7909-R2_MSA_Mar2022_MaineSnowmobiler

MSA Club News

Camp Capella! Thank you to everyone who showed up to help, we all have “other things” to do, so giving up your day to make this a success is also super appreciated! Betty & I had a bit of catching up to do while working the ticket booth, which made my day go way too fast! Plan now to join us next year when we cele- brate our BIG #30!! We held our regular club meeting Feb 8th at the clubhouse, another good turnout. Wel- come to our newest member, David Gross! Thank you, Cheryl & Tim, for the yummy Ital- ian dinner from Davin-ci’s! I believe we’re all looking forward to these dinner meetings! We had discussion on trail grooming (lots of it!); the upcoming sleigh ride and Camp Capella the recipi-ent of our fundraiser; Ace- to’s would be plowing Sleigh Ride area; Jim is in charge of new club sweat-shirts. Saturday afternoon, Feb 5th, a total of 12 riders left the clubhouse for a club ride, head- ing to Lewiston, through Sabattus, & then back “home” to the clubhouse where Steve had a hot meal waiting for every-one. They said the trails were good, they all had fun, and only one little mishap kept it from being per- fect! Let’s just say, it’s always a good idea for the riders in the front to check that every- one makes the same turn! It isn’t as much fun when you realize you’re all alone, aren’t familiar with the trails, & where the heck did everyone go???! Good job Cheryl for staying calm until the guys came back for you! Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 8th, 6pm, at the clubhouse, we are planning on pizza & Italian sandwiches. We should have the final tally on the Sleigh Ride, too. Until then, I’ll be starting seeds, getting our greenhouses up & running, & playing in pot- ting soil! Hope-fully you get that one last ride in before the season officially ends! Respectfully Submitted, Libby Nilsen, Club Reporter Maine Snowmobilers At this time, we are already about two and a half months into the 2021/2022 season.Was a cold month of January and had a couple cold weeks.There was one weekend where we had 25 below on Saturday and 15 below on Sun- day just a little too cold for trail work. Trails where thin but rideable there was still thin spots where we need more snow. We finally got enough snow to head out on trails with grooming equipment. February started out good with two major snow events and as soon as we got into regular trail grooming, we had warm weather and rain. NFSC has had three new certified groomers out on the trails this year. Thank you, guys, for stepping up and helping out. Majority of the trail signing has been complete. Now back to the never-ending trail brushing as we wait for more snow. NFSC is always looking for new members and if you are interested in joining club there is application on Facebook. NFSC and I am always looking for new active members to help out with trail maintenance joining the club or clubs is great but I sure every club would like to have more boots on the snow- mobile trails helping. Ride right, ride sober and stay on marked trails Hope to see you on the trails William Allard Trail Master COASTAL REGION North Franklin sc Phillips, ME

6-12 inches tomorrow, but I don’t think that will save the season as the fields are extremely soft and there is so much water out there. I think it is time to accept that a banner snow year will be something of a fluke in our area now. Twenty years ago, we would think a year with light snow was rare, but now is the opposite. The good news is, we had 16 club mem- bers make the trip north to Caribou yesterday. Those of you who have ridden the ‘County’ know it’s a different world once you get above the 46th parallel. That line goes right through the Patten/Island Falls area. North of that is almost always good riding and can last in to April. South of that line is hit or miss. Our club is exploring the purchase of a side by side for trail maintenance. It would be a wheeled vehicle for trail maintenance in the summer and fall, then we can add tracks for grooming. The proper vehicle for this is not cheap, but we feel it would be the best bang for the buck over the long haul. Several of the members are looking at options and we’ll decide on the right side by side soon. We’ll then begin the grant request to see if the state will assist us with funding the vehicle. The grant program is complex and there is no guar- antee we’ll get it, but if we do, it will help take some of the sting out of the sticker shock. I hope everyone had a chance to ride even a little bit this season. If you follow any of the snowmobile forums out there, you know it’s a crazy time for the industry. Extremely limited stock and equally high prices have a lot of us wondering if it’s the right hobby to have. As the season comes to a close, make sure you take proper care of all your equipment so you’ll be ready to ride next season. Cheers Doug Doherty, President Like us on Facebook or message us at sebagobranchduckers@gmail.com Hello Everyone, Nothing new to report this month in Sebago. The warm temperatures and rain have taken a toll on the trails. The trails in Northern Maine are still look- ing good! Get out there and enjoy our state and the outdoors. SEBAGO BRANCH DUCKERS Sebago, ME

ting the trails and the lack of good signage at many intersections was discussed as well as club funds. It seems like we were all just at the MSA show in Augusta and now the Season is already winding down. Get out there when you can. Until next time. Club Reporter Joel Verney

WALDOBORO SNOWCRAWLERS Waldoboro, ME Find us on Facebook @ waldoboro sno-crawlers

We are happy to announce that after our rather tame blizzard we were able to finally get on the trails. The first snow did prove a bit troublesome though as it was mostly powder, and with the high winds the snow drifts caught many unaware as to the depths they were. We came across several snowmobilers stuck in the drifts, but the teamwork and caring attitudes of fellow riders was truly amazing.

The next storm delivered freezing rain, and we were sad, but the storm and icy conditions made for great trails, and some of the best riding out there. The Waldoboro Sno-Crawl- ers took full advantage of the trails and put together a group ride which contained twelve riders and we rode from the clubhouse up the Northern side of Waldoboro and then down to the local Steakhouse, Bullwinkle’s, located on Route 1. The riding didn’t end there on Sun- day we had a small group of five that headed from South Waldoboro down to Friendship and then to a cookout on the ice at our neigh- boring Friendship club. The trails were very busy, and we also had a group of Sno-Crawl- ers that noticed some trail maintenance on the Northern side, and they worked to remedy the issues. Of course, now we have no snow left, but we are hopefully that we can get at least one more snow to end the season. Come on snow! Club Reporters: Stephanie Bravoco and Doria Hunt MSA CLUBS: To Order Needed ITS & JCT SIGNS 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

Moxie is patiently waiting for more snow! Ride Safe, Jim LaPointe

MSA MEMBERS CHANGE OF ADDRESS 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 #

ALNA sc Alna, ME Hello Fellow Readers and Riders,

So Happy to report riding in and around Alna has been the best in several years....until the rain came. All trails were open and fully dragged. It has been fantastic seeing so much activity on the trails, skiers and walkers and 1 Mile was abuzz with activity for several days and nights. If only it had stuck around for a few more weeks! I know riding inland is amazing so trailers and camps may be the way to end out the season. Our last meeting was held on a wet and foggy evening with 13 members in attendance, plus Jake! A bountiful pot luck was enjoyed before President Jay brought the meeting to order. With the fresh snow pack many had been hit-

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SACO PATHFINDERS sc Saco, ME Find us on Facebook

Well, it looks like the riding season along the coast and in southern Maine is another bust. It was 65 degrees yesterday in Saco and we have pretty much lost all our snow. We are expecting

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