8963-R1_MSA_February2025_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

W

ell, folks, winter has not started very well. But folks are trailering for snow, and they are finding it. With lots of riders they are all going to the same spots. This creates a hazardous environment. There are too many sleds in certain areas; with the low snowfall, the trails wear out fast, and the ice gives way to very slippery conditions. Many riders are not prepared for the changing trail, experience is a key factor. Many riders drive beyond their experience. Too fast, out of control, riding in the middle of the trail, not paying attention to the changing weather and trail conditions. This creates bad outcomes and even death. I hope people slow down and enjoy our trail system built by the best volunteers in the snowmobile industry. The East Branch Snowmobile Club and I promoted snowmobile safety last month at the Medway and East Millinocket Schools. It was a wonderful time, and the students were still the best option. The Moosehead region is another area with rideable conditions. Jack man, Pittston Farm, and Northeast Carry have been up and running for a few weeks now. The crews in and around Rockwood, Millinocket, and Shin Pond have finally been able to make a connection. It’s been one of those SLOW start years! I hope as you read this, conditions have improved greatly! Keep the Faith and do not stop the snow dances. Mother Nature has been fickle and, while we have not been blessed with a massive snow cover so far, our snowmobiling community has been steadfast, persistent, and dedicated to the sport. In my travels with work, I cover many areas and am always on the lookout for trail crossings and signage. What I have seen is that clubs have gotten it done. Signs are up and trails are marked. I have lost count of how many social media posts there have been showing brushing, stumping, culverts, bridge redecking (or entire builds), and groomer maintenance. There have been club sponsored events like dinners, radar runs, and rodeos that have still occurred. In a nutshell, our family of volunteers has been diligent and purposeful in getting it done just like last year, the year before, and ten years ago! Your efforts are commendable! THANK YOU! To the weath erman—WE ARE READY ! SEND IT ! All for now. Brent The State House is finally starting to heat up and MSA is working on a number of fronts to represent Maine’s snowmobiling community. Trails Bond Our highest priority in the near term is to help support and facilitate the suc cessful implementation of the trails bond funding. MSA continues to advocate for the most user-friendly grant requirements that also achieve maximum transparency and compli ance. We know that club volunteers are often faced with limited time and resources and we continue to talk to key staff and program stake holders about the need to make the grant appli cation process as simple as possible. The ulti mate goal is obviously to put these dollars to work as efficiently as possible and enhance the quality of our trail systems. As of today, we are hopeful that a grant application process will open later this spring so that clubs can begin to put some of this money to work in advance of next season. MSA leadership will continue to S adly, not much to report, Mother Nature is not cooperating. We had a very good meeting in Leeds, many thanks to the Stump Thumpers, as per usual they are very organized and do a great job.. Special thanks to Brad Barker and Marie they truly go the extra mile. Brad has set up a new scholarship in honor of our beloved Larry Lafland, who passed recently, and he has the Masons matching most of our money raised. Over $1000.00 was raised at the Leeds meeting. On a personal note I have decided to sell my sleds and trailer (two 2012/2014 Ski Doo 600 aces and drive thru trailer, $8000 and they are yours), I am and will always be an avid snowmobiler, however do to back complications I am going to upgrade my side by side (with tracks of course). This will limit my mileage but keep me out on the trails and involved in various clubs and the MSA. Everyone get out and do a snow dance, God Bless, Jerry

awesome. It is a pleasure doing these little safety-training exercises. Teaching safety to students and staff is a great way to learn more about being safe. Two sleds went through the ice near the Moose River and Moosehead Lake. Thank fully, they both got out. I am sorry to say we will have accidents, but I hope for no fatal ities. Most accidents are speed-related, and adding a cocktail at lunch or dinner is a recipe for disaster. Taking out an innocent person on the trail by making an unwise decision will affect you for the rest of your life. It has been cold, and yes, there is lots of ice. If you have to go on a lake check with the locals, most clubs do a great job marking the lakes with stakes, BUT remember, rivers are very dangerous, The power plants on the river control the flow under the ice many times of the day they raise and lower the gates at the dams to regulate the flow. With that comes

thin ice and recipes for a bad ending. Stay off the ice and take the trail. It may be longer, but the scenery is much better. I will be doing a safety presentation in Rangeley soon. If anyone else wants to sched ule a day, please let me know. We have safety posters available at the office, generously donated by Hammond Lumber. If you’d like some, let me know. Our MSA clubs are the best in the business. They work tirelessly to make our system one of the best in the Nation. Please join a club and volunteer to help with trail work. Please slow down, enjoy, and respect our trails. Respect our Landowners; they make it happen with their generosity. We use their land. Without them, we would be out of busi ness. Thank a landowner they will appreciate it. We value their friendship and support. Be safe out there, AL There are 235 clubs that have submitted memberships of the 284 clubs in the state. Clubs with over 100 memberships include: East Branch Sno-Rovers, Portage Lakers, Red Arrow, Pleasant Mtn, Moosehead Riders, Blue Ridge Riders, Penobscot SC, Linneus Sno Sports and Caribou SC. There is one club with over 200 member ships: Washburn Trail Runners Also one club with over 400 memberships: Rangeley Lake Way to go Northern Clubs: of the eleven clubs with memberships between 100 and 400, five of those clubs are in the Northern Region. Also, a shout out to the Eastern Region: out of these same eleven clubs, there are four of them in the Eastern Region. Keep those memberships coming in. Re member you only have until the end of March to submit memberships to be included in the final membership awards at the end of the sea son in April!! ing Maine’s snowmobile trail program. ATV Weight Restrictions, Joint Registra tions, and more! Earlier in February the IFW Committee of the Legislature heard a bill pro posing to increase the weigh limit of ATVs from 2,000 to 2,500 pounds. Size and weight restrictions have become a hot topic in Augusta, and we anticipate at least a couple more bills seeking to do the same. Additionally, we are hearing about some potential bills that would allow a joint-use (snowmobile and ATV) regis trations for some ATVs that have tracks. These discussions are all in the very early stages of deliberation, and MSA is keeping an active eye out on all of these issues. We are actively engaged with stakeholders and state agencies, and will keep the membership apprised of any new developments. I hope you all enjoy a safe and snow-filled end to this riding season! James Cote MSA Lobbyist sizable snow storms. Clubs are starting to get there grooming operations going, getting to try out there new equipment and trails are looking outstanding thanks to the club volunteers and groomers! Clubs are actively getting ready for their community events like BBQs, club rides, and fundraisers to help the cost of everyday operation. Check in with your local club to see if there’s any upcoming events in your area, see if they need help with anything on or off the trails. Also check out all the businesses listings, please go out and support the business that support the clubs and trails we all love to ride! Again thank you to all the club volunteers that have worked so hard this season for these awesome trails! Please remember to stop at all crossings and do a double check and be safe too. Remember never leave a friend behind, know before you go! Ride Right - Ride Smart Joe Walsh, Coastal region director Business Memberships 1,579 Total Memberships 8,197 Memberships by region Central Region- 1,288 Coastal Region- 902 Eastern Region - 2,030 Northern Region-1,841 Western Region- 2,149

Safety Committee

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

Trails Committee Chair Report

From The Membership Corner

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

M emberships have been coming in to the office at a slower pace than last year at this time. Currently we are over 900 member ships lower than in February of 2024. Of course, weather is not helping at all!! It’s Jan 19 th as I write this and it is Raining!!! What is going on? It is supposed to get colder this last week of Jan uary and hopefully by the time you read this it has and the ground is covered in snow!! Membership total as of Jan. 19, 2025 Family Memberships 6,618 Sales Tax As I have mentioned in previous articles, Senator Russell Black has submitted legislation on behalf of MSA that would dedi cate a portion of the sales tax on snowmobiles to Maine’s snowmobile program. This is a similar model to what happens with the sales tax on motor vehicles being dedicated to the highway fund. As of today we are awaiting the bill to be printed and scheduled for public hearing, where we hope that some MSA mem bers will be able to come and testify in support. We will keep you posted on more details. It is important to note that the state budget does not have the luxury of excess funding like it has in recent years, and any request that requires funding (which this bill would do), will be more difficult to achieve. With that said, MSA feels strongly that we should continue to talk about and promote the benefits of better fund advocate for these objectives and we will share more information as it is finalized.

Brent Spaulding, MSA Trails Chairman 207-944-7762 41 Madison Ave Brewer ME 04412 msatrailchair@gmail.com G reetings from Portage, I’m sitting at camp near the end of Jan uary, and the local club has only had enough snow to pan once. While flat, there are exposed hazards and dirt showing on the trail. Further north and west, there are sledding opportuni ties in the Allagash area but trailering there is

MSA Lobbyist Capitol Report

James Cote MSA Lobbyist G reetings Maine Snowmobilers! It sure is nice to be seeing a bit more snow in the forecast these days. Keep it coming, Snow Gods!

Coastal Region VP

Western Region VP

Matthew Baron, 207-608-3737 92 Emery Corner Rd, Limerick, ME 04048 msacoastalregion@gmail.com H ello fellow sled heads, Clubs in the coastal region have been doing their snow dance most of the season and is finally Paying off, Mother Nature has been cooperating the last few weeks with some

Jerry Major, Cell: 207-838-0892 137 Morrill Rd, Norway ME 04268 mrfun101jem@gmail.com

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