8651-R2_MSA_March2024_Newsletter_Web

From The Executive Board Secretary’s Report - Brad Barker 591 st Directors Meeting & Super Raffle - East Branch Sno Rovers Clubhouse - Medway, Maine - February 17, 2024

people have donated use of equipment and time to help with all of this. Online membership available on the website and Facebook and there is a link to fill out your membership and join as many clubs as you want. Very handy. Question from audience: If we don’t get the 18,000 request to FEMA can we bring that back to regular club maintenance? Yes, you can. If you aren’t reimbursed from FEMA then yes you can. Document everything. If you have disaster details, take pictures. Send it in to Joe. Question from audience: Can we look at some kind of legislation that can give landowners a break if they allow recreation on their land. Is it the new generation that is coming up? New landowners, people out of state. Can we tie the recreation to the tree growth incentive? • We are working with a committee that the governor appointed. This is a topic that has been brought up. Tried to get a tax break for landowners a few years ago with Steve Stanley during COVID. We can reuse this. There is a lot of traction for recreation-based tourism. Outdoor economy road map. This may be prime time to look at this. Whatever we want to put in legislation has to be in by October. Major landowners - that own a LOT of land and said there is no respect. Loggers are not willing to share their roads anymore because of this. Al said we can contact IFW and they can set up to give tickets. Can we talk to the attorney general because the tickets are all getting thrown out… We are at the mercy of the landowners. We have to respect the trail. The off trail riding bill. The new off trail riding bill is like a speeding ticket, you pay the ticket. Only way it will go away is if you go to court to fight it. Northern Region Vice-President: Matt Stedmen - Thank you for hosting us, beautiful region. You’re doing some great stuff with what you have. You guys have about as much snow as we do in Ashland and Van Buren. School vacation week is going to be challenging. Sno-Bowl is happening, hill climb, poker run and first annual veterans/first responder ride, March 16 MSA ride is happening. United Equipment bought out a lot of the John Deere. They do fundraising for the organizations like the clubs. Maybe they can donate to the scholarship fund. Praying for snow and hoping things go well. Eastern Region Vice-President: Eileen Lafland - You guys are one of MY clubs! Thank you!!! You made a LOT from nothing! Great work. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Really appreciate what you did for us today.

Timber Cruisers and East Branch. Annual meeting at Jeff’s Eatery in April. There will be some changes in the regime because Al is leaving. Thank you for letting us see the museum as well. Charlie Huntington! Thank you for leading us to the new trail! • Charlie - if we didn’t have the people we have, we wouldn’t get done what we do. Coastal Region Vice-President: Dave Watson - Thank you so much. Not talking about the coastal region because there’s nothing to ride. This is my second home. This is where I ride. Western Region Vice-President: Jerry Major - I don’t have much to report. Norway and Waterford have a little snow and a few miles of trail. Thank you for coming to last month’s meeting. Safety - Al Swett - two deaths so far this year that we know of, but there have been several accidents. Sleds going through Moosehead Lake, too close to Moose River. Safety signs are available on display here. Some donated by BIW and Hammond Lumber. Central Region Vice-President: Jack Lord: no report given. Executive Vice-President: Mark Chinnock already reported. Trail Committee Chair: Brent Spalding absent, celebrating his birthday, Mike Grass Jr. standing in - clubs doing a phenomenal job with such little snow. Inspections are ongoing, some by automobile to make sure that stop ahead and stop signs are up at road crossings. This will weigh in on the capital equipment grant application. New process of emails directly to the club is working well. Part of ITS 81 trail closed. If you are working on a Capital equipment grant you need to have a sign inspection, CALL JOE !! Steering Committee Chairman: John Monk -In 2019 the economic impact study was announced right here. Thank you so much for the steering committee being what it is; to support us. The one goal of the steering committee is to hire an executive director and we still haven’t done it. Got a lobbyist. Lori is editing the paper and publishing. Solved the office problems and we have Liz doing great in that position. We need an executive director that can think outside the box and look at situations progressively. Maybe more PR and out in the field. How can we help our clubs? Scholarship Committee: Berry Ryan reported - 3 recipients have completed their first semester. Increased scholarships: two $1500 and applications have to be in by April 1 st . Hall of Fame Chair: No report given. Membership Report: Eileen Lafland - Timber Cruisers and East Branch thanks for the ride today. As of 2/15/24- Central Region 1826, Coastal Region 1200, Eastern Region 2679, Northern Region 2304, Western Region 2469. Making a total of 8365 members, Total Business members 2125 Grand total 10,490. Make sure your nominations are in by the end of the month. You will find the applications on the MSA website. If someone joins your club online, your club will get a $15 credit memo. You will deduct this off what you owe when you send in memberships. Motion was made, “ To change the membership awards plaques. Expanding to top 15 will get a plaque, 16-25 will get a certificate. M/S/C Want to revamp some of the awards stuff next year. Like Clubs with continuous membership

and continuous MSA membership Funding Committee: Matt Stedmen - focused our energy on how to get more money back to the clubs. This legislative session ends soon. There is a gas tax bill that is in right now. LD2192 funding assistance for damage, not sure where this is going yet. FEMA, where the funding is going, please make sure that you are getting in your documentation. Polaris, Skidoo, and Yamaha trails grants are coming up. If your club has something coming up then look into them for funding. We are going to work to get funding opportunities out to the clubs so that you are aware of the options. Goal is to get something in by October. Economic impact study - University of Maine is looking at redoing that again for us. This is crucial for when we are asking for money from legislatures. Hospitality: Gail Ryan - there is a birthday in the house and then she told a joke New Business Solar Eclipse - Going to be a big deal in Maine on April 8 th A motion was made, “To make an exception to the current by-laws to allow adding regional directors beyond the current maximum of five as listed at the discretion of the regional VP’s as they feel the need and referring this to the by-law committee for change in the future.” M/S/C Nominations: ChairMike Grass President Mark Chinnock Executive Vice President Matt Stedman Treasurer Lori Hemmerdinger Asst. Treasurer Barry Ryan Secretary ####Vacant#### Eastern Region VP Eileen Lafland Northern Region VP Nick Morrill Central Region VP Ron Nunes Coastal Region VP Matt Baron Western Region VP Jerry Major Eastern Region Directors Gary Dowling Craig Lemieux Barry Ryan Paul Bolstridge Larry Lafland Northern Region Directors Denise Duperre Jeff Brooks ## Matt is actively looking for 1-2 more## Central Region Directors Alan Dugas David Cogley Christopher Ring Coastal Region Directors Steve Bennett, Call made, no reply yet ### Rodney Berry, RETIRING, not returning### Western Region Directors Paul Gallant Paul Kennedy ## Jerry is working on a couple people## Are there any nominations from the floor? (X3) Other business: John Holmes from the Rumford, Mexico, and Dixfield area passed and will surely be missed. ATV Maine is willing to work with MSA. Next bill will be about belonging to a club, registration will be lower than if you don’t belong to a club. 50/50 - Mel Monk Pot of Gold - Pinetree Snowmobile Club in Milford-Director was present $400 will be awarded. M/S/C Adjourn 8:30 Respectfully submitted, Brad Barker

Brad Barker, Secretary 207-524-3301 155 Fish Street, Leeds ME 04263 barkerbrad155@gmail.com

The treasurer’s report was read and placed on file at the office. President’s opening comments: Food was great!! Thank you so much. Disaster update - communicating with the governor so please make sure you’re keeping records, material and labor. They are still working it out with FEMA because they are trying to make it only applicable to public land. Steering Committee - We want to recognize the clubs more than we have been. Would like to recognize 50-year club anniversaries. Want to be more vocal about this. Not just anniversaries. Lots of stuff going on all over the state. Talking about hiring an executive director. Jackman for Veterans ride, it was wonderful. There were approximately 44 sleds and were happy to see us. Friday I went to a meeting for Park n Ride in Oakland. They wanted input from ATV and snowmobiling. Concerns about the train tracks coming through. Executive Vice-President: Mark Chinnock - Thank you for your hospitality, awesome meal. The ride was great. You do so much with so little. Thank you very much. The park and ride - Lori has come up with a spreadsheet for park n rides so you can go on to the website, fill out the form, and we will put it in the newspaper, the next guide, and online. Funding - James Cote is fabulous and working on short, medium, and long term funding. Devastation on December 1 8th , may not have gotten as much up here but you did have some. We met with the governor to talk about how much this has impacted the clubs. Local

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

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