8988-R5_MSA_March2025_Newsletter_Web

From The Executive Board

I continue to be amazed with both the dedication of people to take time out of their lives to do so much for Snowmobiling in Maine and the generosity of private landowners who allow us to use their property. Club volunteers put in 1,000’s of hours last week getting the snow ready for everyone, thank you for all that you do, it is greatly appreciated and valued by many who love the sport. I know it is also a needed boost for the tourism businesses after the past couple winters. As we ride across the State it is quite often, we find ourselves or other riders along the side of the trail looking at maps and/or signs. If you are a club member who helps with signs, please continue to improve your club’s signage. There is a lot of variation between clubs on how signage is done, the frequency of signs and information provided. Many who ride through your community have not been there before, do not know the landmarks and are counting on the signs to get them to the desired destination. Signage is a never ending “process” but should be in place before grooming begins to ensure the safety of the snowmobilers on your trail system. Both MSA volunteers and DOC employees are out doing signage inspections throughout the winter, if you have concerns, ask for one of them to come and inspect your trails. The feedback is The MSA has had a busy year attending events, spearheading the MSA Snowmobile Show, the Super Raffle, MSA Golf Scramble and navigating several snowmobile related bills from the State house with the guidance from our lobbyist James Cote. I am proud to say that a positive outcome was realized in all of these events. Now anyone that has ever been involved in coordinating one of these events knows that it takes a dedicated team, a team that is willing to give their all and work overtime, and for that I am very grateful and proud to have the privilege to work with these folks and to be an active part of this incredible MSA family. In the next several “off months” we will be busy working through a couple of legislative bills and its grant process, making sure that we have a seat at the table when making decisions on behalf of the MSA, our clubs and also base, and then it snowed! What a relief to see. A little setback the last few days, but we have snow statewide. It’s been good, and the sup porting businesses tell me they welcomed the change and a very good February vacation. People from all over New England and Can ada travel to ride our trails. We have a very good product built by the best volunteers in the business. I’m very proud of every one of you and glad to be on the team. We have many obstacles to overcome. I think landowner situations are the top priority for the off-season. We need to communicate and get help from Augusta to protect them and our trails. I think it’s bad for the clubs to work on certain projects and invest lots of money only to have the property owners shut us down after saying we can use that particular road/ trail for the next season. The Landowner is number one in my book, and I’ll respect them all day. But it’s hard to see our aging volun teers becoming discouraged after large proj ects are discontinued. We have to find a way to make everyone happy. I was asked to be interviewed for Maine Knows Howe, a podcast by outdoorsman Bob Howe. It was a fun time. Question and answers by a panel of experts from the Maine to February school vacation week, which boosted registrations and put snowmobiling into full swing. And remember that your registration dollars are what fund the Clubs that produce the top-notch product that we all have come to expect and love. It is always amazing to me just how fast the months fly by, it seems like just yesterday we were talking about finishing up Fall trail work in preparation for the ground to freeze and the white stuff to fall, and now we are staring the end of the season in the face and starting preparations for the Annual Meeting.

making certain that we are at the head of the line when the funding starts to be dispersed. We will do our best to see that the grant process remains as simple as possible and will try to have some degree of assistance in that if needed. We will also be working on some exciting new changes to our Fall lineup of events, details to follow. But for now we are turning our focus on the Annual Meeting, which will once again take place at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer on April 26 th . The festivities will start at 9:00 AM with our April Director’s Meeting followed by lunch and an awards banquet in the afternoon. Our traditional silent auction will run through the morning, it is sure to feature some very cool snowmobile related items and always proves to be competitive and fun! Keep an eye out because now is the time to get those nominations in for that one person, business or Club That you feel would be deserving of one of our many yearly MSA awards.Don’t wait too long to make your reservations. Reservations can be made by calling the MSA office (207-622-6983 or you can RSVP through the MSA Website. Well, that’s all for now folks, as always if you have anything Snowmobile related that you would like to share please reach out to me by phone, message or email, whatever works for you, my door is always open. Thank you, Mark Every weekend throughout the winter there have been amazing local events from one end of the State to the other. Get out and enjoy one with family and friends. Most are in support of a local club or other non-profit organization. The next MSA event is the March showcase ride & directors meeting in Benedicta, hosted by the Benedicta Snow Gang on March 15 th . Call the MSA office to RSVP. As clubs wrap up trail activities for the season please think of the safety of those last/ end of season riders. Be clear with those using the trails of your clubs’ status. This is typically the month when the MSA and clubs are seeking nominations for officer positions. If you have been a member and would like to be more involved, or have time and skills your club could use, reach out, step up and take on a new challenge for the coming season. It is rewarding (and sometimes challenging) to be a part of an organization that promotes and makes possible something you are passionate about. If you have a question, problem, concern, or idea please get in touch with me. You can contact me at the phone # or email below. Matt constructive, quick and clear when it comes back to the club. outdoors folks. Everything snowmobile-re lated was discussed. The Alaska Recreation Department has seen the Question 4 trail bond and wants to interview me and the head of the Maine Nat ural Resource Council. It looks like an April meeting. Grant writing classes will hopefully start when the folks in Augusta agree on how to do it. Please stand by for information on our MSA website. I have been to quite a few places this year, clubs, and regional meetings. It’s wonderful to see folks from both ends of the State. I have been taking lots of phone calls and emails and responding to situations. It’s challeng ing yet very rewarding. We have our April Awards Banquet coming up. Please nominate your special dealer, landowner youth, club, business, the new Larry LaFland award, or groomer of the year; take time to make it hap pen; it’s a lifelong experience. Call the office, we’re there for you. We will be starting the Super Raffle this month. Lots of clubs want to start early. I can’t blame them. Whatever you need, we’ll try to help you all we can. Al

From the President

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 Everybody, Well, I hope everyone had a chance to get a little seat time this Winter as February saw some pretty decent snow in most parts of the State. We had several good snowstorms coupled with sustained cold weather just prior From the Executive VP

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 18,288.61 $ 21,580.74 $ (3,292.13) $ 85,600.00 $188,112.83 $156,567.08

Net Revenue

Short Term CD (2/28/25)

Checking (2/28/25)

Dedicated Account (2/28/25)

Pay Pal (2/28/25) $ 1,200.79 Special Events Account (2/28/25) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (2/28/25) $ - Building Fund (2/28/25) $ 55,420.65 Brian Wass Safety Fund (2/28/25) $ 3,997.14 Scholarship 12 Month CD (2/28/25) $ 5,103.68 Scholarship CD (2/28/25) $ 61,079.43

From The Membership Corner

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

H ello fellow snowmobilers, Another Maine school vacation has come & gone. We were blessed this year with 2 storms to kick off the week that brought snow almost statewide. The week was busy & exciting for so many people spending time in the outdoors with family & friends. It was great to see the people who came out to support the local economy and were rewarded with some really good riding.

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

CLUB MEMBERS Once grooming begins submit your trail reports to: EDITOR@MESNOW.COM Please include your name and club affiliation In the interest of keeping possible award recognitions a surprise, only number of clubs will be listed in the following categories: Two club have over 200 memberships, and thirteen clubs have total memberships over 100. 246 of the 285 clubs in the state have submitted memberships as of Feb. 20 th . Seems as though the recent snowfall state wide as sparked inter est in people. Only one more month to go to get those memberships in to count for the annual meeting membership incentives. Membership total as of Jan. 19, 2025 Family Memberships 7,723 Business Memberships 1,821 Total Memberships 9,544 Total by region Central 1,511 Coastal 1,075 Eastern 2,412 Northern 2,133 Western 2,406

Director of Operations

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

H ello Folks,

Well, it has been quite a winter. Novem ber brought us early snow, and December brought us a big thaw! But January came in swinging with cold weather we hadn’t seen in a few years. The ground froze well, along with many ponds and lakes. We had a great

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