8178-R1_MSA_November2022_MaineSnowmobiler

Why is this trail so Bumpy?

A s I’m trolling Facebook, all I see is the Maine Snowmo bile Clubs pleading for help in preparing trails for the season. Not sure if many folks are aware that the State of Maine does not maintain any of the 14,000 miles of snowmobile trails that are 95% on private property. All of this work is done by local Snow mobile Clubs. You may ask, what kind of work do clubs do? Clubs need help with everything from paper work to tree cutting, equipment repairs, etc. This timeof yearmost Clubs are looking for help in brushing the trails from summer tree growth and falling deadwood. Checking out to see if new bridges have to be constructed or repaired. The Club volunteers meet on weekends to spend numerous hours pre-season completing

these tasks. The Clubs also have to ensure that they have permis sion from the landowners were the trails cross. As land can change hands over the sum mer, this task can be daunting. If landowner permission is not granted, the Club may have to plan and cut a re-routed trail. The next thing the Club will do is ensure all of the groom ing equipment is up and run ning. This includes tune-ups and repairs. Again, all of this is done by Club volunteers. They will also ensure that they have (hopefully) enough certified groomers to run the groom ing equipment throughout the season. Finally, the pre-work is ensur ing all signs and trail re-route signs are up and out for every one to have a safe ride.

So why is your trail bumpy? Clubs need more volunteers! It’s great that many folks donate money and join local Snow mobile Clubs, also what they are pleading for now is helping hands. What I see from Clubs facebook posts is it’s mainly around 4-5 Club members that are mainly middle-aged men doing 90% of this work for the clubs. It’s a sport this writer see’s folks from 4-90 enjoying all winter, so please reach out and give your local club a help ing hand. Without Maine’s local snowmobile clubs, there would be no trails in Maine for every one to enjoy! Linda Healey Club Reporter- Weld Winter Wildcats

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