern Region VP

H ello everyone hope your summer was great but it’s time to get ready for the season. Here is a few things that help me out. Check in with your local realtor to see if properties have changed hands on your trail system. Another is reach out to the local hunters for blow downs bridges that might need repair. I always get great feedback from these groups. I’ve been working on delivering the membership packets to the Western Clubs along with super raffle tickets. Reach out to me if I can do anything or answer a question. Always here to help out. Till next month THINK SNOW Jim Boyce 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. I look forward to meeting as many folks who help drive snowmobiling in the Northern Region as possible; you are a hard-working crew! Matt Stedman tween. Volunteers meet with private landown- ers to get permission to access property, place signage, repair bridges, groom trails, etc. At a larger level the clubs and associations work to ensure that issues that affect snowmobil- ers & snowmobiling are being discussed and worked on so we can continue to enjoy our great sport for years’ to come. Clubs need volunteers, if you have been sitting back as a passive club member or snowmobiler I would ask that you step out & take on a task for a club this year. It is very rewarding knowing you are a part of “making it happen”. Remember, most all of the trails in the state connect, so it is key to our sport to keep them all open so folks everywhere have trails to enjoy. I would also encourage you long term club members to reach out to those who do not currently join and ask them…we need more people assisting in club events, fundraisers & trail maintenance to ensure what we have today remains possible in the future. The only way we do this is to welcome new people into our clubs, allow them the opportunity to bring new energy & ideas. Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 llafland@midmaine.com W OW!!! Summer has flown by again and we are getting ready for a new snowmobile sea- son. Where does the time go? It seems like I just wrote one of these yesterday, but it has really been a few months. I hope everyone had a safe, enjoyable summer and you are all looking forward to getting cold weather and riding the trails. As I write this, things are still on shaky grounds with the COVID virus, but let’s hope we get it under control again and move forward. Speaking of moving forward, that is what MSA is doing, little by little. The steering committee has continued to meet through the summer and we have some new ideas to put in place. Clubs- when you get your club packets this year, PLEASE look them overcarefully as some processes have changed. We are attempting to make things easier for clubs to submit items to the MSA office, so read it care- fully. Also, please make sure the person in charge of memberships for your club gets their info soon and reads it carefully. If your club has not filled out a new Officer Update Form just go the MSA website, www.mesnow.com, click on for mem- bers and choose MSA forms, click Officer update- online version, fill it out and send it. Or you can pick the download version, print and mail it to the MSA officer. Either way, we really need this form completed ASAP so we can keep in touch with the

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

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

H i All.

G reetings Snow Lovers!!! I’ve had a conversation with Mother Nature recently and I asked her to be kind this winter, She is going to speak with the rain gods to keep the faucets open just like the rain (we’ve had all summer). In other words my friends it is time to start the snow dancing.... Clubs are already coming together to turn the great state of Maine into the best riding in the Northeast. This year’s “SUPER RAFFLE” is bigger & better than ever. Three sleds, Hybrid trailer, and much more. What a great way to raise money for your club selling tickets with no cost to your club, should you need tickets let me know I can get them to you. MSA snowmobile show is back this year too. I hope to see you there. As always we need new members, volunteers please ask people to join. It is an exciting start to this winter. I’m looking forward to getting back on the trails. Enjoy the fall and start Dancing!!! Dave Watson

Here we go again. We are at least three months away from snowfall. This is the three months we put in all the work it takes to get four months of great riding in. We try to make sure we are getting everything safe and well signed. I know from doing this the last forty years, there is always small trail changes and some larger ones. We try to make sure these changes are all signed and well-marked and as always I ask, please watch the signs and be careful. I am asking all Central Region Clubs if there is anything I can help you with, please call or e-mail me. I know after trying to get to all the clubs it is sometimes overwhelming, so if you need me I’m here, it will be easier for my 52 clubs to call me then for me at my age to try to remember who I have called. Remember ride and work safe, have fun and call me, and don’t forget your snow dance. Keep Smiling, Be Safe Jack Lord

Northern Region VP

CLUB MEMBERS Once grooming begins SUBMIT YOUR TRAIL REPORTS TO: MSA@MESNOW.COM Please include your name and club affiliation Let us know when your USPS mailing address has changed - so you won’t miss an issue of the Maine Snowmobiler Members Name: ______________________________________ Old Mailing Address: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ NEW MAILING ADDRESS: __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ Mail to: Maine Snowmobile Association, PO Box 80, Augusta, ME 04332 fax: 207-622-7669 or e-mail info to: msa@mesnow.com MSA MEMBERS CHANGE OF ADDRESS

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

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

H ello fellow snowmobilers, Where has summer gone? Seems like just yesterday school was letting out and folks were planning summer trips. This paper goes out to all folks who registered sleds in Maine last season, if you are not currently a member of one of Maine’s great snowmobile clubs I hope something you see in this paper encourages you to reach out & join. It is a great way to meet new folks, lend a helping hand & spend time with others that enjoy the sport as much as you do. The Maine Snowmobile Association & its clubs are the reason we have all the great trails across the State, connecting the riders from point A to point B and all the businesses in be-

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

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