9211-R1_MSA_November2025_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

From the President

work that needs to be done before snow flies & for that I would like to personally thank those who chose to spend time at the show. Thank you for all who took the time to talk with me over the weekend. I met a lot of new people and caught up with old friends. Grant deadlines are quickly approaching (December 1 st ) and please remember that the work you want to be reimbursed for cannot be done until your grant has been approved through the Snowmobile Program office. Along with your grant is landowner permission, which is crucial to our trail system statewide. Please reach out in any way shape or form necessary to engage with landowners to ask permission for this season. We all know that land changes hands rapidly so be aware and get the right folks involved. Part of the solution for additional trail funding in the medium term can come from the November 2024 ballot Question #4, Trails Bond. There were over 100 applications for the September 26 th deadline and as I write this, they are in the review process. There was over $15 million in requests for the $7.5 million available this year. We know there were many clubs who applied, and others who started and did not finish. MSA has been working with the Maine Trails Coalition to provide feedback to the office in charge of these grants. Be looking for the link to a survey from the Maine Trails Coalition. We at the MSA work all year long to make All eyes are now focused on the MSA Super Raffle, which is in full swing and will be going on for a few more weeks and drawn on Thursday, December 11 th . So get out and purchase what could be the winning ticket! This year there are a couple of very cool changes. The first one is the addition of a $5,000 Gift Card, which will be banked by the winner at any MSA supporting Snowmobile a new format and rearranged the front yard at the Civic Center. We received some good comments and some valuable advice for the next show, which is okay. Thank you to all the volunteers who traveled far and near to help. We couldn’t have done it without you. Sorry, I did not get to see you all, but a family issue has kept me grounded. The team made it hap pen, though. The Raffle is doing well in these challeng ing times; many clubs have been using the trailers and sleds to display them while selling tickets. The prizes are incredible. The trailers are donated by two of the nation’s top trailer manufacturers and made in Maine Nitro in Pittsfield and Sno Pro in Winslow. These folks are the best friends we could have. Thank you, Mr. Alcom/Sno Pro and Mr. Nitro, your con tribution and support make our clubs money, and I appreciate your kindness. With Arctic Cat back, we have our top how dismal or destructive it was. We always work hard in anticipation of a banner winter to come and get almost gitty at the thought of reaping the fruits of our labor and riding those perfectly groomed trails with the people, we love spending time with. And that is why our windshields to see what’s ahead of us are big and the mirrors to see what is behind us are very small. With that being said, all signs show that we are going to have a really good snowfall this season with temperatures to sustain it… see what I mean, I’m truly optimistic about this upcoming season already! But in all seriousness I do believe we have all earned the right to have a good riding season and all the signs are in place for this to be the one. By now, the annual MSA Snowmobile Show is in the history books and the new “Power Sports Show” was a success, bringing in new vendors, products and different forms of recreational Powersports, which brought in a more diverse group into the show. The outside venue was a great addition to the show, as well as the Vintage room also saw another successful year. We at the MSA definitely took a lot of notes and will take what worked really well and embellish on them for next year as well as notes and suggestions on what didn’t work so well so that we can make positive changes and keep the show interesting and fresh.

dealer in Maine. So you as the winner will have 5,000 bucks to spend at your chosen dealer! Secondly, another prize added to the list of top prizes is a 3-Day stay for you and 13 of your sledding friends, meals included at Shin Pond Village! Another great feature added to the Super Raffle this year is the ability to buy tickets online, so even if you don’t catch up with someone who has tickets to sell, you can now buy them on-line from the comfort of your Easy chair. Please feel free to visit mainesnowmobileassociation.com and get your tickets today! Are you looking for a Digital mapping app for your phone, tablet or GPS? Then look no further than the MSA’s new on-line map offered through Map Gears. Simply go to your play store or apple store and type in Maine Snowmobile Association Map and download the app for free or download the Pro version for just 4.99 a year. This is the same app as all of our neighboring states use so it makes it seamless when crossing state lines. And to make it even easier to download the app visit mainesnowmobileassociation.com. Just one last thing. As a Club please make sure that you have gone through your MSA Membership packet as well as the Grant packet sent from the Dept. of A.C.F (Joe’s Higgin’s Office) as there are important documents that need to be filed and are time sensitive with deadlines coming up quickly. Well that’s all for now folks. So until next time, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or just would like to talk snowmobiling please reach out to me, I would love to hear from you, and remember my door is always open! Thanks, Mark sure we are supporting you in every way we can. If you’re struggling with something, please reach out to us at the MSA for help with that matter. If there is something we are not doing, let us know. Our contact information is in the paper, so reach out through the office (Liz is a pleasure to talk with), to me or one of the regional VP’s and we will help you in any way we can. We may not have all the answers but will work with you to help resolve your questions/concerns or needs. We are here to support you and your clubs. Other resources for trails & landowner issues are the folks from Department of Conservation snowmobile program, specifically the regional trails coordinators. These folks work for Joe’s office and help clubs and landowners resolve issues that come up. Another resource is the Warden Service landowner relation program, the two folks at the state level (Andrew Smart & Kris MacCabe) can help you coordinate and talk through landowner issues, potentially resolving issues for your club. Please don’t try to take it all on by yourself, some of the issues clubs deal with can be quite daunting and time-consuming. It is OK to ask for assistance, these conversations are crucial to trail systems in your community and our State. If you have a question, problem, concern, or idea on snowmobiling in Maine, get in touch with me. You can contact me on the phone # or email below. Matt snowmobiles all lined up and ready for the new 2026 season. Let’s hope for no more sur prises with folks closing down. Landowners are why we’re in business. Over 94% of our trails are on private property. Respect them. Stay on marked trails. We have over 14,000 miles of trails, and new trails are opening. I attended the ribbon-cutting cere mony in Oakland last month for the new rail trail. This new trail brings Central Maine folks to the North Maine Woods—a welcome addi tion to our system. New trails and new landowners are in our future. Let’s educate the new folks on who we are and the value of the trail on their land. Please go out and visit these people, tell them who you are, welcome them, and describe how important the trail on their property is. Every trail is a piece of our puzzle, and every piece is essential. Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Sea son. Be safe out there! AL

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, How many times have you sat and wondered, what is this winter going to look like? Are we going to get good snow and when? Am I ready for it when it does come? And what will my first ride be like? I think we all daydream about riding and the different trips that we would like to take and how it should go down. We (Snowmobilers) as I have spoken about before are a unique breed in that we are always looking forward, always optimistic and never dwell on the season past no matter From the Executive VP

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 113,048.80 $ 40,067.45 $ 72,981.35 $ 93,956.22 $183,541.42 $159,418.34

Net Revenue

Short Term CD (10/31/25)

Checking (10/31/25)

Dedicated Account (10/31/25)

Pay Pal (10/31/25) - Stripe (10/31/25) - Online Super Raffle $ 2,392.31 Special Events Account (10/31/25) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (10/31/25) $ - Building Fund (10/31/25) $ 57,010.92 Brian Wass Safety Fund (10/31/25) $ 3,997.67 Scholarship Savings (10/31/25) $ 67,626.08 ($60,000 to be moved to Northeast Bank) Scholarship CD (10/31/25) $ - Scholarship 12 Month CD (10/31/25) $ 5,129.34 Larry Lafland scholarship Fund (10/31/25) $ 3 ,059.34 $

MSA CLUBS: TO ORDER NEEDED ITS & JCT SIGNS

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

H ello fellow snowmobilers, Snowmobile & Powersports show. The vendors, volunteers & show goers were all great to spend time with. It is really rewarding to see people coming in & out of the venue for 3 days. They were excited to talk to others, try on new gear, check out new machines, learn something new and help support other outdoor enthusiasts. I know for many folks working the show meant time away from family & friends, postponing projects or WOW! What a weekend at the MSA

Contact Mike Grass Sr. MSA Trails Committee 252 Condon Road, Plymouth, ME 04969 207-368-4914 home 207-745-2745 cell Grasslands252@gmail.com TO ORDER CLUB TRAIL SIGNAGE Candice Pinkham, DACF/Snowmobile Program 207-287-4957 Office 207-878-8111 Fax Candice.M.Pinkham @maine.gov

Director of Operations W elcome November! After a sunshine show weekend, we did pretty well for

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

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