7909-R2_MSA_Mar2022_MaineSnowmobiler

From The Executive Board

and the generosity of private landowners who allow us there. Thank you for all that you do, it is greatly appreciated and valued by so many who love the sport and need the tourism for their business to survive. Another positive I have seen over & over again in the County this season is clubs helping clubs. When someone goes down, calls are made, and people all over the State are helping to find the part or parts that are needed. Snowmobilers & those close to the sport know the urgency and short season, and they want to make sure everyone has a good time. Clubs loaning everything from small parts to spare tracks, grooming other clubs’ trails after doing all their own. It’s a great feeling to see it all happen, mostly by people who do not benefit in any way. Thank you to all those who took the opportunity to help another club out, took the time to look for parts, call people you know around the snow- belt to ask for help. Every one of you made someone else’s day better. A couple of items to think about and ask yourself how the snowmobile community can help solve some concerns. Snowmobile trail safety: Grooming & riding I see patterns of riding on the trails and have the misfortune of meeting others in not so nice places. It is up to all of us to call out riders we know riding in an unsafe manner in the moment. Sleds are all 4ft wide. If you are not leaving at least that much space between you and the other side of the groomed trail than you are not “riding right”. It took me longer than it should have to figure this out for myself. Please take the time to speak it? We had some tremendously cold tempera- tures, (like -20’s) with extremely cold wind chills (- 30’s), big snow snowstorms with over a foot of snow, then rain and temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s. That was just the first half of the month!! The old saying, “If you don’t like the weather in Maine, just wait a minute” sure came true. We are in to March and that means our season is quickly coming to an end. Some areas of the state had great conditions but only for a few weeks, other areas it was longer and then other areas did have the snow but those well below zero temperatures dis- couraged riders and some snowmobiles from starting and going. That’s the way it goes in our great state and we snowmobilers adapt and enjoy the time we have. Someone (I think it was Aleta Rioux) always said, “We go for ATV members this season. We have also lost a treasured long-time member, Katie Buck. Katie was a very generous and supportive member and one of the nicest people on this earth. We truly miss her and her talents. We have many beautiful photographs to remind us of her thoughtful nature. Our thoughts are with her family. Before the end of the season, we would like to have a business meeting and/or supper. We have missed seeing each other! Please watch the Star-Herald and our Facebook page for a notice. We have all missed so many mile- stones in the last two years. Let’s hope that the Covid cases continue to decline. Enjoy the trails and call Mickey (764-1236 or 227-6365) anytime, if you have any ques- tions about the trails. Stay right and please sled responsibly. Sue Maynard Secretary W ell February sure was a roller coaster ride when it came to weather wasn’t

events in the past year due to Covid but are back to it this year. The March paper is the last full MSA paper of the 2021-2022 season. I would like to take some space and thank ALL Eastern region clubs for your hard work and dedication to the sport we all love. Again, we had quite a few clubs in the top ten in membership for the state, which is a great accomplishment. I also want to thank the five regional directors for this region: Paul Bolstridge, Craig Lemieux, Gary Dowling, John Monk and Larry Lafland. Covid caused us to not have regional meet- ings this year, but with all five of these people returning we will be holding them next year. That’s all for this year, but just wait until next year. Stay healthy and safe everyone. Enjoy the couple months away from the grind and comeback in the fall ready to do it all over again! Eileen

with someone about snowmobile safety, lead a ride with new riders & demonstrate the right way to ride. If we can all impact our circle of friends to ride safer, our trails will be better, and more folks will return home from their trip the same way they left. Trail use entitlement: Trails are maintained by volunteers. The work being done, be it landowner relations, signage or grooming is done in addition to what each of these individuals have for personal & professional commitments. It’s often easy to forget this when we are out and riding along over many different clubs’ trails the number of hours it takes to make it all happen. When asking about trail conditions or bringing up a concern on signage, be polite and tactful. Ask questions and offer solutions rather than being negative. Share this message with those you know who aren’t club members or volunteers. Not everyone can take the time to do trail maintenance and maybe they put $100 in the trail fund box instead, but a gentle reminder of how it all works can go a long way. If you know of a way to get this message to the masses, let me know and I’ll be glad to help in any way possible. Get out & enjoy the rest of the season, check out someplace new, support a club & a local business. When Mother Nature cooperates, March is the best month to ride in my opinion. 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. Matt Stedman Many thanks also to the Northern Timber Cruisers SC in Millinocket for hosting the MSA February directors meeting on the 12th. I can tell you that club knows how to cook a great turkey supper and they did so that night. If you are ever in the area on the night of one of their suppers, it a must stop for event. They also do a great breakfast and lunch and many snowmobilers have stopped in to enjoy their meals. They have not been able to do these ice cream cones. The mighty St. John River is a frozen white ribbon following its path between the mountains, the same trail it has followed for thousands of years, trees filled with white waiting to shed the branches load of snow on an unsuspecting snowshoer or snowmobiler and yes, even the road is covered in white, leading off into the distance. (Keep it between the telephone poles). Truly every- thing is white. Tomorrow, they are predicting a foot of new snow and on Tuesday another 8 inches. We are in February so the temperatures have warmed somewhat and we still have 5 to 6 weeks of prime snowmobiling left. The daylight is a lit- tle longer and you can ride almost 12 hours in daylight. The evenings and nights have mellowed as well and riding in the dark is now even more enjoyable. And that time between setting sun and dark is a truly magical time here in the north. The sky turns a unique color of blue orange (Yes, it is a color) that can only be seen in our northern area. If you have never seen the sun setting in our area over the mountains and rivers as you are snowmobiling on our trails, you have missed one of those experi- ences that you read about in books. But why would you want to read about it when you can live this experience. We have the snow, we have the meticulously groomed trails (Thank you, Jeff and Roland). snow!” The second Eastern Region Showcase Ride did happen on February 12th. I again want to thank Larry Lafland for leading the way on our 116-mile ride. Some people went the full distance and others went a different way after we had lunch but everyone made it back. Temperatures and weather are the two things we can’t control when we plan these rides, but at least we got it in.

Eastern Region VP

Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 llafland@midmaine.com

Northern Region VP

Coastal Region VP

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

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

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

We have the woods and waters, and we have what is truly ours, our northern Maine hospi- tality. Our lodge, The St. Francis Sno-Angels lodge is open on every Friday and Saturday with a hot meal served on Saturdays. Ask anyone who has stopped in. They leave with a smile on their face. We are ourselves, a unique blend of Scotch, Irish and Frenchman. Come in and meet us, we want to meet you. Don’t forget about our Race your Neighbor Radar run on March 12th. I can smell the hot- dogs and hamburgs cooking and that unique smell of Snowmobile fuel. Nothing like it. What is the one constant... How great riding in Maine is!! Hats off to our groomers and volunteers across the state for doing what you do. People from across the U.S. come to enjoy our beautiful trails and the scenery of Maine. I’m proud to be part of that, March riding is hopefully going to continue April is our Annual MSAmeeting. Jeff’s catering in Brewer hope to see you there. Enjoy the snow Thank you for your dedication to our sport. Dave Q uestion? Can anyone really predict the weather? As I write this article it’s 46 degrees, rain is done. Yesterday, it was 18 degrees, great riding fantastic trails!! Tomorrow, Snow, 13 degrees (predicted) Weather forecasters have a tough job. It has been a mixed bag this year for our sport. Making the best of it is all we can do.

H Hello fellow snowmobilers, School vacation week during snowmobile season is always an exciting time. So many people spending time in the outdoors with family & friends. The weather leading up to the week was a bit of a yo-yo with temperature & precipitation of every sort falling across the State. It made for some challenging conditions, but clubs stepped up and snowmobilers showed up! Trails and businesses were busy, clubs & their volunteers stepped up and provided a great product for all to enjoy as well as multiple events across the County for fundraising. I continue to be amazed with both the dedication of people to take time out of their lives to do somuch for Snowmobiling inMaine

MSA Club News

Deadlines for club news is the 25 th of the month prior to the publications. Please submit articles to editor@mesnow.com

NORTHERN REGION

CHAPMAN RIDGE RUNNERS SNOWMOBILE AND ATV CLUB Chapman, ME

Kim M Ouellette Club secretary.

Dear Members, The winter is rolling along, with great snow- mobiling this season. Grooming has been hard to keep up, with several storms dumping at least 1 foot of snow, followed by rain. But we are back to freezing temps again. Continue to be careful out there, due to streams, brooks and low areas opening back up with warmer weather. The club is hard at work on grants and plan- ning ahead for the next few years of grooming. Our crew has worked very hard and deserves a pat on the back for their hard work. We con- tinue to have the directors handle any issues with the club and the groomers still meet every Wednesday night at 6:00 to maintain the trails and all equipment.

BENEDICTA SNOWGANG Benedicta, ME

Hey Gang,

It is Feb. 23, 2022. It is 55 degrees as I write this news. Big rain has taken most of our trails. Did I mention it is Feb.23rd!! Our fishing derby was well attended on the 19th of Feb. with around 100 fishermen. Many thanks to Kim & Pat Joyce for hosting this event once again. Did I mention it is 55 degrees!! This may be the end to a very frustrating season!! Woops~~~ it’s now 56 degrees!! Did I men- tion that it is Feb. 23rd!! I am going out to see

ST. FRANCIS SNO ANGELS St. Francis, ME

Whiteout!!!!! Have I got your attention? As I sit here and type, I look out over fields of white, covering what in the summer will be green fields and places to walk, ride a 4-wheeler and enjoy summer. The houses, barns and building are all covered with a few feet of white, looking like a variety of

We have gained many new snowmobile and

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