8963-R1_MSA_February2025_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

From the President

again! Clubs also face fixed costs such as pre-season fuel purchases, insurance, machine maintenance, etc. Many fundraisers and events are planned throughout 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 spread across the State. We at the MSA have been keeping track of the Trails Bond funding and grant application process. As soon as we know the details of how clubs can apply, we will get this information out to you and work to assist clubs with the process in any way we can. We also have submitted a bill for more funding for snowmobile grant programs that the State of Maine DOC office offers to clubs and our lobbyist (James Cote) is monitoring its progress. Once we have more info we will get this out through a club email blast from the MSA. 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 neighboring 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. If you have a question, problem, concern, or idea on snowmobiling in Maine, get in touch with me. You can contact me at the phone # or email listed under my photo to the left.. Matt As I write this article it does look like we FINALLY are starting to string some small but very helpful snowstorms together which is opening up more parts of the State to some really good riding. As we all are more than anxious to get out and put some miles on, we need to all be constantly reminded to be safe out on the trails, and by that I mean to be first and foremost courteous and thoughtful toward other fellow snowmobilers, we are all out there for the exact same reason, to have fun period. Secondly, always be aware and focused on your surroundings, constantly reading ever changing trail conditions and making a mental note of each trail sign that you pass, because believe me Road Crossings, Junctions, and corners can come up on you SO fast it can be scary especially if you happen to miss a sign and just like that you are locking the brakes up and being that guy.. Not intentionally maybe but being that guy nevertheless, I’ve been there, we’ve all been there and it’s not a good feeling, so just be aware and thinking a step ahead. And lastly for today, use proper Trail etiquette. Now the really cool thing about Trail etiquette is that there is nothing hard about it and it is all common sense things that are easily learned as you become more experienced on the Trail. For instance when you come to a junction (Intersection) pull through the intersection in the direction that you want to go, once through a safe distance if you want to take a break or are waiting to were mint, show them your appreciation, or if you’re preparing food back at the Cabin or Airbnb try to shop maybe at one of the smaller local grocery stores, no they may not have the huge selection that the big box grocery stores have, but really who needs 27 varieties of rice pilaf anyways! When booking accommodations please be thoughtful that each night’s stay means a lot to them and that last minute cancellations can be devastating to a small mom and pop business. And maybe if the plans were made for a long weekend snowmobiling stay and snow conditions are less than stellar, go anyway! Show your support, go out to eat, go shopping or maybe if Ice fishing is your thing leave the sleds home and try something different. You may not be getting any miles on but you are still getting outside and enjoying your time away, because at the end of the day it beats sitting home on the couch surfing FB!

make sure everyone in your party behind you is following, pull as far to the right as safely possible (please not on a corner) Another very important one that unfortunately we have all been guilty of at one time or another is please don’t come into a corner so hot that you can’t stay on your own side of the trail and end up being left of center. Now, as well as some of us may have our sleds set up to corner correctly (like on the snowmobile promo ads) they are still not rubber tires on asphalt, they are skis and a rubber track on snow and they ARE going to slip to some degree when cornering, so just try and anticipate that they are going to do just that. If you are riding alone or in a group that moves right along and you come up on some slower riders, please don’t try and pass them all, wait until they realize you are there and most times they will wait for a straight stretch and pull over to let you by. And last but not least, just remember that etiquette is not restricted to just the trails. Remember that when you pull your truck and trailer into a busy Park & Ride try to be respectful of everyone else, because they are just as anxious as you are to get on the trails. Keeping in mind also that not everyone negotiating a busy Park & Ride may have the same experience or knowledge of what works and what doesn’t work as you may have, so try and have patience and maybe even offer some assistance to them, remember, that may have been you 10 or 20 years ago! Trust me when I say I’m not trying to preach, but more to reinforce things that we already know but might possibly get complacent on, it’s easy to do and I am guilty of that for sure. So next time your adrenaline is flowing and you are almost giddy as you pull up to the Park & Ride or walk out of your Airbnb to put on a full day of Smiles, maybe just by reading this will have somehow made it a better day for you AND someone else. Because at the end of the day we all want to look back and say “WOW that was a blast and a “good feeling” day as we banter back and forth and tell stories about the day. Well that’s all for today folks, and if you have a question, concern, or just want to talk about snowmobiling, please reach out to me whenever and however you’d like. And remember my door is always open, so come on in and pull up a chair! Thank you for reading, Mark

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 All, I hope February finds everyone well and at least racking up a few snowmobile miles. As we all plan out our snowmobiling trips and Winter activities, especially in what appears to be another shortened season, I feel that it is more important than ever that we do all that we can when booking our plans to try and patronize our local businesses. Most of the businesses in the Western and especially the Northern Region of Maine rely heavily on winter tourism to see them through the rest of the year. With a late and shortened season for these folks, it makes it extremely difficult to take in enough revenue to make ends meet until the next season. It is no doubt a double-edged sword, because while we are embarking on our ever awaited snowmobile trips, we are constantly reminded of how expensive every aspect of our trip can be and are doing our best to get the most bang for our buck, all the while enjoying ourselves at the same time. So I suppose that what I’m saying is, when stopping for food, try and make it a Snowmobile Clubhouse along the trail or a small local restaurant and remember if there is a tip jar please throw a couple bucks in because we all know that fuel for the groomer is not cheap! Especially if the trails

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 31,692.10 $ 21,806.71 $ 9,885.39 $ 85,600.00 $185,549.33 $156,559.99

Net Revenue

Short Term CD (1/31/25)

Checking (1/31/25)

Dedicated Account (1/31/25)

Pay Pal (1/31/25) $ 1,373.10 Special Events Account (1/31/25) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (1/31/25) $ - Building Fund (1/31/25) $ 55,207.10 Brian Wass Safety Fund (1/31/25) $ 3,997.08 Scholarship 12 Month CD (1/31/25) $ 5,000.00 Scholarship CD (1/31/25) $ 60,918.47

when we get closer to the meeting. Liz and I are at the office doing our daily duties. Even without the snow cover, the busi ness keeps going strong. We’ll be planning the 2025 Super Raffle soon. Many clubs want to start selling tickets in June, so there is a lot of work to be done on that subject. We have maps from different areas of the State and our ITS maps are available if you need any. The MSA has one of the best teams of vol unteers in the industry. Wherever I go, I’m so proud of your passion, dedication, and hard work you folks do. From reroutes to bridge building and from devastation from the weather, you all make snowmobiling in Maine one of the best destinations in the Country to ride. I feel bad for our supporting businesses. They count on us to make it through the winter season. They’re the best, always there to lend a hand to the clubs. Thank you all for your support of our sport! Al CLUB MEMBERS Once grooming begins submit your trail reports to: EDITOR@MESNOW.COM Please include your name and club affiliation

From the Executive VP

Director of Operations

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

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Alan Swett, 207-872-7282 234 County Rd, Waterville ME 04901 snowtraveler@roadrunner.com W elcome to winter 2025! Just where is it? Mother Nature has not been good to us in the last few years. Our supporting busi nesses are suffering, and we here at the MSA all feel bad about that. They count on us to make it into the next season. Hopefully, by the time you read this, we’ll have had a big storm. At least we have had a lot of cold weather to freeze up the ground. Question 4 has passed and will bring us some much-needed funding. Everyone in the outdoor world will benefit from this. I’ve met with a member of the Q4 team who has offered to help our clubs when applying and writing for their grants. We’ll keep you posted

ello fellow snowmobilers, Brrrr, this week sure has been bitterly cold. For those clubs with enough snow to groom, it should set up great and hold up well with these temperatures. Again, this winter most of our State has not been blessed with plentiful snow, but clubs and volunteers are making the best of it. Thank you for your endless passion & energy for the sport. There are places to ride, and it is great to see folks spending time with family and friends on the snow. 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 mean additional hours spent getting ready, then getting ready

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