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An Official Publication of the Maine Snowmobile Association The Maine Snowmobiler r

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December 2022 • Vol. 54 • No. 4 MSA, PO Box 80, Augusta ME 04332 United we trail, divided we fail www.mainesnowmobileassociation.com

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The BIG Adventure By Brent Spaulding

T he “Spaulding Sled Safari” was born back in the fall of 2011 when all my riding buddies were helping me insulate my newly built camp in Portage. Mike, John, Jeff, Steve, and the other Brent were all stuffing insulation and getting excited about having a destination or hop off point in “The County”. Being the camp owner, it was determined I should lead the “SSS” which I have done annually since 2012. Over the years, snow conditions, life dynamics, and mechanical issues have varied the numbers, starting point, route, and destination but, regardless, we rolled with whatever cropped up and always had a great time. One year we went from Plymouth to Portage. One year we based out of the Monk camp on Schoodic Lake. Another we left Hermon and only made it to Millinocket after a sled suffered a fatal “lights out” condition. As President of Eastern Maine Snowmobilers in Holden, I had always wanted to leave my clubhouse and run up the East side of the state with a final destination of Camp BGTSOB (Big, Green, Tall S.O.B) in Portage. Most years, snow conditions or trail issues prevented the prescribed route but in 2022 the stars aligned. Snowwas on the ground, club contacts along the route confirmed trails were open, and, finally, we had the green light. Only 3 of us had worked out the time for a Wednesday morning departure with the rest of the gang meeting us in Portage that night. At 7:00 AM Feb 9th we dropped the ramp on the trailer at the EMSC clubhouse. Mike, John, and I were on our way after a gear and comms check. We headed North on ITS Connector 107 through Holden, Eddington, Clifton, and Milford. There had been a mixed storm the previous day that presented a few wet areas that we easily traversed, and we knew further North the precipitation had been primarily snow – some areas with

significant amounts. Forty miles and two hours in, we hit ITS 84. The going was good here and we were starting to encounter a few inches of fresh snow. Further East we hit a logging detour that had sufficient signage and ,along with my GPS, we found our way back to ITS81/84 just east of Nicataous Lake. A quick break at HK3 where ITS 81 splits towards Burlington and we continued along ITS 84 to HK6 in West Grand Lake. From here we headed up ITS Connector 105. One hundred miles in, we hit RT 6 in Springfield at about 12:30PM. We fueled the sleds and had a quick snack then hit the trail again. By now, we were encountering 8-10 inches of fresh snow but there were a few tracks that we mistakenly followed to an unknown intersection. We made a call to the local club, got back on track, and saw our error. There was a trail marker, mostly fallen down, that had been obscured by the new snowfall. We headed up the correct 105N and ran into the Quad County groomer. After a brief chat we headed North on freshly groomed trails, making good time. Several miles south of Danforth we hit ungroomed trails again but rolled into Danforth about 2:30 PM. By now, we were in serious need of food, so we pulled into The Mill Yard, fueled up, then went inside for a burger. Bellies full and bodies rested, we hit the trail again headed for Houlton. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve noticed that the further North we got, the more snow we experienced. We continued up 105N through Weston, following a single sled track that veered towards a residence at a road crossing. On the other side of the road was a plow bank and a trail marker. Beyond was a pristine field covered with a foot of fresh snow. This is where the adventure really kicked in. (Continued on Page 2)

(Continued from Cover) The next 25 or so miles through Haynesville and towards Linneus turned into “Birch Alley” created by heavy wet snow that eventually turned to powder as the aforementioned storm progressed. My black and yellow blizzard turned all white as I dodged and ducked under arched trees. My windshield was white, my dash was white, my legs were white as I pushed 15 inches of snow—slow but sure. There was a lot of snow but, thank God, the groomers had established a hard base and traction was never an issue When we got close to Linneus proper, the trail opened up into fields again and we plodded along. I was relieved when we made it to AK4 and picked up ITS 83, which had seen some sled traffic and less snowfall. We made Houlton a few miles later, 205 miles in, around dusk, about 6:15 PM. We had been on the trail almost 11 hours at this point--- Time for a break. A leg stretch, nature call, and sock change and I was refreshed and ready to go. Up ITS83N we cruised, making better time than we had up to this point. Sled traffic had beat down the snowfall and the rail bed guided us into Mars Hill at a good clip. We made our final fuel stop at Freshies, headed out of town and picked up ITS81S at AK9. By now it was full on dark but at least we still had sled tracks to follow. We were rolling along and…Fun Fact: Did you know that Moose like to sleep in the snowmobile trail?? Mike and John never saw him and I can’t repeat what the radio chatter was in this forum. All I can say is it’s a good thing I answered a nature call in Houlton! Wow! Onward Ho! We waved at Tanya Tucker when we hit AK8 but no time for pictures! I thought we had cleared most of the difficult conditions. I was mistaken. The sled traffic had turned up Connector 105N. ITS81 towards Ashland was virgin snow. Once again, I was breaking trail in 10-12 inches of fresh snow. Then came “Birch Alley 2.0”. Another 15 miles of dodging, weaving, and ducking but we made steady progress. Mr. Moose showed up again but at

least he wasn’t sleeping. Along the way, Mike offered to take point, but I had come this far and we were close. This WAS the “SSS” after all. We made our way up by Scopan Lake and eventually made it to AK13 and ITS 88 just in time to watch the groomer roll by. We followed the groomer into Ashland and pulled up by Quik Stop at 9:30 PM. We took a minute to do a wife check in and saddled up for the last 17 miles. ITS85 North to Portage was in decent condition and we made reasonable progress. All the while, I was contemplating the final approach to Camp BGTSOB. Given the time, darkness, snowfall, and unknown slush conditions, I keyed the mic and declared we would ride the road the last mile and a half to camp and avoid the lake. I got an immediate “roger that” from my riding buddies. 15 hours and 292 miles from our start, we hit the kill switches on our sleds. We had made it! That run was a personal record for mileage and time on the trail. Factoring in the snowfall and trail conditions made for an epic day! We had run our planned route and were well prepared with gear, fuel, and knowledge. Knowing I had my two trusted amigos with me gave me a sense of security during the difficult stretches. Radio communications made the time fly and the chatter kept our spirits up. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the crews from EMSC to Portage Lakers and every club in between for their dedication and efforts. That trip was one I won’t soon forget. The Spaulding Sled Safari ’23 is already in the works.

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From The Executive Board

From the President

a special time riding there along with the Williams Sign hanging down. Harvey was also a Groomer of The Year from the MSA. He loved to snowmobile one trip was from Maine to Eagle Lake and across Lake Michigan! He will be missed by the Anson North Anson SC and everyone else he touched along the way. I will always remember you Harvey. We all have a passion for snowmobiling we love it and make sacrifices that affect our families and friends. Thank you all for what you do. Remember though family comes first! I’d like to thank the Lexington Highlanders SC for hosting the MSA directors meeting last month. Great food and hospitality! Thanks to Larry and Eileen Lafland for hosting the Eastern region club meeting along with Brent Spaulding, Mike Grass, Barry and Gail Ryan, Joe Higgins and everyone else who helped out and drove to the clubhouse on a rainy windy night. It was nice as always to see old friend and meet new ones. I hope you all have a very nice Holiday season Merry Christmas to all, AL Oath”. As a Snowmobiler I promise to always use proper Trail etiquette, to always ride right (even in the tight corners) to always keep my speed down within double digits and to always slow down when approaching crowded intersections. I furthermore, promise that I will always pack the night before and never make my friends wait, that I will always maintain my sled, trailer and truck so as not to make anyone wait while I repair my stuff. Speaking of waiting, I also promise to wait at the intersections for the people in my party behind me. I furthermore promise that I will register my sled early even before the snow flies, and I promise to always join a club to show my support for the thousands of volunteers that create the trails on which I ride. I also promise to always stop and thank a groomer operator if the opportunity arises. Lastly but probably the most important, I promise to always thank a landowner and respect his or her land for which I ride on! Following these simple guidelines is guaranteed to make you a better snowmobiler, I promise! That’s all I have for now Folks, and as always if you have any questions, concerns or comments, or just want to talk snowmobiling please reach out to me. Thank you, Mark. types and are often done in manners that have private road associations organized for that benefit. The key take-away here, the town assumes NO liability for events, be it safety or legally and may fall on individuals making the repairs. As you can imagine, this is where most of the confusion lies and there are many questions that continue to go unanswered. Thirdly, the Private Road is exempt from any town spending public monies to maintain or keep up to standard and liability. In fact, they can’t put any money in as the very next day, a private landowner could close it with no recourse of return. Of notable interest, there are an extremely large amount of these roads that were mostly generated before 1976, when processes of dis continuing roads were beginning to be imple mented. What further confuses the situation, the road may have been discontinued at a town meeting and may show up in the meeting min utes, but there was no due process of these changes to get it on to county and state regis try of deeds. Thus, the level of confusion and each one may need to be solved on a case-by case basis as each has its own set of dynamics. That was an earful, but incredibly well pre sented by Jim and I will keep you up to date on what unfolds. In the meantime, be respect ful of the situations and continued to appease the local landowners as their approval is “our” approval. See you all at the Super Raffle! Have an incredible Christmas Season and Let’s Go Riding! Johnny

from the southern to northern clubs is great. Clubs are working together more than ever. I really think that getting everyone involved has decreased accidents and fatalities. The family as I call it is stronger than ever. We need to continue this practice. Everybody benefits from it. “All on the same page” seems to work. Backing up a little bit the show in October I, felt was a success. We had vendors that were very happy to be back after the Covid years. Many dealers sold lots of merchandise. Trailers along with Charlies Motor Mall cars, trucks, groomers and drags out front seemed to be a big hit. Lots of interest in and outside. Thanks again to everyone who made it a great show. Sad news we last a gentleman from Anson, Harvey Williams will always be remembered as a hard worker, family man, and he loved to ride snowmobiles! We dedicated the North Anson Railroad Bridge last fall in the families honor. The Williams Bridge will be used this winter for the first time in quite a few years. Harvey and Jean were at the dedication along with family members, fellow snowmobile riders, town folks and friends; it is going followed by another great Super Raffle in December and mixing in a couple of director’s meetings in between, not to mention a host of Club events. October and November also found us putting on two Trails Workshops, one in Augusta and the other in Minot at the Moonshiners clubhouse, Thank you to the moonshiners for hosting the Workshop, it was a great venue and was well attended. Sitting here in the beginning of December, it is hard to know what old Mother Nature is going to do or not do. I have a good feeling that by the time this paper rolls out that there should be many places in the State with snow and working on a groomable base, all indicators point towards a very favorable Snowmobiling season. I feel like we are all hoping for a good snowpack Statewide, especially with gas, food, and lodging prices where they are. We all look forward to the Trips “Up North”, the weekend and week getaways, the super big Trails groomed to a T, the great food and the amazing hospitality but with all that being said, it sure is nice just to ride from your home base once in a while! Besides, we all need to benefit from one of Maine’s largest recreations. As we approach the Snowmobiling season I would like to share a few words to live by… maybe, we can call it “A Snowmobiler’s back and bridge repair and now are posting photos daily of their progress. If you’re sitting on the sidelines, STEP UP! I personally would like to call out Shawn and Lila, who read a recent clubs post of trail work, showed up and grabbed couple arm loads of signs and threw their talents in the ring. It clearly was an added bonus project that got done without planned ahead attention. MUCH APPRECIATED! On the Abandoned and Discontinued Roads Commission, Chair Jim Katsiaficas gave an excellent briefing of the three basic types of roads. In short, they are Town Way, Public Easement and Private Road. A town way is where the town is obligated to keep open, safe, and convenient for all to pass. These will gen erally be any road that the town has “accepted and adopted” in their area. The maintenance costs will come from the town budget and supplemented by any state grants or cost shar ing on a pre-approved understanding. Joe Q Public has not right to repair or change these roads. Second, a Public Easement, is an easement held by the municipality for purposes of the public to access land or water that is not con nected by a public way, and it include what is formerly known as private ways, that are not subject to circumstances governed by “gates and bars”. The town retains the right, but not obligation to maintain these and will be gen erally done by decision of the town office or voting citizens. By contrast, “individuals” may construct, improve, or maintain these

Lori Hemmerdinger (207) 890-5455 544 Plains Road • Poland, ME 04274 Treasurer@mesnow.com Treasurer’s Report Respectfully Submitted, Lori Hemmerdinger, Treasurer

Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com

G reetings Friends! Here we go, December the kick off of the Holiday season and snowmobiling in Maine. Thank you to all the volunteers, landowners, business supporters and the state government who make snowmobiling in Maine what it is. Signage has gotten better; communication

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 60,272.08 $ 42,359.94 $ 17,912.14 $258,223.92 $106,973.26

Net Revenue

Checking (11/30/22)

DedicatedAccount (11/30/22)

Pay Pal (11/30/22) - Special EventsAccount (11/30/22) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (11/30/22) $ - Building Fund 11/30/22) $ 53,928.80 BrianWass Safety Fund (11/30/22) $ 1,285.31 MSA Scholarship SavingsAccount $ 1,832.00 MSA Scholarship CDAccount $ 60,187.00 $

From the Executive VP

Scholarship Committee

Mark Chinnock, Vice President 207-754-9874 544 Plains Road, Poland, ME 04274 napadude66@hotmail.com

H ello Everyone! Tis the season, in more ways than one. First, I would like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy NewYear! may your stockings be filled with lots of snow and your New Year bring miles of groomed trails. All aspects within the MSA are in full swing as well as all of the local clubs are waist deep in fall projects. We’re settling down from a very successful Snowmobile show in October

H opefully everyone had a nice Thanks giving and now setting their sights on Christmas. We all know the holiday season is busy, filled with shopping, parties and family events but it’s never too early to start thinking about schools and scholarships for the upcom ing year. Often family and friends gather this time of year the conversation goes to what students are up to and what their future plans might look like. This is a great time to remind folks about the MSA Scholarship and what an impact it might have on a family of a student seeking posy high school education. The MSA Scholarship is easy to find on our website and committee members have often been told it’s relatively easy to complete. The major focus of the application are letters of support from educators, employers, friends and even snowmobile club members. So the holidays could be a great time to connect with some of these people to ask for help and support. For me the essay component is probably my favorite part to review in the whole pro cess. To be able to read about how the sport of snowmobiling we all love so much has had such a positive impact on young riders is pretty amazing. Many of the applicants play a key role in their club for helping on trails, the clubhouse work or even supporting member ship drives. Even more important is that many of our young members are planning their future education and plans around how they can get an education so that they can stay in Maine and continue to be a part of their club and support snowmobiling on a bigger level. Wishing all a safe, healthy and Happy Holi days and as always scholarship club members are willing to answer questions or even attend club meeting to provide information. Harvey Chesley, 207-314-0637 25 Hillcrest Dr, Clinton ME 04927 harv.chesley@gmail.com

Steering Committee

John Monk Chairman of Steering Committee monksdoomopars@hermon.net

I t is crazy to think that the season is about ready to start! Many areas have now seen the white and are starting to believe it is here for the duration. As always, there are other areas that will have to be patient a bit longer. The MSA office has been extremely busy with prepping the last steps of Super Raffle Prizes, closing the books on another success ful show, actively involved with trail signing and inspecting guidelines, and preparing a few trail safety stops for the season. Clubs continue to due a relentless job at brush cut

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From The Executive Board

Secretary’s Report - Brad Barker 578 th Directors Meeting - Lexington Highlanders Club House - Lexington - November 15, 2022

C alled the meeting to order at 7:15 Pledge of Allegiance Secretary’s Report M/S/C Treasures Report Read and placed on file in the office. Thank you for the job on the show because it is reflected in the treasurer’s report. Credit line is at Zero!!! Great job! President’s opening comments: The show was a big success, attendance was a bit low because of the good weather. The layout of the show worked out well. Great volunteer work. A couple issues arose but were ironed out quickly. Augusta Civic Center to do the Super Raffle on Dec. 13th. There will be food, we’ll let you know. Lost David Stevens: Past MSA President. Also, Harvey Williams, who contributed a lot to the sport. Last season, we dedicated one of the trestles to him. His wife saved some ashes to go across the bridge. Getting ready for the raffle. There are approximately 18,000 tickets remain. Haven’t printed more and some clubs have brought tickets back, so we will probably have enough. Polaris still has a recall on it. Power Sport in Caribou -Have to do a recall according to the VIN. Skidoo is still not here. Zr 200 - Not in at Kramers. Both trailers are in. Executive Vice President: Mark Chinnook- Thank you Lexington Club! Love the new clubhouse! Great food. Thanks to everyone that came a distance. In two days, Thursday night, there will be a trails workshop in Minot. Should be between 15-20 clubs. Deadlines - December 1st municipal grant and club grants applications NEED TO BE IN. Super Raffle tickets need to be in by December 6th to get into the lucky club drawings. If you sell tickets after that, you can still send them in. Officer update forms for MSA and for Joe’s office need to be in ASAP! Eastern Region: Eileen Lafland- Lexington Highlanders, thank you for hosting. Eastern Regional meeting at EasternMaine Snowmobilers Club, Wednesday Nov 30 th at 6:30. Directors meeting in Lincoln at the Lincoln Snowhounds Club house, Feb 25 - trying to get a showcase ride together.

Jan 28 th East Branch Sno Rovers in Medway will have a groomer rodeo, trail signage workshop, and a trail safety presentation. Western Region: Jim Boyce-Very wet out there! Some trails have two feet of water. A lot of things to take care of. A lot of new landowners, so we have to explain over and over. Please, go see the new people. Don’t just say the past landowners let us. Go talk and explain it. Lexington is the club that CAN. Great trail going into Kingfield. Rumblings in Carrabassett - doesn’t sound good if they open it there is 2 years worth of Alders. Lexington is plan B!! Railroad beds and bridges are 3/4 done. Trying to get some of the traffic over here to Lexington. Everyone is out getting ready. Talking about fuel prices - I can’t stress enough, don’t hold back on your grooming. Get the fuel. You don’t want social media to go bad. Think of how to get some more fundraisers. We can’t rely on the state all the time. DON’T PULL BACK ON YOUR GROOMING! We rely on the trails to get people up here. Still up in the air for January’s meeting and let you know. Mark - Jim’s right - major ITS trail to get points north shut down. Lexington President Clifford Norton - This little club figured it out. We sent skidders through to cut the trails, moved boulders, moved stumps and created trails that are about 20 ft. wide in most places. We have to keep our heads down and keep pushing through. Many areas in the state don’t have the same challenges we do here, small landowners, so more of them to work with. It’s difficult and a lot of work. Coastal Region: DaveWatson - Getting trails ready, looking for membership. Hopefully the storm won’t set them back, still doing a lot of trail work and bridges. Everything is very soft, so it is difficult to work on. We really need the cold weather first. Central Region: Jack Lord - He is at a meeting in Bingham - landowners issue - snowmobile trail in CMP floodway is a big obstacle. Safety Committee: Al Swett -Hunting season - keep your orange blaze on so that There are 201 clubs at this time of the 283 clubs in the state that have turned in memberships. The top five clubs in memberships as of Nov 18 th are: Moosehead Riders – 185

you stay safe. When you’re working, wear protective equipment. Check your trailers over before the season starts. If you need new 10” tires go see Everett in Norridgewock. Four deaths last year and that’s too many. A lot of that was alcohol and inexperience related, but we don’t want that to happen again. John and Al - going to North Anson Middle School for a safety presentation. Reach out to Al for safety presentations, call the office or through our website. MSA Trails Committee: Mike Grass Jr. - The trailer is actually at the shop getting the wheel bearings packed. Saturday night is supposed to be cold. Hot areas - Lexington/Carabassett. Kokadjo doesn’t have the manpower to do what they need to do there, Joe needs connections. Mapping meeting for the Eastern Region - 13 people there got maps done. Northern region is done. Will connect with the other Regions soon. Signs - Joe still doesn’t know when the sign order is coming. At least 12 sign orders waiting to be filled for ITS signs. On Zoom meeting with Collins and King - This is HUGE, but they are nowhere to be seen - if we don’t get the wording right we could have a really big problem, if we lose that this would be worse than any other re-routing issue. Scholarship Committee: Barry Ryan - First time in this area, only had one turn around to get here. Gave a financial report of the checking and savings account. Holidays coming up - remind kids about the scholarships and also a good time to give to the scholarship fund. Had a lot of support at the show. We were at a really good location. Have a safe trip on the way home and have a nice Thanksgiving. Steering Committee: John Monk- Lexington was Club of the year. Very nice clubhouse. Trying to get the bill in for off trail enforcement. Russell Black still supporting, now that he is reelected. LD280 - nonresidents that have bought land and are members of the club - they can register their pickup and leave it in the state as a resident. But they have to register their sled as a non-resident. Trying to get this more evened out. What should we do since last March or April. Take it easy. Start slow check over the sled, brakes, lights front and rear, track any rips? Studs, skis carbides any broken parts? Your battery? How about loose nuts and bolts? Does everything work, as it’s supposed to? Check it over now when it’s a lot warmer and easier than getting out on the trail and breaking down. Make a survival kit and have a first aid kit with you. Both could save your life or some one else’s. A survival kit should have a whis tle, a lighter waterproof matches, a flash light, space blanket, a candle, an axe and handsaw, foldable shovel, extra gloves and socks, first aid kit flares and a map. If you have one, a sat ellite phone will be a great thing to have too. Spare key, and bring some snacks. Most new riders are prone to accidents. Young children should not be riding alone. We hope to have a new law taking affect soon that young children will have to take a safety course 16 and under. be aware of obstacles in the trail and under the snow, in early Decem ber it has not snowed deep enough to cover many rocks and tree stumps. Many brooks, lakes and ponds have not yet froze. Snowmo bile accidents happen as a result of reckless driving. Speeding swerving and doing stunts will surely leave you hurt. Watch out at road way crossing always look both ways, Rail road crossings are another area to be aware of. Don’t get caught day dreaming, next thing you know you’re off the trail stuck or plowed into a tree. These new sleds have lots of new gadgets on them. I had a friend last year break his back running into a pressure ridge while working his GPS. We had over 88,000 sleds registered last season. Four people died, some say that’s good compared to previous years. I think it’s

with this? As discussionwas had regarding nonresident registrations for those who own property in Maine. Steering Committee – worked hard getting the show together -Al’s broke the mold for us as President. We are looking for someone that can be more of a lobbyist to get our agenda through Augusta, maybe a per-diem kind of thing, not really sure. Abandoned and Discontinued Roads committee - 3 meetings so far, a lot of people buying land and then finding out that there is no right of way to it! 2 nd - couldn’t get a chair to step up, towns abandon them. 3 rd - chair is a lawyer from Portland in real estate law that will help train people in the committee. If you have any examples please reach out so they can look at them. Hospitality: Gail Ryan - has sent out 3 cards Membership Committee: Eileen Lafland- membership report as of the 15th. Coastal Region 57 clubs 548 members Central Region 56 clubs 600 members Northern Region 34 clubs 711 members Western Region 62 clubs 900 members Eastern Region 74 clubs 1350 members 4,067 There are 6,869 members when all family members are included. With 182 clubs reporting the top five are Moosehead Riders-115, Washburn Trail Runners -148, Blue Ridge Riders - 115, Northern Timber Cruisers - 110, Bridgton Easy Riders – 109 If you are the membership person - if they want to be a new member PLEASE ASK THEM IF THEY HAVE EVER BEEN A MEMBER OF MSA!! They would already have a member number! Just block off the number and make a note of it when you send it in. For questions email Liz or membership in mesnow.com still to many. We don’t want anyone to die on the trails. I feel the signage workshops have been a great help. Many clubs have attended these classes throughout the state. We will be holding more in the near future. Check over your trailers too. Our bumpy roads are hard on them check for cracks in the framework. How are your tires, wiring, lights, door hinges, wheel bearings and hitch? Please take it easy as the new season begins. There are many trail reroutes, be respectful, take it easy. We will be having at Safety Trail Signage Workshop at the Medway SC January 28, 2023. Please try to attend. The East Branch Riders will have food available also. Hope to see you there its lots of fun. Be safe out there, AL 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 Total Family Memberships 3,261 Total Business Memberships 806 Total All memberships

From The Membership Corner

Washburn Trail Runners-167 Bridgeton East Riders- 125 Blue Ridge Riders- 119 Northern Timber Cruisers – 110

Safety Committee

T hanks everyone for sending in the memberships at such a furious pace. Thanks also to Liz in the office for entering all the business memberships and some of the family memberships as well. In three days between Liz and I we entered over 800 family and business memberships!! Keep them coming. Total as of Nov 18th Central region – 680 memberships Coastal region – 780 memberships Western Region – 1,121 memberships Eastern Region – 1,561 memberships Northern region – 862 memberships Total memberships – 4,055, total business memberships 960, for a combined total of 5,015. When we add in the family members listed on the membership cards are overall membership is 8,444 Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 L.andE.lafland525476@gmail.com

Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com H i Folks Safety First we’ve all heard that before and we should continue to use that practice. December brings first snow and anxious riders. Usually that beginning of the sea son results in the most accidents. So please remember you/we have not been on a sled

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From The Executive Board

Stay tuned and watch your club mailbox for an invite if I can get others scheduled. December means the Super Raffle draw is happening. So many clubs have requested additional tickets through out the selling period it seems this was a good year to sell tickets. Hopefully your club took advantage of this fund raiser that only costs you time and man power to sell the tickets. Let’s face it, all clubs can use a fundraiser that doesn’t cost them any money, but brings it in to the club. The Eastern region will be hostsing the Feb ruary MSA directors meeting and this year we have asked Lincoln Snowhounds to put on a meal and be the club to hold the event. It will be on Saturday Feb. 25th. Please note -we have changed the date slightly as it will be the fourth weekend in Feb. not the third. If con ditions are right, we will also do a showcase ride near there to give people a chance to see a different part of this region. Watch for more details as the time gets closer. I want to say I am extremely proud of the Eastern Region clubs for the way they hustle and send in memberships early in the season. As of Nov 18th, the following Eastern region clubs were in the top five in the state for the number of memberships they had submitted: Moosehead Riders, Blue Ridge Riders, and Northern Timber Cruisers. Penobscot SC was close behind at number six. Through November 18th (when I am writing this) the region led the state in total number of memberships submitted with 1,561. Way to go all of you!! Getting those memberships in early means your members continue to receive the MSA paper and everything else your club offers to them. Until the New Year! If you are riding, PLEASE do so carefully. The first rides of the year are always a little challenging as we tend to forget how to ride and need to watch for changes and obstacles in the trails. Happy New Year! See you on 2023! Eileen

Eastern Region VP

management activities and new development happen all over and all the time. A big THANK YOU to the new landowners and club volunteers for making re-routes & connections happen to keep our communities & businesses connected to the trails. Watch for signs as the trail may not be exactly where it was last season. Clubs are putting their calendars together; many neighboring clubs work together through this process and ensure they are supporting each other’s events. It is great to see collaboration between clubs and areas within Aroostook County work together towards a common goal. Check out club websites, MSA newspapers & facebook pages to see what’s going on so you can plan a trip up and get in on the excitement. The Northern Region Showcase ride this winter will be March 18th. Plans are in the works, final details being nailed down, watch for an announcement soon so you can get your rooms booked & plan to join us. These regional rides are a great way to explore a new area and meet people who you may only have connected with by phone or social media. We will have a ride during the day & MSA Directors meeting in the evening. 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 under my photo. Matt Stedman Speaking of signs, I attended a Trails Work shop in Minot on October 17th. MSA had a great crew there to convey all things signage and safety. A great group of clubs had rep resentation there with clubs from Fryeburg, Dixfield and Lewiston to mention a few. Great questions and discussions about a variety of issues. One issue that stood out was Dog Sleds on the snowmobile trails. By Maine law, our snowmobile trails must be open to the public for non-motorized traffic such as dog sleds, walkers/runners, cross country skiers and fat bikers (may be others I’m not thinking of). These groups, while able to use our trails, may not be familiar with the speeds and sounds of our machines until a “situation” unfolds. Non-snowmobile users most probably will not hear you approaching and may not be in a suitable place to be passed. With that said, we should always ride with the assumption that someone is just out of sight and does not know we are coming. Today’s 4-stroke sleds are also much quieter than the sleds of just a few years ago, making them harder to hear to other user groups. Please ride with extra caution in areas known to be used by non-motorized groups. Hopefully, they have posted or the local snow mobile club has posted signs, noting what group you might encounter. I attended the MSA meeting in Lexington in October. What a great group and cozy club house. I thought I had the “I drove the fur thest” award until a gentleman from Caribou stole my thunder. A great meal and meeting with a hard working group quietly getting the job done in western Maine. Thank You Lex ington Highlanders! Here’s wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hopefully, you won a Super Raffle prize for a present. We are down to days, maybe a couple weeks and we’ll be riding. Think Snow (and Cold), Mike We realize some of you desperately need them and we will expedite them to you. G reetings Happy Holidays!! I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving, as I write this snow is falling in parts of the state; temperatures are cold to freeze the ground and thin layers of ice on the ponds. Soon the groomers will be rolling! Congratulations to all Super Raffle winners. Once again thank you to all volunteers for your dedication and hard work. Your efforts make Maine the best place to ride. Think snow and be safe out there., Dave David Watson, 207-205-1558 412 Roberts Ridge Rd East Waterboro ME 04030 dwatson6841@gmail.com

Trails Committee Chair Report

Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 L.andE.lafland525476@gmail.com H appy Holidays Everyone! Please enjoy them safely with family and friends. WOW! December already! It sure feels like the years go by way too fast the older I get, but the good news is snowmobile season should be here or at least very near to being here now. It’s mid-November as I write this and Buffalo NY is getting four FEET of snow!! They are even using snowmobiles to rescue people because the roads are not passable. Closer to home today, parts of The County have received 6-10 inches of snow so it is coming. It sure needs to freeze and freeze hard to take care of all the standing water issues and wet areas clubs are finding as they hope to finish up trail work. By the time you read this hopefully there will have been an Eastern Region meeting held in Holden. It has been too long since we have held regional meetings and given clubs a change to get together and discuss whatever they want with their neighboring clubs. If all goes well this will have been one of a few that I would like to have around the region. Western Region VP

Mike Grass, Jr., 207-368-2316 249 Condon Rd, Plymouth ME 04969 mgrassjr@gmail.com D ecember is here and the 70 degree days of early November are long gone with some parts of the state having a pretty good amount of snow (hopefully they still do). Riding sea son is just waiting for Santa Clause to give way to New Years and we’ll be on the trails again. Here’s hoping you all get/got what you wanted/needed for your sled and/or gear so that you’re ready to hit the white ribbon in style and safety. The Trails Committee has had its Eastern and Northern mapping meetings already with those crews ready to check ITS trails in their respective areas. Mark and Jack won’t be far behind with the Western and Central regions being ready before things get going. ITS Signs? Well folks, Joe Higgins put in the sign order for his office and MSA back in September and still no signs for either of us. Talked to him the other day and he is beyond frustrated. If you are waiting for ITS signs, which I know some of you are, we will ship them out to you as soon as we receive them.

Northern Region VP

Central Region VP

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

PO Box 621, Ashland ME 04732 Stedman.matt@jdirving.com H ello fellow snowmobilers, It’s the end of November in the County, and we have snow on the ground, but it is not frozen underneath yet. This always presents challenges, but I know our clubs and volunteers will be ready when its time. Signs are going up around the County, field markers are present, road crossings marked & clubs posting on clubhouse signs and social media for work days. Please make time in your busy schedule to help physically or financially. You will see some changes, as always, in the trail footprints in Northern Maine this season. Landownership changes, plans for timber

James Boyce, 207-265-6512 1168 Fosterhill Rd, Freeman ME 04983 Jboyce1168@gmail.com H ello Everyone, Here we are getting the holiday season under way and snowmobile season is right around the corner. Remember to check in with your local club or where you ride for reroutes follow the signs. If at all, possible help do trail work or support clubs by donating or buying a raffle ticket or two. This is going to be a challenging year with the price of fuel so every bit counts and appreciated. From the clubs I’ve been in touch with it’s full steam ahead on trail work bridges and of course groomers. It takes a lot but we always seem to get it done. I thank you all and our great landowners. So let’s bring on the cold weather and then the snow. Enjoy your holidays and stay safe. Jim

Jack Lord Home: (207) 672-3915 / Cell: 207-717-7131 17 Dinsmore St. Bingham, ME. 04920 Email: jacklord5256@gmail.com Trail work is well underway; there will be some rerouting of trails. Read the signs please, I would hate to hear that someone got lost. While out working to get the trails ready for the season please be safe. After all the work you put in for everyone to be able to enjoy the trails we want to see you out there having a good time also. Please remember if you need me feel free to contact me. You can also use any of the following information to send me the information we need for my book. KEEP SMILING, Jack Lord H i Everyone,

Coastal Region VP

CLUB MEMBERS Once grooming begins submit your trail reports to: EDITOR@MESNOW.COM Please include your name and club affiliation

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MSA Club News

into overdrive. It’s Thanksgiving week and things are freezing down nicely, so trail stakes and signs are being taken care of and hope fully our swamps and wetlands freeze up tight. We are fighting some major beaver problems on ITS#83, and should have them taken care of shortly. I checked with membership chair Randy Bates, and as of this date we have 99 members, which is awesome for this early in the season. If you or someone you know want to join the Snowgang you can find our app. at www.ben edictasnowgang.com and sign up there, or if you prefer you can call me at 207.365.7276 and I can get an application to you. As far as club events go, our Caribbean Cruise Raffle will be drawn on December 3rd, and I will post the winning name in the Janu ary newsletter. This marks the 31st year in a row we have sold out ~~ thanks to you all!!. We do have a new raffle starting in January. This one costs $20 per ticket with 200 tick ets available. Winners are drawn every month until Spring, $300-1st, $200-2nd, $50-3rd ~~~~~~~ and your ticket goes back in if you win --- great odds!!!. Contact any club officer or myself if you want a ticket or two. Just so, you all know, the annual Snowgang Fishing Derby will be back again this year and I will post most in next month’s newsletter. Well, I think that gets us up to speed, and I have it on good authority that Santa is driving a Yamaha this year~~ be on the lookout for him. Merry Christmas to you all from me and the Snowgang ~~~ THINK SNOW!! Jim Splan, Reporter @ Large P.S.~ I Hate beavers!! P.SS.~ Anyone seen Jimmy Qualey!! P.SSS.~ Is Grumpy still grumpy!! P.SSSS.~ He paid more for his sled than his car!! ST. FRANCIS SNOANGELS St. Francis, ME Hi, this month’s newsletter has a bit of a sadness to it. Sometime during our down season, while our groomer was parked in a municipal garage that for the last ten years or so, been a safe, dry home for it, a tragedy for our small club befell us. This fall in preparation for upcoming win ter grooming season, as Roland and Jeff pre pared to do their pre winter preparation, the reality of our current world hit us full force. Stolen from our groomer were the following, l6 and half ton Warn winch, socket sets and our much needed tool box, 10 LED lights, Our Muirs radio and a bone dry fuel tank totaling a little over $6,200.00. Amazing how the actions of three or four thieves, won’t even call them individuals, can make you see red. But in every action, such as this, the good ness of the majority of people are shining bea cons of light to our small club. As word got around, so many people came forward to give us donations, some small, some larger, some in kind donations as well. Didn’t recoup the whole loss but just when our faith in mankind (Thieves aren’t real men) is sorely tested, our faith in the real, honest men and woman of this world is strengthened. You know who you are and we will always remember your support. Did it stop our plans for the upcoming win ter? NEVER HAPPEN! Plans are ongoing to make this winter season one to remember, Last Monday we received 5 inches of snow and Wednesday, the weatherman says we received 13 inches. We are now a winter won derland once again. With Thanksgiving still over a week away, Mother Nature is on our side. This gives us between 16 to 20 weeks of winter riding. (Don’t rain our parade, Mom) (Nature, that is). Maybe because we had our faith shaken a bit, we are even more grateful to the individu als and businesses who go above and beyond for us. Let me Thank a few of them here. There are many others to thank, but for today here are just a few: Mr. John Gibbs, for getting the sad news

are selling them, etc. We are looking forward to a fun, safe rid ing season. We will be on the trails grooming as soon as we can possibly get out there! As always, ride right, be courteous, and watch out for others. Follow us on Facebook Portage Lakers for any updates. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all, NORDIC LAKERS Stockholm, New Sweden, Westmanland, ME With November coming to an end and snowmobile season, hopefully, getting under way very soon wanted to share some of the clubs information. General Membership Meetings are sched uled as follows: Tammy Kenney Club Secretary We are hoping for a great winter season 2022/23 for snowmobiling and seeing a lot of people using our trail system. The member ship drive has begun. Information has been sent out to current members and we encourage individuals that use our trail system and want to become members to please contact us. Work on the trails has taken place where needed and all signs have been put up in the fields and at the crossings. Work on the groomer has started in preparation for the sea son. Thanks to those club members that are always there when needed!! The Nordic Lakers is having their annual Christmas Party on December 10, 2022, at The Par & Grill in Caribou with a Yankee Swap after dinner. The Club is having their annual “Overnight Event” on February 18, 2023, at the Aroos took Hospitality Inn in Van Buren, Maine. DJ Dumond will provide music for dancing from 7-11. We hope to see everyone on the trails soon. Happy Holidays and happy snowmobiling!! Barbara McKeen Club Reporter CENTRAL REGION Hi y’all Thanks to the “Little Club That Could!” We have finally finished excavating and brushing the Kingfield trail…….. Wow, What a feat!!!!!!!!!!! A VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Ron Nunes, who spent countless hours racking his brains out in the excavator, to get as many rocks and boulders out of the trail as he could. Some of the boulders were bigger than my side by side!!!! He definitely did a great job! To all my fellow members, who helped brush and cut the rest of the trail to get rid of those Nasty Alders, I can’t thank you enough for all your dedication! And for all of you who ride our trails, when you’re out and you see our crews, give them a great big Thank You, smile or shake their hand. They Definitely Deserve It!!!! Our little club has been extremely busy - We just hosted our first MSA dinner meeting on the 15th of November. We served a full ham dinner with fresh ham from our local farm and all the fixings including a pumpkin crisp for dessert. Our club had 28 MSA members attending with 6 of our members serving. We even had a guest who traveled from Caribou, he won the farthest traveler of the night. On November 24th, we hosted our 2nd annual Thanksgiving Day dinner with 26 guests and WAY Too Much Food as usual! September 9, 2022 October 14, 2022 November 4, 2022 January 13, 2023 February 10, 2023 March 10, 2023 April 14, 2023 May 12, 2023 LEXINGTON HIGHLANDERS sc Lexington Township, ME

of our theft out there. We so appreciate you!! JRS Firewood, J R, we count ourselves for tunate to have your support year after year, For those of you who love our warmth when you stop into the lodge, this man is an integral part of our ability to do this. Taggettville Trucking, Frank Taggett, for allowing us the use of your excavator and truck to make a new improved bypass on our existing trail. (Your amazing!). JD Irving Woodlands, for allowing us to make this bypass on your woodland. You have always been so supportive of our winter pursuits and our little club. Thank You, Bud Soucy, thanks for your part in this. B Charette Logging, Brad, for your dona tion of OSB board. You always manage to find ways to support us just when we need it. Cam Jackson, Your in-kind donation of a radio, due to our theft. We won’t forget what you’ve done. Sooo many other people and businesses to Thank. Thank you to each and every one of you who has helped us. You’re the individuals and businesses we want in our lives. Sincerely, St. Francis Sno-Angels Kim M Ouellette We welcome any and all donations to our club, St. Francis SnoAngels, PO Box 42, St. Francis, Maine 04774 or on our website. Hope to see you all this winter! Happy Holidays! As I am sitting here writing this, we are having our first snowstorm of the season. The roads are slick, the locals are less than impressed, but the Portage Lakers are saying BRING IT ON! By the time this hits the paper, we will have had (at least we are hoping) sev eral snow events. I trust you all filled your bellies with more turkey and fixings than you should have and enjoyed Thanksgiving with your families. Our Groomer Shed Project is winding down for the winter. It’s standing tall and proud, with everything done just enough to get our groomer in. I’m sure Glenn and Bruce will continue to pick away at finishing up inside projects-that’s what they do! Once again, we cannot thank all the volunteers and donors that have made this project possible. All I can say is WOW! Now that snow is flying, we need to get ready to groom trails, because after all, that is something PLSC accelerates at. And since so many of you love our trails, have you remem bered to fill in your membership forms? OR do you need a last-minute Christmas gift for that “hard to buy for person”? We would love to sign them up as a member. Reach out to us at portagelakerstreasurer@gmail.com for a quick gift. Remember, Portage Lakers work hard, and play harder! Our Schedule of Events has been set for the season. As always, our meetings are the first Friday of each month at the Portage Town Hall, unless otherwise stated. 1/21/23 All Day Open House at Groomer Shed-Hot Dogs, Hot Chocolate, Corn Hole Tournament-Fuel Fundraiser. Followed by Chad the Hypnotist at 7pm. (Ticket info will be posted on Facebook). 2/4/23 5:00 pm Supper on the Run. Meet at the Groomer Shed. 2/18/23 7:00pm Pie Auction/Dance Por tage Town Hall. 3/4/23 Time TBA Club ride to Rafford’s Camp to join Ashland Snowmobile Club Hot Dog Roast. 3/18/23 10:00 Club ride & Hot Dog Roast. 8/11-8/13/23 Portage Lake Summer Round Up and Whoopie Pie Festival. 4 pm PLSC Sponsored Pig Roast. 8/26/23 Big Woods Grass Drags 133 Masardis Road Ashland, ME. We have a new website, be sure to check it out! Portagelakers.org. You can join the club, make donations, buy raffle tickets when we PORTAGE LAKERS sc Portage Lake, ME

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

NORTHERN REGION BIG VALLEY SNO-CLUB Island Falls, ME

Big Valley Sno Club is looking forward to a great riding season! Hope you make it to our annual Christmas party December 3rd. See our Facebook page for details. If you haven’t done so already, LIKE us on Facebook for grooming updates during the riding season. We have had several days out on the trails; the signage is looking great and the riding should be impeccable! just need the snow. We have several races planned in Island Falls this season along with trail side BBQ and other activities. Will keep you posted. Happy holidays! What a fantastic turn out we had! Our pot luck dinner was delicious, thank you everyone! We began our meeting with the usual trea surer’s report from Dan as well as a recap from our secretary, Krissy. We did not have an official meeting in October due to not having enough folks present. The board had met earlier and voted to keep Robert (Bob) Howes, Travis Libby, Jon Harvey, Phil Sherman, and Laura Kenney as board members. During our club meeting we were asked to vote on either keeping Char lene Fraser as board member electing Krissy Ruttenberg the new secretary. We resulted in electing Krissy (by vote); the thought was keeping the board member position with the secretary. Rockabema would like to host a groomer show in February with the other local clubs. We would like to offer groomer rides to the children, food, and allow time for the clubs to be together. There is still a lot of work that would need to be done before anything is finalized. We will be reviewing our by- laws at our December meeting and making changes as needed. Jon Harvey wanted to thank all the vol unteers that came out and helped build our bridge, it was very much appreciated!! Well, that wraps up the summary of our meeting. I suspect our next meeting will have a lot more snow on the ground then we already have. Hello Everyone, Hope you had a good Thanksgiving and enjoyed your time with family and friends. We have been busy marking trails and doing some projects this fall. We want to thank all the guys that helped with the bridge decking project on ITS 81 in Westfield. A big THANK YOU goes out to the Grass Boyz and County Farms for their help with a big washout on Rte 70A in T10R3. Their help with gravel and trucking was a huge help. We will be back to having our meetings on the first Thursday of the month for the rest of season unless otherwise posted on our Face book page. There will still be some work to do on trails(brushing/ signs ) if anyone has some time. Contact Nick or Wade about where and what the needs are. So, with that said let’s hope for lower fuel prices and snow to come sooner than later. See you on the trails- Nick ROCKABEMA SNOW RANGERS Patten, ME CENTRAL AROOSTOOK sc Mars Hill, ME

BENEDICTA SNOW GANG Benedicta, ME

Hi Gang, Well, things with the Snowgang are going

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