8944-R1_MSA_January2025_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

From the President

dedicated hours so many families would not be able to enjoy snowmobiling in Maine. The snowmobile community is AWESOME, and I am proud to be part of it. Please invite a new friend or acquaintance to your next meeting or workday. We all can use some new helpers and there is no better way to get them hooked than to show them the rewarding work we do. You do not need special skills, there are so many ways to help, some of you probably haven’t thought of yet. CLUBS: Please respond to offers of help, even if the answer is “not right now”. SNOMOBILERS: Step up, reach out & help. The work to prepare for and make great trails is never ending and getting more expensive. The MSA has been working throughout the summer and fall on legislation to improve funding to the trail maintenance & capitol equipment funds. It has been about five years since the last legislation added to these accounts from the last registration increase. We are going after a portion of the sales tax that is paid when purchasing a snowmobile. A similar bill was introduced last session to fund the Dept. of Transportation with a portion of automobile sales tax. Thanks to everyone for all the ideas that have been shared on ways to increase funding. We have not forgotten any of them and will continue to push forward to make sure clubs are well funded for trail work. focus on the holidays and family, the whole time recharging our batteries for January 1 and the unofficial beginning to the “Post Snow” activities. When I say we can take a breath that in no way means that MSA lacks for things to do. It simply means that our direction and focus changes as our big events like the MSA Snowmobile Show and Super Raffle, not to mention the out of state Snowmobile Shows, Club events, grass drags, regional and State Directors meetings. As well as numerous informational Trails Workshops wind down to a dull roar as the MSA office and Membership Chair prepare for membership processing. The MSA funding committee has been working with our lobbyist James Cote and Joe Higgins at the Dept. of A.C.F. Snowmobile Division on different avenues to help get more funding back to our Clubs, as well as staying at the forefront of facilitating the passing of question 4, the 30 million dollar Trails Bond. This time of year Liz and Al at the MSA office are also very busy running the day-to day duties and answering incoming phone calls and emails each day. Our Regional V.P’s and Regional Director’s along with various members of the Trails Committee are in constant contact with Clubs assisting with landowner relations, helping with reroutes and acquiring materials, They are the boots on the ground liaisons between the MSA and its roughly 285 Clubs from Waterboro to Fort Kent. There are many more pieces to the MSA puzzle like updating the Facebook page, the MSA Website, producing the Maine Guide 4 funds should roll out in June. We’ll have more information as it becomes available, the application process is currently being worked out. I also found a very nice lady to help with writing these grants. I would like to have some meetings; maybe we could Zoom or meet in person at area clubs. The money should be available for next fall. All the Raffle prizes have been delivered. We made lots of people very happy! After a tragic month, it was wonderful to give away snowmobiles, trailers, and many gift certificates. It’s always sad to lose a true friend, Larry LaFland was my real friend. When I took a left turn for the bad, he picked me up and got me back on the main line. My tea-drinking buddy, my coach, my advisor, I respected him so much and will miss him dearly. I’ve been interviewed many times about the MSA and snow conditions throughout the State also I was invited to a podcast interview with legendary Maine Guide Bob Howe. It

and putting together this paper each month which keeps our Editor/Treasurer busy most nights. Now I know that I’m forgetting other facets and people that make the MSA run. But believe me when I tell you that it takes a team of passionate snowmobilers to make it run like a well-oiled machine and I am more than fortunate to have just that team and I cannot thank them enough for all of the work that they do! So back to this snow thing… At the end of the day ALL of our efforts are to get people out on the trails and enjoy the fruits of our labor and to produce the best possible product for our sport and I feel that we accomplish that with great success. As we travel to other neighboring States we keep hearing the same thing over and over again, and that is that Maine is the “GO TO” place and has the best trail system hands down, something we should all be proud of! At this time, I would ask each one of you that if you have a specific Snow Dance that you do, please do it now so that we can get on with what we ultimately set out to do and that is RIDE. Our sport brings in a tremendous amount of revenue to the State’s economy each year and we cannot do it without snow, so let’s get dancing! That is all for now from your President, and remember if anyone has a question, concern or just wants to talk snowmobiling I would love to hear from you, my door is always open. Thank you once again. Mark I hope you are as anxious as I am to get out on the trails, but please be safe. The MSA’s “Ride smart today, ride again tomorrow” is how we should all think when firing up the sled & heading out. Take the time to talk to others about snowmobile safety and trail etiquette while stopped along the trail, everyone approaches trail safety differently and we can all learn from other experiences and stories. Please heed signage along the trails, the club members who install & maintain them put them up for a reason, to direct you or share information with you. This is especially true of “Caution plowed road/logging”. Clubs gather information from landowners on where they can be, where landowners do not want us and following that signage make the difference of keeping that trail open. Where snowmobilers interact with logging & trucking operations the landowner & clubs have worked together to allow us to continue access through the active job. We must be respectful of the workers there. We (snowmobilers) are out having fun, recreating, but those folks are working. We must follow signs, wait for operators to motion us past, ride slow & to the right, yield to vehicles, etc. If we don’t, access could be lost not just for that section, but for other locations and years as well. Landowners often own more than one parcel and if shared access was lots of fun and should be aired in early January. Many events this month check on the MSA website for details. If you have special fun things going on let us know so we can post them.

Treasurer’s Report

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

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

H ello Everyone, Well hopefully by the arrival of this paper Mother Nature has done an about face and invested us with some bountiful snowstorms! All Clubs that we have talked to by and large are ready and eagerly waiting for groomable snow, it will come I’m sure of it. Typically by the middle of December and after the Super Raffle, our last big event of the year end, we can take a deep breath and From the Executive VP

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 60,443.95 $ 49,880.28 $ 10,563.67 $ 85,600.00 $178,171.00 $157,204.47

Net Revenue

Short Term CD (12/31/24)

Checking (12/31/24)

Dedicated Account (12/31/24)

Pay Pal (12/30/24) 0 Special Events Account (12/31/24) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (12/31/24) $ - Building Fund (12/31/24) $ 54,994.37 Brian Wass Safety Fund (12/31/24) $ 3,997.00 Scholarship Savings (12/30/24) $ 7,380.37 Scholarship CD (12/30/24) $ 60,563.56 doesn’t work in one location, they are likely to say no the next time. There are many events planned by clubs this winter, check out the calendar in the paper and follow club news where you ride or plan to vacation for information on these events so you can make them part of your winter. I personally love starting my ride days with a club breakfast. Every month in the winter there are regional rides & directors meetings planned. If you have not attended one they are good time, led by folks from the region and are a great opportunity to learn more about the area and to meet some of the local club folks. January is Western, February is Eastern, March is Northern region. Check out the regional VP articles for more information. If you have a question, problem, concern, or idea on snowmobiling in Maine, please get in touch with me. You can contact me at the phone # or email located below my photo to the left. Matt The office is ready to serve you, just let us know how we can help. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for all your hard work. AL $

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

H appy New Years’ fellow snowmobilers, I hope you took the opportunity to spend time with family and friends over the past few weeks and enjoyed the Christmas season. This December did not allow for any early season riding, but that does not mean clubs across the State have not been busy. There have been thousands of hours of volunteer work done already. It takes so much effort just to get ready. I thank each and every one of you for the effort you put into the snowmobile trail systems. If it was not for all your PO Box 621, Ashland ME 04732 Stedman.matt@jdirving.com

Director of Operations

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 CLUBTRAIL SIGNAGE Candice Pinkham, DACF/Snowmobile Program 207-287-4957 Office • 207-878-8111 Fax Candice.M.Pinkham@maine.gov

Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com W elcome 2025! This year will be a great year! The grant process for Question

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