8620-R1_MSA_February2024_Newsletter_Web

The Maine Snowmobiler

February 2024 • Vol. 55 • No. 6 MSA, PO Box 80 Augusta ME 04332

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An Official Publication of the Maine Snowmobile Association

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Destination Spotlight

Rangeley Lakes

T he home of the largest Maine

pig roasts to chicken dinners and the big weekend

Snowmobile Associ ation Club is The Range ley Lakes Snowmobile Club

Snodeo, this club has the pas sion it takes to make it happen. Their modern Groomer Barn houses five rigs and their drags. They have a staff of mechanics that are always doing preventive maintenance to keep the fleet in top shape.

with many members from over New England they are a destination point for riders from all over the USA. They have it all, lodging, great food, scenic lookouts snow mobile service, rentals and lots of wildlife. An excellent trail system maintained by some of the top shelf oper ators in the business. Events from this club happen year round. From Poker Runs and

The region has trails to the New Hampshire system up into the West ern Mountains of Maine. Excellent riding and landowners that are gen erous enough to let us use their land. The Supporting Business’s go above and beyond promoting and donating. Many riders come here for the excitement and scenery, President Lee Libby is the lead man this year and his decisions and wisdom are

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If you’re looking for a more challenging ride, you can try the ITS 89 trail. This trail takes you through some of the most rugged terrain in the region, and it’s not for the faint of heart. No matter what trail you choose, you’re sure to have a great time snowmobil ing in Rangeley. The scen ery is amazing, the trails are well-maintained, and there’s something for everyone.

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paying off. He has his team focused and ready to go. Rangeley Lakes Snowmobile Club MSA’s top membership club. Wonderful kind peo ple making snowmobiling in Maine one of the top three nationwide destination points.

or foxes. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights. The most scenic areas in the region, including Rangeley Lake, the Sugarloaf ski area, and the Carrabassett Valley. Another popular trail is the ITS 86 trail.This trail connects Rangeley to other popular snowmobiling destinations in Maine, such as Jackman and Greenville.

As you snowmobile through Rangeley, you’ll pass by tow ering pines, snow-covered mountains, and frozen lakes. You might even see some wildlife, such as deer, moose,

PARK & RIDE LOCATIONS

Attention MSA Clubs if you would like to add your local Park & Ride please visit: mainesnowmobileassociation.com and fill out the form under MSA Forms.

REGION Central Coastal Coastal Coastal Coastal Eastern

REGION Anson-North Anson SC Westbrook Trail Blazes Westbrook Trail Blazes Westbrook Trail Blazes Cornish Sno-Cruisers Sebasticook Valley SC Ebeemee SC East Branch Sno-Rovers LA Sledders Portage Lakers Caribou SC

ADDRESS 18 High St 429 Bridge St 771 Cumberland St 235 Pride St Rt #5 (Sokokis Trail) 238 Moosehead Trail US Route 11, ITS 111 Intersection 6 Clubhouse Dr Club House 3346 Bennoch Rd Station Rd 10 Otter Street

TOWN North Anson Westbrook Westbrook Westbrook Cornish Newport

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Westbrook Little League Parking lot Sunset Ridge Golf Course parking lot Prides Corner Congregational Church Parking lot will be busy Sunday mornings till about noon time. About 3/4 a mile south from Rt 25, Vacant lot and Approx 7 miles North of Limerick on Rt #5 Very Large parking lot with direct ITS 85 trail access. Located right on RT. 7 just 1 mile from I-95. Food/Gas services available in both directions. Great take off spot for day or overnight trips. Contact Sebasticook Valley SC Facebook page for the latest grooming information. Located just north of the road crossing on ITS 111 north (Wildwoods trail) Lots of room for parking. Lunches usually served on weekends. Also the Rail Trail Parking lot off Bennoch Rd in Lagrange as well as Lagrange General Store Parking is alongside Station Rd in downtown Portage. There is room for approximately 12 rigs. As your leaving Caribou on Rt.89 heading east towards Limestone Otter St. will be on your left just before you reach the underpass. Drive all the way straight in and that is where the Park n Ride will be. As you come into Stockholm off 161 turn left onto Main St. and go across the bridge. Right after the bridge on the left you’ll see a sign for a public boat landing. Turn left into there and that in the parkn ride. There is a small maintained trail that will lead you thru the ballpark up to ITS 83 or you can ride the shoulder of Main St. from the park n ride and get on ITS 83 next to Eureka Hall. Immediately off I-95 northbound exit. Located at Brooks Equipment Service . Direct access to ITS 83 Oils, parts, and services available at this site, as well as 2 gas stations located within 900’ of park and ride location (one of which has 24 hr. card service with non-ethanol gas also) No parking in front of garage door or right side of building (diesel tanks). This is a private driveway located on trail ITS 81. Call 207.316.9118 for permission to park (limited space) Madawaska This is a dirt road that connects east and west cottage road in Portage. There will be available parking on the west side of This is the location of our clubhouse. The clubhouse is not open to the general public w/o notice. There is lots of room for park ing, but please not in front of our groomer barn, “The Bullpen.” Located at the Lake Pennesseewassee Boat Launch/ Parking Area. Parking lot holds 30 plus trailers and direct acess to ITS115 Located east of the Route 2 rest area after passing through the town center of Gilead on the right side of the road. Marked with a sign and trail map in the lot. Take a right at Andover Village (Rt. 120) just down over the hill on right Parking lot is across from the Ham Athletic Fields at 40 Brag Way. 2/10 of a mile from the intersection of Brag Way and Route 302. Easy access to ITS 89. Located on the right hand side of Route 2 after entering Gilead from the west and passing the rest area or on the left side of the highway if coming in from the Bethel area. Long, thin parking lot for about 4 trucks with trailers. Kiosk and map in parking lot. Fireman’s field next to the little Androscoggin River. this road and will be marked with signs. Located right at the I-95 Sherman exit

Eastern Eastern Eastern

Ebeemee Twp Medway Alton Portage Caribou

Northern Northern

Northern

Caribou SC

10 Otter St

Stockholm

Northern

Big Valley Sno Club

1160 Crystal Road

Island Falls

Northern Northern

Madawaska SC Madawaska SC

19 Fournier Road 195 Dufour Rd

St. David (Madawaska) Madawaska

Northern

Portage Lake SC

Station Road

Portage Lake

Northern Northern

Benedicta Snow Gang Chapman Ridge Runners Snowmobile & ATV Clulb Norway Trackers SC Sno Wanderers Wild River Riders Snow Valley Sno-Goers Pleasent Mountian SC Formaly Bridgton Easy Riders Wild River Riders

Sherman Citgo 94 Town Hall Rd.

Sherman Chapman

Western Western Western

95 Lake Road 171 Main St. Route 2

Norway Kingfield Gilead

Western Western

Rt. 120 Just East of Andover Village Brag Way

Andover Bridgton

Western

Route 2

Gilead

Western

The Bog Hooters SC

Rte 11

Mechanic Falls Harrison

Western

Harrison Friendly Riders

Vacationland Rd

Take Vacationland Rd, Follow Signs.

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Make your passion a reality!

NEW ONLINE MEMBERSHIP PORTAL Joining multiple snowmobile clubs has never been easier. Recently the Maine Snowmobile Association launched a new online membership portal. With a click of a button and an online payment, you can effortlessly support multiple clubs! Scan the QR Code here or visit:

Join A Club Today! https://mainesnowmobileassociation.formstack.com/forms/membership

Maine Lawyers proudly supporting the Maine Snowmobile Association

Free Case Evaluation • joebornstein.com

CLASSIFIED FOR SALE 2003 Jeep with drag $5,000.00 Contact Brandt McCollett at 207-751-5935 or email falcn33@icloud.com

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Open Mic Night † ‡ „ˆ ‰ Š € ‹ ‹ Œ Ž ‘ Œ ’ Œ ‚ “ ” € ‹ ‹ ‚ ‚ ‘„ ‰ ” Ž • – € ‰

The Maine Snowmobiler on the Go!

Now you can have access to the Maine Snow mobiler anywhere you go! Subscribe today to receive your digital version of the Maine Snowmo biler. Be one of the first to receive your paper each month right to your inbox. Changing your subscrip tion preference is easy just follow the QR Code to a quick form and your next edition will be digital!

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Upcoming MSA Meetings - March 2024 Executive Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, March 14 th at 6:30 pm via Zoom. Please watch your email for login information March’s Director’s Meeting on Saturday, March 16 th hosted by the Easton Trailbreakers SC in Easton. A Showcase Ride will be held prior to the meeting. Leaving from Easton Elementary School, Bangor Road at 8:00 AM The Meeting will be held at the Easton Elementary School on Bangor Road. Social Hour at 5:00 followed by dinner at 6:00 pm. Zoom will also be an option for this meeting. RSVP by 2/29/24.

MSA Directors Pot O Gold At the January Director’s Meeting The Belgrade Draggin’ Masters was drawn for the MSA Pot O Gold. The Club Director was not present.

> edwardjones.com | Member SIPC

We’re looking for newspaper articles. Topics of interest.... All things snowmobiling! Do you have a favorite ride that you’d like to share? Grooming or trail work tips. Product reviews. Stories of your adventures. Club events. A member who goes above and beyond. If possible, please send along pictures for your articles. This paper is created for Snowmobilers and you are the experts - we’d love to have your input! Please submit articles to editor@mesnow.com

You're retired. Your money isn't.

Robert S Giordano Financial Advisor

875 Greenland Rd Suite A8-2 Portsmouth, NH 03801-4164 603-380-7903

MKT-5894 L -A-A1 AECSPAD

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From The Executive Board

From the President

H ello everyone, And just like that it’s February and we’re in the heart of the Winter! I hope you all have had a chance to get out and engage in a little throttle therapy and enjoy some of the fruits of your labor; after all, we work so hard all year to put out the best product that we possibly can and at some point we need to enjoy some of what we have created. Well to say Mother Nature has kept things interesting for most of 2023 is an understatement. I am amazed every day at how Clubs have pulled together and the amount of volunteerism that I have witnessed after the several natural disasters that we’ve seen this year alone. Not only have we seen the core group of volunteers in each club get back up and brush themselves off after each time their trails were devastated and rebuild. But individuals from outside the club doors have stepped in to help, as well as local contractors and businesses have donated time, equipment and money, not knowing if and when they January 2 nd Jack lord and I were invited to a regional Snowmobile meeting put on by the Clinton club. We had several clubs from the Central Region along with pizza for supper. We talked about many topics including committee to determine legislation that needs to be brought in front of the 2025 session to better finance our clubs trail maintenance & equipment funding. In early January we had a very pro ductive call with Governor Mills and IFW Commissioner Camuso. While nothing was decided upon, they now have a clear understanding of our financial concerns & plans looking for funding in the short, medium & long term. Our lobbyist has been working dil igently gathering information and talking to folks in Augusta, reminding them of how much financial gain our clubs bring to the State and our financial concerns. He has kept us up to date on issues that we need to know and asked for guidance for communications. The committee has had 4 virtual meetings and 1 in person meeting since beginning. An e-mail blast has been sent out to clubs asking for ideas. A HUGE THANK YOU TO LORI HEMMERDINGER for creating an online membership form on the MSA website. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out. You can join as many clubs as you choose from the comfort of your house. The site has been extremely popular and is keeping Liz in the office busy. Note to MSA clubs- With this new online membership, when a person signs up, at the present time MSA may be issuing your club a credit for the amount . You can use this credit the next time you send in memberships by just sending a copy of the letter back with your transmittal form and deducting the amount off what your total is. However, once a club accumulates a credit over $60.00 a check will be issued and mailed to the club’s address on file. Any questions, please contact tucked away in a picture-perfect community in western Maine. The club folks are awesome, and boy is their food great! Homemade turkey pie with all the fixins. Thank you for a wonderful time. Our, electronics team did a fine job with some new gadgets making it easy to communicate via zoom. Thanks for making it happen, you did a great job. Off to business, we met in Strong to discuss business associated with all the storm damage. Many clubs large and small and political Senators and Commissioner’s from the Western Region showed up. It was a well organized meeting. Many topics were brought up. Along with non-storm damage such as snowmobile funding in which we are working on now. Hopefully, the Legislature will give us a helping hand with funding. I feel we have the correct team working on this.

would be compensated for their generosity. We have also seen neighboring clubs helping other clubs with materials, labor and working together to try to connect all the dots and create a fluid trail system for all sledders to ride on. As well as to maintain the cash flow that is so needed, and in many small communities in Maine, snowmobiling is an industry and it is what keeps their economy moving. Thank you to all who have helped, snowmobiling would NOT have happened this season if it were not for everyone mentioned. The MSA along with our lobbyist and our legislative funding committee have been hard at work behind the scenes meeting with the governor and members of our State and County governments to come up with a solution for funding, both long term and short term. We have done our very best at making sure that your voices are being heard. There is a dire need to get more money back into the hands of our clubs in order to insure the future Snowmobiling in Maine is destination hot spot for people from all over the Country and Canada, we have the best trail system made possible from MSA clubs like you. Even after the devastation we have had, we’ve bounced back. Clubs have had to do reroutes, replace some bridges and have done a lot of tree work. All possible from the best group of volunteers, supporting businesses, and of course the landowners. Without your passion and support, we would be out of business. A big thank you to you all! Hope you have a great season, AL We need all your help to get ideas from folks who are in the trenches working everyday to keep the clubs going. We have gathered information from neighboring provinces & states. We have received information from Joe Higgins at the Snowmobile Pro gram office on past years reported club expenses, grant payouts & reg istration numbers. We are sifting through the data to make sure we completely understand it will take some time. There is a lot of data to work though & understand but it will be crucial to tell our story to the folks in the Governors office and legisla tive committees. We also have commitment from the University of Maine to refresh the eco nomic impact study that was released in February 2020. This is another cru cial piece of the puzzle that will help us move forward. If you have questions, concerns or either membership@mesnow.com or office@ mesnow.com and we will explain it to you. Please acknowledge the new members(s) you receive this way as they chose your club for a reason. Totals as of Jan.22, 2024 We have 243 of the 285 clubs that have submitted memberships. That means 42 clubs have not sent in any memberships yet. The regional VP’s have a list of clubs in their areas and will be contacting them. Of those, 13 clubs have memberships over 100. In alphabetical order they are: Blue Ridge Riders, Border Riders, Caribou, Fort Kent, Fryeburg, Madawaska, Moosehead Riders, Northern Timber Cruisers, Penobscot SC, Pleasant Mtn ( Bridgeton), Portage Lakers, financial grants, signage, landowners. The Clinton club has a very nice clubhouse and are having an open house coming up on February 10th it’s a Saturday. Also, The Pine Tree Camp annual Egg Ride is February 3 rd at Dysarts in Hermon. If you’re into checking out the new Groomer’s head over to The East Branch Sno Rover’s Clubhouse on February 3rd there will be demonstrations with the groomer and drags. The club will also have some great food available.

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

W ell, January was quite a month. We had a great Directors meeting in Norway! A meeting we drove to in a snowstorm. What an adventure and well worth every mile. The Norway club is an awesome club quietly From the Executive VP Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 33,340.06 $ 33,124.01

Net Revenue

$

216.05

Short Term CD

$ 85,600.00 $226,092.43 $127,796.17

Checking (1/31/23)

Dedicated Account (1/31/23)

Pay Pal (12/31/23) - Special Events Account (1/31/23) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (1/31/23) $ - Building Fund (1/31/23) $ 54,086.36 Brian Wass Safety Fund (1/31/23) $ 1,285.61 Scholarship Savings (1/31/23) $ 500.00 Scholarship CD (1/31/23) $ 59,542.72 of our snowmobiling industry, an industry that is supported by volunteers and an industry that brings revenue into our State that is fast approaching 1 Billion dollars each year. I can tell you personally that you have a very good team working for you and we will continue beating this drum and work till we find a solution that works for all of us. Well that’s all for now folks, I hope to see some of you at a meeting, event, or maybe out on the Trail! As always keep fighting the good fight and if you have anything snowmobile related that you would like to talk about please call, text, or email me, my door is always open. Mark ideas for us please reach out. Email your regional VP at the link below: David Watson - dwatson6841@gmail.com Eileen Lafland - L.andE.lafland525476@gmail.com Jack Lord - jacklord5256@gmail.com Jerry Major - mrfun101jem@gmail.com Matt Stedman – stedman.matt@jdirving.com Matt Stedman $

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

Matt Stedman 207-557-1921 (call or text) PO Box 621, Ashland ME 04732 Stedman.matt@jdirving.com

D ear MSA snowmobile club mem bers, The MSA has put together a

Rangeley, Washburn and Windham. Statewide: Total Family Memberships 7,275 Total Business Memberships 1,861 Total Memberships 9,136 Counts by region: Central 1,570 Coastal 1,077 Eastern 2,385 Northern 1,974 Western 2,119

From The Membership Corner

KEEP THOSE MEMBERSHIPS COMING IN! REMEMBER THERE ARE AWRDS FOR THE TOP MEMBERSHIP CLUBS IN EACH REGION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING!

Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 L.andE.lafland525476@gmail.com

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From The Executive Board Secretary’s Report - Brad Barker 590 th Directors Meeting & Super Raffle - Norway Fire Station, Norway Trackers - Norway, Maine - January 6, 2024

her radar to advocate for the clubs that need the funds. Funding short term, mid-term, and long term funding. Online membership form. Lori has created a portal. Please go on to the website to see the online membership portal. You can join any club you want in the MSA. Park and Ride - there’s an addition in the January paper to add your town and club area. You can also sign up through the membership form. Thank you Lori. Great Job! (Applause) Next meeting is February 17th, East Branch Snow Rovers, showcase ride. Thank everyone for coming out in the weather. Any work that the clubs do, keep track of them to get them into Joe’s office so that when funds come through. Document - take photos of everything that you’re working on and also GPS information if you can. Northern Region Vice-President: Matt Stedmen - Sorry he couldn’t be there tonight due to the storm. Got a lot going on in the northern region. 50 to 75 percent of clubs are out and about and by this weekend we should all be out there. Cold weather is helping get things firmed up. Attended next generation ride age 4-13 age kids of club members, together one weekend a month to build that up. Had 8 kids there and are building relationships now. Clubs are hosting ots of breakfasts and lunches etc. Northern region meeting March 16 out of Easton. Could stay in Presque or Mars Hill. Trails - snowmobiling slow start so when they come they will come hard and fast so preach safety, keep safety front and center. Wardens have said they will be out and about more this winter so be in touch with them if you need them. No off trail riding signs, trying to get them out to clubs. Clubs are excited to have them and getting them to the landowners that need them. Eastern Region Vice-President: Eileen Lafland -Still working on trails. If you’re going to ride anywhere in Eastern please check in to make sure that the trails are open. Downeast is still under water. Sunrise has major washouts. Groomer Rodeo at the East Branch get underway. Western Maine actually received the most snow cover and most projects are up and running. Northern Maine was doing OK by end of January to allow for riding but woods and fields were still thin. The rest of the state was spotty on grooming operations as of the end of January. Hopefully by the time you read this we will have sufficient snow throughout the state. One thing for sure, crews have been out clearing trees, fixing washouts, and ensuring our trail system was connected. The process is never ending. There are almost weekly updates on logging operations or a landowner issue. The reroutes continue so take note of local signage when out on the trail. The trail committee has ramped up inspec tions of the ITS system and many clubs should have received their results by now. We have revised our inspection form so that the club will receive their report directly after the inspector submits the results. Keep doing your snow dance so maybe we can ride in April….. Brent

Sno-Rovers February 3rd. All day events. Showcase Ride will be announced at the ride. Central Region Vice-President: Jack Lord - No report. Coastal Region Vice-President: Dave Watson - Still snowing, it’s cold, lost a lot of snow during the rainstorm, expecting trails to be opened up. Everything is moving forward. Western Region Vice-President: Jerry Major - Norway’s park and ride is listed in the paper. There is still a LOT of open water so be very careful. The Strong meeting was unbelievable. If anyone wants a safety check just let Jerry know. Paul Gallant from Fryeburg was recognized for the Most Super Raffle Tickets sold. Executive Vice-President: Mark Chinnock - any club out there, don’t feel like you’re alone. It’s very discouraging but we are all in this together, if you need help or direction just call us we can help you. We are your big brother. Trail Committee Chair: Brent Spalding - Just phenomenal the family that we have here. The amount of work being done between volunteers, businesses, and the snowmobiling community. Been doing some signage workshops. Those are going really well. It’s changing and we all are learning something new every time. Capital equipment grants - part of the scoring includes a point line for signage. Get the trail inspectors to check. They are being asked to get involved with the club trails as well. A tracking app is being used by DACF and they are working on extending this to some of the MSA Trail Inspectors for a trial run. Anyone wanting a trails workshop please reach out to me. Scholarship Committee: Berry Ryan - We need more scholarship applicants. 2 -$1500 scholarships available this year. If you have any questions, reach out. In this month’s paper there is a whole page about it, thank you very much. Steering Committee Chairman: John Monk - Thank you to Norway Trackers. The State of Maine website had a nice ad about registering your sled. it was very supportive and important for people to understand. Abandoned and discontinued roads presentation to the legislatures. On a discontinued road, no one knows who owns

the road. Landowner is liable and we are trying to get the legislatures to look at it. Insurance liability - suggested that - to ask Joe to help with liability insurance? Funding committee: Matt Stedmen - funds were wiped out with the storms and events this summer. Short term (this grant cycle), mid term (next summer and fall), and long term funding (this time next year). Had a very good meeting with the governor’s office. She understands the funds that snowmobiling brings to the state. We will be competing with everyone for the dollars, but we will keep the dialog open. Had some good feedback from clubs. We will be cycling back to people to get more understanding. How do we promote something that is already in place? Want to set this up so we don’t have to keep coming back to rebuild this every two or three years. Membership Report: Eileen Lafland - 243 of 285 that have submitted memberships, 13 clubs over 100 and 2 over 200. 6,950 family memberships and 1,801 business memberships total of 8,751. Lori did a great job getting the online membership Formstack located on the MSA webpage. If your club gets a letter saying that someone joined your club, please acknowledge them. Hospital: Gail Ryan - sent out two cards since the beginning of the year. Safety: Al Swett - be safe, use your head. IFW wherever you have a lot of traffic you should have a safety check. When he goes to schools, he talks about what to expect in snowmobiling. Hall of Fame Chair: Aleta Rioux- No report. Old business: Super Raffle - Most raffle tickets sold- Fryeburg. New business: Eileen - do have contests Dealer, Groomer, Business, Snowmobiler, Snowmobile Club, Youth, Hall of Fame. Capitol Equipment grant inspection of club trails is going to look different. Send in trail reports to editor@mesnow Pot of Gold - Belgrade Draggin’ Masters was drawn. No Director present. Forfeited $400. Motion to Adjourn M/S/C 8:11 to go to the landowners pleading with them to keep the trail open. And I’ll tell you they’re getting mighty sick of it. Well, a little more safety news and it’s not good. My first trip out I came across an accident where the rider missed a corner. He was hurt very bad, and his late model sled destroyed. Something he’ll live with for the rest of his life. As of this writing, we have lost two fel low riders one from Western Maine and one from the North. Many accidents statewide. I was recently at a big event in Western Maine driving down the road with a friend we had a sled go through a stop sign into the state road nearly hitting us. The trial is well marked with the proper signs. Recently a group of Game Wardens did a snowmobile detail in a part of the State with lots of traffic. They ticketed over 20 sleds for many violations and told me there will be more of these details throughout the area. If&W will be having another safety course in Augusta at the Sportsman Alliance of Maine building on February 11th beginning around 9am. Call or visit their website for signing up. Still planning on a Greenville School safety Awareness Day. Waiting for a date. We still have a few Safety Posters available courtesy of Hammond Lumber. Give us a call or email if you’d like some. Be Safe Out There! PLEASE. Our trails are not racetracks. Al Respectfully submitted Brad Barker, Secretary

M eeting started at 7:00 PM. Pledge of Allegiance Secretary’s report M/S/C The treasurer’s report was read and placed on file at the office. President’s opening comments: Thank you to the kitchen crew for putting on a great meal. We’ve been devastated by the weather, Can’t thank you enough for what you do. Having a hard time getting materials for longer bridges and rebuilding bridges. You guys are making it work and the landowners are going above and beyond. Medway Groomer Rodeo and signage workshop February 3. Al is unable to attend. The raffle went awesome last month. He enjoyed delivering the prizes to the winners. Executive Vice-President: Mark Chinnock - Thank you to the Norway Trackers for hosting. It was awesome. Don’t want to keep talking about the disaster… you guys rock. There was a regional meeting in Strong, about 100 people including some legislatures that heard what the clubs were saying. They are trying to get some money back to the clubs for relief. It’s not going to happen overnight, we have to go through the right channels. Had a meeting with the governor last week to get on Brad Barker, Secretary 207-524-3301 155 Fish Street, Leeds ME 04263 barkerbrad155@gmail.com

Trails Committee Chair Report

Safety Committee

Brent Spaulding, MSA Trails Chairman 207-944-7762 41 Madison Ave Brewer ME 04412 msatrailchair@gmail.com G reetings from Brewer, Finally!Mother Nature was somewhat nice to us and allowed our long awaited season to

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

Snowmobile Safety, people tell me to many riders are driving way to fast, going through stop signs, on the wrong side of the trail rid ing on closed trails, and so on and so on. You folks who are guilty of all of the above shame on you. Do you have any idea what you’re doing to our sport? Giving us a bad name for one, getting trails that we worked and cooper ated with landowners to ride on their property closed down. Please respect the landowners over 95% of the trail network is on private property everywhere I go throughout the State I get the same comments; the volunteers have

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

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From The Executive Board

teered just two hours to a club to do trail work. The small, but mighty trail crews across this state could sure use the help and a break at this point. Something for everyone to think about. With less than ideal conditions in much of the state, club events have been postponed or can celed. This means those clubs are not receiving the income generated from these events.Please consider helping the clubs in any way as they depend on the fundraising events to cover some of their costs. Before you head to an event that has always happened, check with the club to make sure they are still doing it. With that said, On Feb. 17 th , if you receive this paper in time, there will be an Eastern Region showcase ride starting at the East Branch Sno-Rovers in Medway. Plan to be at the club by 8:30 AM. That night is the Febru ary MSA directors meeting also at East Branch Sno-Rovers. If you want to know what MSA is doing, come to the meeting. They are open to the public. If you want to eat, please go to the MSA website and register for the meal. It is contest time! Please send in your nomi nations for the MSA contests by the end of this month. We really want to have many nomina tions to choose from. Recognize those who support your club, are your club and all your club does. If chosen, the recipient is recognized at the MSA annual meeting in April. That’s it for February. See you all in March. Eileen Our goal is to give as much as we can for as long we can. If any club or individual has an idea of a fundraiser, grant or donor that might like to help please contact one of us and we’ll be glad to follow up. Remember scholarship applications are due in the MSA office by April 1 st ! checks are made out to the student’s schools in the winner’s name and sent directly to the business office of each school as well as a con gratulation letter to the student letting them know the scholarship check has been sent. Special thanks to Liz at the MSA office and Donna at Camden National Bank for their help in getting the payments out. This year’s winners are Alicen Higgins of Fairfield going to UMA, Thomas Watt of Greenville going to UMO and Kathryn Smith of Holden going to Gordon College. Congrat ulations to all three! The scholarship committee is very happy to announce that this year the two scholarship winners will receive $1,500 each. Like every thing else the cost of education continues to rise and many cases creates a real hardship for students and their families. The committee is very mindful of that and we want to do as much as we can to support our fellow mem bership families. We take great pride in the process and we are always excited to know that we helped in some small way.

W e have SNOW YAY!!! Club’s across the state are cleaning up trails, Grooming, and our Volunteers are doing an excellent job! Thanks to all. It certainly has been an interesting start to the season. The MSA is always looking to make snowmobiling in Maine the best it can be. Right now, we are looking for ideas to close the gap on funding our trails without raising our registrations again. We’re looking for your input on other options to do this. Please reach out to me if you have suggestions. I would like to thank the clubs who have already done so. I ask all of you to ask a friend to “Join a club” It is always needed. Ride right, Ride safe, and enjoy your ride. Dave There’s a myriad of other activities taking place, perhaps too many to write about in this column, but rest assured that MSA is actively working on issues from rider safety, to fund ing, to trail protection and access each and every day. We’ll continue to work steadily on these priorities, and I look forward to keeping you updated and seeking your input along the way. Safe and happy riding to you all. Thanks for your support. James Cote Vehicles and Make Recommendations for Changes- this legislation was introduced in 2023 and continues to be worked in the Maine Legislature. The objective of the legislation is to enhance funding (especially) for ATV and snowmobile programs here in Maine. The bill is currently being re-referred to the Trans portation Committee after being thoroughly discussed in the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. MSA continues to work the legis lation, in hopes of attracting a couple hundred thousand more dollars per year to the State’s snowmobile program. While this is not a sil ver bullet, it is a step in the right direction. After the recent storm damage we also met with about 20 local clubs in Strong to discuss how the clubs could work together, and with the State, to get the trail network to an opera ble condition. The meeting was very success ful at getting important conversations going amongst clubs and other key stakeholders. Our thanks to the High Peaks Alliance, repre sentatives from the State such as Joe Higgins and the Maine Warden Service, and local leg islators who participated. Many of us continue to strategize on the best path forward for increasing funding for clubs and the State program going forward. Again, this discussion and strategy will take time, but thanks to the many members of MSA that are participating, we continue to refine ideas in hopes of bringing a proposal forward in 2025 for the Legislature to consider.

Capitol Report

Scholarship Committee

James Cote MSA Lobbyist

H ello MSA Members! Despite the slow and stormy start to winter, I hope your club work and riding are in much better shape as we approach the mid dle of winter. MSA has been busy for several weeks working on a variety of things to help support local clubs and improve snowmobil ing in Maine for all. I think it is also important for all MSA members to know just how much work that your volunteer leaders of the asso ciation are doing for you. They are working tirelessly to bring more attention, and more funding, to the issues that concern us all and have the interests of members and clubs front of mind. So here’s what we’ve been up to recently: Meeting with Governor Mills- MSA leaders Al Swett, Mark Chinook, Matt Stedman and I met with Governor Mills earlier in January to discuss the recent storm damage to trails and to underscore the importance of enhanced funding for clubs. While this is an ongoing discussion and will take time, Governor Mills did express her support for the industry and committed to having more discussions as we move forward. LD 977- Resolve, to Study the Gasoline Tax Allocations for Nonhighway Recreational

Harvey Chesley, 207-314-0637 25 Hillcrest Dr, Clinton ME 04927 harv.chesley@gmail.com

H ello fellow members, hope this article finds everyone in good spirits and with plenty of snow for riding in your area and across the State. January is also the month that the MSA scholarship looks forward so excitedly, the month we get the request from the scholar ship winners to pay their awards. This year we had three winners and awarded each a $1,000 scholarship payable on notification that the applicant successful completed their first semester and is enrolled in their second. The

Eastern Region VP

Coastal Region VP

Eileen Lafland, 207-843-7813 PO Box 733, Holden ME 04429 L.andE.lafland525476@gmail.com W elcome February Everyone!! Well its a very interesting winter, as I write this we are getting the BIG one inch storm, hope I can get out to get bread and milk, haha. I want to give a BIG THANK YOU TO ALL VOLUNTEERS who have worked their hearts out clearing trees, rebuilding bridges, re opening trails and making the trails safe for everyone to ride. These volunteers have many, many hours in just in January, not counting what they had before the storms hit. It sure would be nice if EVERYONE reading this paper volun

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

MSA CLUBS:TO ORDER NEEDED ITS & JCT SIGNS

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: editor@mesnow.com

Contact Mike Grass Sr. MSATrails Committee

252 Condon Rd • Plymouth, ME 04969 207-368-4914 home • 207-745-2745 cell Grasslands252@gmail.com TO ORDER CLUBTRAIL SIGNAGE Candice Pinkham DACF/Snowmobile Program 207-287-4957 Office • 207-878-8111 Fax Candice.M.Pinkham@maine.gov

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From The Executive Board

On the bright side we had a wonderful MSA meeting in Norway on the 16th, 55 in attendance during a pretty good storm, was impressed to see seven from the Bangor area, true dedicated MSA members. President Al brought all his usual display he sure is the MAN. You can read the minutes elsewhere in the paper. I have been reaching out to a few clubs, one has only two members and instead of meeting, they work on trails constantly and have their area in good shape. Still finding others with serious bridge problems, unbelievable the damage Mother Nature has done this season. I am hoping to get out to more meetings in February, however many are on the same night, I will do the best I can. I would like to have a meeting in February for the Western region and am trying to decide where, the Oxford Hills area seems to be as central as any, but I would entertain any suggestions on a location if any club would like to host us. Please be in touch with any situation in your area if I can help. Keep doing the snow dance and be safe’ GOD BLESS, Jerry Jack Lord Home: (207) 672-3915 / Cell: 207-717-7131 17 Dinsmore St. Bingham, ME. 04920 Email: jacklord5256@gmail.com I ’m having a hard time writing this, I don’t know what this is, but it sure is not winter. Conditions are not what they should be. This is a time to slow down and be very safe. Accidents can happen in a heartbeat. Now back to something I told everyone. I’m done at the end of this season. I need someone to step up and take my position. Anyone interested, I will work with you to get started. I’m late writing this so I will keep it short. Give me a call if you need anything, I’ll help if I can. Keep smiling and be safe, Jack Gateway Trading Post, (207) 435-6890 M Rafford Construction, (207) 540-4048 Moose Shed Lodge, (207) 570-4507 Mountain Grooming Equipment, (802) 496-3536 Northern Maine Diesel, (207) 551-0634 P&T Guide Service, (207) 551-5701 Page Property Maintenance LLC, (207) 227-9989 Page Property Management, (207) 229-9989 Reliant Repair, (207) 227-8336 S&S Masonry Inc, (207) 992-2160 The Sign Shed, (207) 435-6476 Walker Food Services LLC DBA Ashland Food Mart, (207) 435-6451 White Rock Unlimited LLC, (207) 370-0174 ATHENS Cedar Mill Farm & Cabins, (207) 654-2195 Linkletter & Sons Inc, (207) 654-2301 ATKINSON Pleasant River Guide Service and Lodge, (207) 564-0760 AUBURN Auburn Concrete, (207) 777-7100 Butch Craig & Son Forklifts, (207) 576-3016 Central Maine Powersports, (207) 689-2345 Custom Metal Roofs of ME, (207) 782-4684 Electrical Systems Of Maine, Inc, (207) 783-7126 Gee & Bee Sporting Goods, (207) 784-4933 Gipper’s Sports Grill, (207) 786-0715 Jim Hart & Son Home Improvement Inc, (207) 576-3348 Poisson & Sons Auto Care Inc, (207) 782-9144 Wallingford Equipment Co Inc, (207) 782-4886 AUGUSTA C&S Market, (207) 816-1715 Lovejoy Dental Center, (207) 437-2100 North Country Harley-Davidson/Ski-Doo, (207) 622-7994 O’Connor Bus Sales, (207) 622-3191 Twins Country Store, (207) 626-0015 AVON Central Maine Crane, (207) 465-2229 BAILEYVILLE Downeast Glass & Overhead Door, (207) 454-7767 P-Town Storage, (207) 427-3259 Route 1 Automotive, (207) 214-8245 BANGOR JEM Realtor- ERA Dawson Bradford, (207) 991-1909 Bagley & Bragdon PA, (207) 942-3728 Larrabee Farm, LLC, (207) 753-0831 Pat’s Pizza of Auburn, (207) 784-8221 Aquaboggan Water Park Claude Bouque Construction, (207) 251-3671 DDR, (207) 435-6782 Driscoll Diesel, (207) 435-4599 Gary’s Yamaha, (207) 498-2549

Northern Region VP

Western Region VP

BETHEL Caver’s Woodworking Inc, Extreme Landscaping, Good Food Store, (207) 824-3754 Lowell’s Saw Shop, (207) 824-2811 Western Maine Supply Co, (207) 824-2139 BIDDEFORD Pierson’s Nursery, (207) 499-2912 Taylor Rental, (207) 282-5104 BINGHAM 201 Powersports, (207) 372-3773 Bingham General Store, (207) 672-5547 Craftech, (508) 529-4505 D&L Auto Sales & Service, (207) 324-6260 Gateway Recreation & Lodging, (207) 672-9395 Jimmy’s SNS, (207) 672-5528 JR Nunes & Son Excavation, (207) 265-6286 Kennedy Construction, (207) 592-3739 Lavallee’s Garage, (207) 672-4951 Little Buddies Childcare, (207) 451-8425 North Country Rivers, (207) 672-4814 Staples Hardware, (207) 672-4455 BINGHAM/MOSCOW Valley Auto Parts, (207) 672-4040 BLAINE Scovil Building Supply Inc, (207) 425-3192 BLANCHARD 29 Mountain Rd, (207) 997-3364 Gary Killam Builders, (207) 997-3364 BLUE HILL David Carter Property Management, (207) 266-4020 BOWDOIN Butcher Boys Deer Cutting, (207) 212-3146 JL Custom Fab, (207) 666-5800 Mid-Coast Growers, (207) 666-5821 Rocky Ridge Orchard, (207) 666-3658 Thomas Davis Homebuilders, (207) 666-8424 BOWDOINHAM Ackers Acres Disc Golf, (207) 837-1952 Colonial Hardwoods, (207) 666-3069 MOMS Topsham, (207) 729-1177 NAPA Auto Parts Richmond, (207) 737-8545 Ridge Road Landscaping, (207) 666-3691 Scott Temple Well Company Inc, (207) 751-0092 Three Robbers Pub, (207) 666-1197 BRADFORD Bradford Self Storage, (207) 327-2182 Masons Touch LLC, (860) 213-1111 TM&K Partners, (203) 929-2547 BRADLEY MD Smith Builders, (207) 827-4260 PS Currier & Son Construction Inc, (207) 827-5797 BREWER Bradstreet Lawn & Garden, (207) 989-8676 Chris Downs Computer Room, (207) 217-2534 Cowan’s Service Station Inc, (207) 989-5330 Hardy Construction Lindsco Equipment, (207) 989-1441 M&N Operating Co/ Enbridge, (207) 650-4085 Twin City Tire & Service, (207) 989-8473 Many fundraisers and events are planned in February. Get out & support your local club or charity by attending or helping with these events. You should be able to find something to do every weekend throughout the State. I have spoken with many clubs here in the County who have new leadership, please remember you do not have to learn it all on your own, there is a community of club members to help you. If your club has questions about what the MSA is doing, how other clubs function, how to use State resources, what can be done to assist in fundraising do not be afraid to ask. Running a volunteer organization can be a daunting task, but not when you have a good community helping you along the way. Reach out and leverage the knowledge of clubs, MSA regional folks and the whole MSA board. We may not know the answer either but can get a resource to help you & your club. A huge central Aroostook event takes place in Caribou March 2nd – 5th with way to many events to list, check out the ads or look it up online. A great winter, family event. Something to enjoy for everyone. Remember the Northern Region showcase ride & directors meeting Saturday March 16th Hosted by Easton Snowmobile Club. Join us for a nice ride, a chance to check out the sites of central Aroostook, a nice dinner and the directors meeting at the school in Easton that 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 listed. Matt Stedman

Matt Stedman 207-557-1921 (call or text) PO Box 621, Ashland ME 04732 Stedman.matt@jdirving.com

Jerry Major, Cell: 207-838-0892 137 Morrill Rd, Norway ME 04268

H ello fellow snowmobilers, As I write this article, we (in Northern Maine) have just received another 2-4 inches of white fluffy stuff. We don’t have a lot of base, but clubs are out trying to work with what they have. Trails are thin through the wooded sections and in the big fields, but pretty good on woods roads and railbeds. Folks from near & far are out riding. Hopefully they slow down, ride right so we can all enjoy the trails and get home safely. Just because there has not been the same amount of grooming hours year to date as normal does not mean the clubs’ expenses are that much less. All the work to get the trails ready to ride really adds up and snow coming & going, wind & ice events means additional hours spent getting ready, then getting ready again!

mrfun101jem@gmail.com W ell its a very interesting winter, as I write this we are getting the BIG one inch storm, hope I can get out to get bread and milk, haha.

Central Region VP

Know Before You Go! Always Check Local Ice Conditions

Bangor MotorSports, (207) 940-4444 Darlings Auto Group, (207) 992-1550 DP Morrissey LLC, (207) 907-0040 Dysarts, (207) 942-4878 E & H Small Dump Truck Services, (207) 944-0403 Fred Martin Carpentry, (207) 944-3606 Greenway Equipment Sales, (207) 990-4433 Hammond Street Citgo, (207) 942-3927 Harvey Trailers, (207) 942-5081 Jim Brown, (207) 848-7779 Multi Management Group, (207) 990-2099 Pray’s Auto Sales, (207) 990-2171 Sparkle Pond MHP, (207) 478-6692 Stable Properties Inc, (207) 745-5518 Taylor Events & Equipment Rental, (207) 974-3097 Triathlete Sports, (207) 990-2013 Union Street Automotive, (207) 947-1677 Visiting Angels, (207) 491-0691 BATH Barrows Cove Properties LLC, dba Rockwood Rentals, (207) 751-4125 Plant’s Seafood, (207) 841-5565 BELFAST Bryant Property Management, (207) 322-2847 Flagg’s Hydraulics, (207) 322-6518 Grindle & Son Firewood, (207) 322-1452 Jim’s Burner Service, Inc, (207) 338-4207 MAC Electric Morrill Millworks, (207) 930-5236 Sled Tech, (207) 691-4927 Total Property Care, (207) 338-6917 Young’s Lobster Pound, (207) 338-1160 Young’s Lobster Pound, (207) 624-1030 BELGRADE Hammond Lumber Co, (207) 495-3303 Kennebec Valley Stone, (207) 458-9645 Kevin E Hawes Construction, (207) 495-3412 Mainely Power Sports, (207) 616-0605 Outback Auto, (207) 649-8874 BENEDICTA Benedicta Grain Co LLC, (207) 267-0403 Chris Downs Computer Room, (207) 217-2534 Coffee News, (207) 365-7209 Central Maine Powersports, (207) 689-2345 Chesley Property Care, LLC, (207) 649-5072 David Stevens Excavation, (207) 314-0314 Fortier Agency/State Farm Insurance, (207) 873-1101 Custom Welding, (207) 659-0312 Daigle Sport Center, (207) 728-3881 DBA Duffy Auto, (207) 365-4645 Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, (207) 532-4216

MSA Business Members Support Maine’s Snowmobile Trails Thank them by using their services

ABBOT Abbot Trailside Lodging, (207) 876-6140 Killam Builders, (207) 997-3364 Moosehead Trail Home, (207) 876-2322

Nelson-Sylvain Distributors, (207) 876-4272 Spacious Skies Balsam Woods, (207) 876-2731 Tim Knowlton Carpentry ALBION Dow’s General Store, (207) 437-1101 Rogers Racing Metal Fab & Automotive, (207) 737-9834 Spaulding Sales & Service, (207) 437-1094 ALEXANDER Lawrence Lord & Sons Inc Well Drilling, (207) 454-2612 ALFRED

Champion Auto Body, (207) 985-7445 Violette’s Sealcoating, (207) 247-4963 ALLAGASH Allagash Woods Products, (207) 398-4115 East Coast Land Solutions, Inc Moosetown Auto, (207) 398-2885 The Rivers Edge, (207) 398-3430 Triple M Trucking ALNA

Coastal Climate Control, (207) 882-6481 Downeast Landscaping, Inc, (207) 882-9663 RP Builders, (207) 380-9182 The Alna Store, (207) 586-5515 W Shorey Carpentry, (207) 882-6106 ALTON Alton Grocery, (207) 394-4572 ANDOVER Alternative Sprinkler Fire Protection, (207) 838-8930 DA Builders Inc, (207) 890-2389 E.C. Cooper Excavation, (207) 357-2648 Kates Kones, (207) 357-0096 Lone Mountain Riverfront Campground, (207) 392-0019 Mark Costa Carpentry LLC, (207) 357-3541 Martin’s Auto & Truck Services, (207) 392-1219 McPherson Logging, (207) 357-5754 Mills Market, (207) 392-3061 NWP Lawn Care, (207) 418-5771 Sawyer Notch Rentals, (207) 392-1300 Steve Swasey, Inc, (207) 392-3556 Watson Tree Service, (207) 595-3841 ANSON Bennett Hill Services, (207) 424-0776 Casey’s Market, (207) 696-8829 Hight Chevrolet-Buic-Buick-GMC, Inc, (207) 708-8044 Huff Powersports, (207) 487-3338 ASHLAND Acadia Federal Credit Union, (855) 692-2234 Al’s Sunoco, (207) 540-4019

Northwoods Services, (207) 746-7595 Taylor’s Camps/Citgo, (207) 365-4856 BENTON Dostie’s Towing, (207) 805-6372 Lucky Dog Pet Grooming, (207) 872-7274 Yankee Trophy, (207) 453-2001 BERNARD BFP - Ray Macari

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