8651-R2_MSA_March2024_Newsletter_Web

From The Executive Board

From the President

in any given season. With that being said, we also know that each season is temporary, and in some cases that is a sad thing, when talking about this season it might just be a blessing in disguise. I know some of you are thinking what is he even talking about! Look, we all know this past season was far from good by comparison, so let’s try and reflect on some of the high points and start looking toward a fresh new season with lots of hope in our souls for more of a conventional good old fashion Winter! With all of the hurdles and adversities that we all have seen in the last 10 months, I have however taken away many positive things along the way. We have proven that when the going gets tough the Snowmobiling communities rallied their resources and worked together helping their neighbors with Labor, Materials and Machinery and did whatever it took to open corridors back up and reconnect the dots. We also saw the Dept. of ACF, MSA, our Lobbyist as well as numerous legislators take notice and go to bat for our 285 clubs and work hard to get more funding back in the hands of the clubs. When working with these types of things we all know that it is very The Snowmobile Show and the Raffle have both been big successes, many said it could not be done but we did it. New laws have been written to protect the landowners. I feel the MSA clubs are a strong group of folks that really care for the trail system, they built a system that shows lots of pride in what Sadly, as I write this final article of the 23-24 season, the snow pack is receding fast with a 45-degree rain. Many clubs have pulled the plug already and some never even got started. It’s not even March yet. El Nino sure threw us a curveball this year. From the major rain and windstorms in the summer and fall to the lack of snow this winter, this year is one for the record books. Despite the setbacks, we did manage to get a limited season in thanks to the perseverance of hundreds of passionate and dedicated volunteers. You know who you are. You may sometimes feel overworked and underappreciated but not in my circles. WE know who you are and what you have done. Thank You!! With the deadline for scholarships set for April 1, you still have time but you will need to act fast. I hope you have seen our recent full-page ads promoting the exciting news. It is with great pleasure that we announce that this year the MSA Scholarship will award two-$1,500 winners. With the cost of every thing going up we wanted to make sure that our program makes a difference and all com mittee members felt strongly that we should continue to help as much as possible. It was just a few years ago, we gave $500 to the win ners and now we have bumped it up to a pretty significant amount. We have a seen a downward trend in appli cations the past few years and like many others scholarship contest there have been several contributing factors but we’d like to change that. With the increased award, full page promotions and your help getting the word we would like to think we will see more applications this year. The scholarship com It’s been an incredible trail ride and an adventure along the way. From the raffle displays at the various clubs to the delicious food statewide, it’s been quite a journey! I wish to thank everyone of you who make Snowmobiling in Maine the third best place in the USA to ride. In my eyes, we’re number one, and will always be number one. We have a great group of volunteers, landowners, supporting business’s, we work well with the State and the political folks. They all know the importance of the MSA to guide and make decisions that benefits the future of riding. The MSA has been around for over 50 years made possible by individuals who built the foundation that keeps its values going strong today. G reetings from Brewer,

hard to see immediate results but I can assure you that good things are in the works and we will keep beating that drum every day. We also saw and attended many club functions and events throughout the Winter that went on despite low snow conditions, events saw good crowds that came out to support their clubs and snowmobiling families. Just a couple of observations that I took away from this season. The first one is that even though riding our Snowmobiles and getting a good dose of throttle therapy is the end game for most, I learned that riding is not everything, it’s getting out and bonding with like minded people. Whether it be at a club or MSA meeting or an event or show, or maybe just showing support by participating in a Vintage ride or attending a trailside barbeque or club breakfast. All of the above is not “riding” but all are very rewarding in their own way. The second thing that I learned is that most active Club members by and large do not ask for a lot and give back far more than they receive! For most Snowmobiling is a passion and it is very hard to say no when asked to do a task that benefits ALL of us and the future of our sport. Thank you to everyone, the list is a long one! I appreciate your dedication to snowmobiling in Maine. God Bless You All, AL The trail committee inspectors did man age to get the majority of our ITS system inspected and are seeing continuous improve ments, particularly in those areas where the club has attended a signage workshop. Being on the same page has translated into consis tent signage application and safer trails. Work shops will continue into the future. It is our goal to have all clubs attend one of these ses sions. Contact the MSA office or myself if you would like to schedule a workshop this fall. Between the weather, logging closures, land owner issues and the learning curve of my first year in this role, it’s been a hell of year!! Here’s to a great start of the 24-25 snowmo bile season. Enjoy your summer!! Brent mittee is always willing to answer questions and the MSA website is a great place to start for information on everything from eligibility to downloading applications. Just remember that applications are due at the MSA office by April 1! Please help us make this a successful year. I can tell you as a committee member we are always excited to see a good turnout and to review applications and see some of the great things are young members are doing at school, in their community and our local snowmobile clubs. As the snowmobile season starts to wind down remember that we are always look ing for financial support of the scholarship. Maybe your club has had a really good year, your fundraising events came in stronger than expected. Whatever the case everything helps, the more we have the more we can give out. Thanks again for all you do for the sport and our community. they’ve done, my hat goes off to you along with a pat on the back! Some things I wanted to do I couldn’t but that’s why we vote, and that’s ok. My number one priority is you the clubs and always will be. So if you’ve heard of me taking a 90 degree turn in a hurry it’s because of my passion and willing to take care of you. But that’s history now and I wish you all the best of luck in the future. There’s no I in team your all the best in what you do so keep doing it! I’d like to thank Mike Grass for asking me to be his Vice President a few years back. His confidence in me created a passion and spirt I did not think existed in my soul. We made it through Covid, a retiring Executive Director, and some office help. No matter how bad a day I had when I left the office I was proud to help make the place run.

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

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 45,182.71 $ 24,041.51 $ 21,141.20 $ 85,600.00 $249,866.28 $127,801.23

H i Folks,

As President I’ve met some great folks from the South to the North of our great State!

Net Revenue

Short Term CD

Checking (2/29/24)

Dedicated Account (2/29/24)

From the Executive VP

Pay Pal (2/29/24) 457.37 Special Events Account (2/29/24) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (2/29/24) $ - Building Fund (2/29/24) $ 54,097.81 Brian Wass Safety Fund (2/29/24) $ 1,285.63 Scholarship Savings (2/29/24) $ 500.04 Scholarship CD (2/29/24) $ 59,619.69 When asked how I view the future of the MSA I without hesitation respond by saying that I am truly excited and very optimistic with the direction in which we are heading. We have an amazing core group returning, as well a few fresh faces that will bring new ideas to the table and are anxious to get started! I feel that we are strong in all aspects of the association and will do our best to be attentive to our clubs and membership. We will do everything that we can to set YOU and US up for success, this I can promise you and is straight from the heart! That’s all till next time folks, and don’t forget my door is always open, so if you have any questions, concerns, issues or just want to talk snowmobiling please feel free to reach out to me anytime. Mark $

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

H ello Folks,

The first thing I Would like to say is that most of us have been at this long enough to know that every Snowmobiling season is going to be different in that we cannot control mother nature and how she is going to treat us

Trails Committee Chair Report

From The Membership Corner

Brent Spaulding, MSA Trails Chairman 207-944-7762 41 Madison Ave Brewer ME 04412 msatrailchair@gmail.com

Scholarship Committee

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

Only one month left to get those memberships in to count for the contests. At the Feb. Directors meeting we voted to expand the awards this year to the top 15 clubs in the state and recognize clubs 16-25 with a certificate. This will give more clubs the recognition they deserve! Totals as of 2/26/24 With 253 of the 285 clubs in the state submitting memberships currently: Total family memberships 8,866 Total business memberships 2,161 Central region 1,859 Coastal Region 1,218 Eastern Region 2,761 Western Region 2,789 Northern Region 2,390

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

H ello Fellow Snowmobilers, by the time you read this we will be well into March.

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