8257-R1_MSA_February2023_Singles

From The Executive Board

S NOW is Falling!!! Trails are being groomed!! Our season has started (Late). But it is here! AS I write this we have 10 inches of white gold on the ground and it is still snowing with another storm coming. Clubs across the state are opening trails and grooming has started. Thanks again to all the volunteers who make this “The best snowmobiling in the East”. Aword of caution for all of us. Riding this year is a little different because we never got the cold temps to freeze our lakes, ponds and trails. Now with the snow cover things may look safe but may not be, I urge all to make sure it is safe to cross bodies of water. Pay attention to trail conditions, look out for mud and water bars. Always enjoy your riding and be safe. Thank a groomer when you can, Thank our generous land owners who provide our trails, Bring a friend out riding and join a club. Oh Yeah..... HAVE FUN!!! February and March are busy months for clubs all around the state with events and activi ties planned every weekend. Please check with area clubs and look at the events schedule to see where you can support club events. With such a slow start to this season, clubs are hoping to rebound some in the next two months to recoup some of what they spent getting everything ready, twice in most cases. That’s it until march! Ride safely everyone! Eileen most of the trails but still had to contend with open water and wet spots. Hopefully by the time you read this Eastern Region clubs will be in full swing and we can all be riding statewide. The third week of January took Larry and I to different ends of the state for MSA meet ings. On the 17th we went to South Paris for the monthly MSA directors meeting hosted by the Norway Trackers and Rock-O-Dundee clubs. Thanks Jerry Major and club members for host ing this event. Then on 19th Larry and I headed to Bai leyville for an Eastern Regional meeting. It had been several years since we met with them. There were eleven clubs invited and ten had members present! MSA president Al Swett, trail chair Mike Grass, scholarship committee vice chair Barry Ryan and scholarship com mittee member Gail Ryan as well as myself and regional director/trails committee member Larry Lafland were joined by regional director/ trails committee inspector Gary Dowling and trail committee inspector Ed Richards to pres ent information and listen to what the clubs had to say. I personally want to thank EVERYONE that attended, especially the club members because without you all there is no MSA!! This month- February- we will be holding the monthly MSA directors meeting in Lincoln at the Lincoln Snowhounds club. They are serving lasagna. If you are planning to attend, please go on the MSA website and make a reservation or call the MSA office and let them know. If we have favorable snow conditions there will be a planned ride that morning, so check MSA web site and Facebook page for more info. Refresh yourself with the controls, check it over before you head out for a great day of riding. Bring along a safety/first aid kit. Also if you use a trailer be sure to look it over for cracks bad tires axles and bearings, and make sure the lights all work. Brush the top off after a snow storm chucks of snow through a wind shield behind you does not make a good day. You know even the elite snowmobilers get hurt. I have a couple of friends that got hurt bad in recent years, a broken back and a bro ken leg. These guys get hurt and their top of the list riders! Ambulance rides are not fun I’ve had one and hope I don’t have another! Please be safe out there! AL ated them so we have to take off slowly. This January has been a weather roller coaster. 40-degree weather and rain just doesn’t work for our system. Washouts, flooding and high winds cause back breaking work for our vol unteers. Many detours are on the trail system as I speak. Please watch for signs and flagged areas. I don’t advise anyone to venture out on the lakes and rivers this winter. We just have not had enough cold weather to support us. Please check with the locals, they’re the folks to talk too. Please use good judgement while on your sled.

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 trails were great today. Remember they are volunteers then go home to their families and go to their jobs all so you can have a great ride. So instead of a thank you become one of us and make roads in the woods even better that would be the greatest thank you of all. Ride Safe, Jim the Palmyra or Hartland area. If interested, please let me know. This has started out as a strange winter. It is 1-degree at 6am and 38-degrees at noon. Lots of ice. Here it is the 25th of January and we are just now getting started on packing and grooming the trails. Since we are starting to see snow I hope it is a sign winter is here. The good news is, today I took a ride from around Waterville to the Forks It looks like everyone is grooming and trying to get things so they can take advantage of the cold nights and snow coming. There are some areas where there are new trails. Please pay attention and read the signs, as you know it takes some time to adjust to the changes being made. Some of the changes are due to trails being moved to comply with the truckers hauling wood out of the work areas. There are some new landowners, so be respectful to them and to other snowmobilers that are finding their way on the new trails. Be Safe and remember a smile and a friendly word goes a long way. Enjoy the season, Keep Smiling. Contact me if you need me. hear from you the snowmobile community for nominees for this years’ selection. Nomina tion forms are available from any committee member or on the MSA website. Committee members include Eric Spear, John Holmes, Ken Oberg, Roland Bowie, Mike DeRusha, Barry Ryan, Jerry Major and John and Mel anie Monk. We are always looking for more committee members to join our group, please reach out to myself or any committee member for more information. Important date to remember is February 28th 2023 which is the deadline for submit ting nomination forms. Forms can be emailed to Office@mesnow.com or can be mailed to address found on the nomination form. We look forward to reviewing many nominations from the snowmobiling community, this is your opportunity as a club or individual to share your story. We want to hear from you! Beth Bowie

Safety Committee

Hall of Fame Committee

Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com H i Folks January has left us without two fellow riders, a Gentleman riding on a pond went through some thin ice in the Northern region of Maine and a lady went off the trail in the Oxford area and struck some trees. This is tragic news and we all hate to hear of these deaths my heart goes out to the fam ilies. I’m sorry these happened. We have to refresh our minds when we get back on our snowmobiles. It’s been awhile since we oper

Beth Bowie, Chair, Hall of Fame 207-240-5571 bthbowie@yahoo.com

The Hall of Fame Committee was privileged to induct Marion Pinkham from the Glenburn Lakeside Riders and Jim Splan from the Bene dicta SnowGang, last 2021/2022 season. Con gratulations to these recipients as they join a prestigious group of MSA Hall of Fame mem bers. The Hall of Fame Committee is ready to

Central Region VP

Eastern Region VP

Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 L.andE.lafland525476@gmail.com H ello Everyone, Here it is Jan. 20th as I write this and guess what- IT IS FINALLY SNOWING here in my part of the state!!! While the temperatures are not cold enough to freeze the numerous water holes, lakes, streams, ponds and even a mud puddle at least it is snow and not more of that awful rain!! It is so wonderful to finally have a coat of white covering the mud and dirt. Now let’s keep it up and get much colder to freeze everything. I know I am asking for a lot, but hey it is supposed to be winter in Maine, so bring it on. I want to congratulate the Eastern region top four selling clubs of Super Raffle tickets this year. Glenburn Lakeside Riders, Moosehead Riders, Quad County SC and Bowlin-Matagamon SC were the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th top selling clubs in the state this year. Great job! January was a rough month for clubs in the Easter Region until the middle of the month. As mentioned, rain, rain, and more rain along with severe winds wreaked havoc on trails that clubs spent so many hours in the fall clearing. Many had to start all over again to clean up the mess. Once the snow did come the clubs had cleared

Jack Lord Home: (207) 672-3915 / Cell: 207-717-7131 17 Dinsmore St. Bingham, ME. 04920 Email: jacklord5256@gmail.com Hi Everyone First and foremost, I’m looking for help. I am looking for someone in the central area that would like to be a ITS trails inspector in Western Region VP

James Boyce, 207-265-6512 1168 Fosterhill Rd, Freeman ME 04983 Jboyce1168@gmail.com W ell here we are finally winter has arrived but every club I talk to says the same thing - water problems. No cold weather in November and December and that bad “r” word in January has put a lot of pressure on clubs to fill in water bars or streams that we usually don’t get. But they are making it work with many hours and every trick they can come up with. All this so the trails are safe for you to enjoy because that is what’s most important. But as I write these I want everyone to remember these folks have families and jobs to go to. Also the groomer drivers change their whole sleeping habits in the winter to go out as the weather goes so you could have a nice ride the next day. A simple thank you is great to hear; it is our reward to hear your

Coastal Region VP

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

7

m o

n o w

y 2 0 2 3 l M a i n e S

b i l

e r

F

e b

r u a r