9269-R1_MSA_February2026_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

house for lunch Sunday (with some sign work in the afternoon) and did a nice solo loop ride Monday on some great trails. I believe we are ahead of the last 2 years in snowpack and ability to get out and ride in many parts of the State. As always, ride right, ride smart so you & others on the trail can return home to your family and friends at the end of your ride/trip. Trail safety is everyone’s responsibility. Do not be caught wishing you would have spoken up or rode more responsibly. Many fundraisers and club events are planned throughout February. Get out & support your local club or charity by attending &/or helping with these events. Clubs rely on this additional funding to make ends meet. You should be able to find something to do every weekend spread all across the State. This is a great way to meet others who snowmobile the same area as you, meet club members and network with others to make connections with fellow sled-heads. MSA regional rides/directors’ meetings take place January, February & March across the State, look them up and plan to attend one (this year and/or next). If you cannot join, your clubs’ directors can attend via Zoom by finding the link on the MSA website. that there are sleds out riding pretty much everywhere throughout the state! Last I knew there was at least some riding and grooming activities from Waterboro to the Downeast Coast, to the “County” and over to the Western Mountains. Yes, of course we could all use another snowstorm or two for sure but it seems good to have Statewide snow for once. Most Clubs by and large are in full swing doing what they work so hard for all year, and that is getting to the point where they can get out and make the trails flat! A huge Thank You to all who make this happen! Just think about it next time you are out putting a couple hundred miles on in one day, just how much work went into every mile of that trip. It truly is amazing to think that you can connect the dots and ride from the southernmost part of Maine to the top of the St. John Valley if there is snow coverage. The MSA has been very busy this season with processing memberships coming into the office daily. The digital map team has been extremely busy receiving and uploading GPS Data from the clubs to the online Map, if your club wishes to have their club trails put on the digital map have them email the GPS file to several reroutes that we have been able to get updated in the MSA Trails APP. The past month has been extremely busy for the MSA Trails App team. We have constantly added club trails, POI’s , reroutes, and trail status updates. We have also fielded techni cal support calls and many requests for “How To”. This first season with the App has indeed been a challenge of getting everyone educated about the App itself and familiar with process for submitting data and updates. There has been great excitement from the clubs, and we truly appreciate your participation. One very positive consequence of this new App is that communication between the clubs and the MSA has improved tremendously. We truly want and need your input, not just for the app, but on all issues important to you. Your affil iation with the MSA and your opinions DO MATTER! We will continue to accept trail and POI updates throughout the season– Remember to send all things related to the App to trails@ mesnow.com . We encourage all clubs to let us know about trail openings/closures, hazards and other issues as they pop up. Don’t for get to approach your local business members about getting their name on a POI in the App. Enjoy the snow and Ride Safe! Brent H ello Everyone, Well it seems REALLY good to be writing this article knowing

From the President

Trails@mesnow.com and Brent, Mike or John will make sure it gets done. We have also been busy with Monthly Director’s Meetings and a few Regional Meetings as well. It has been non-stop for our Lobbyist James Cote and funding chair Matt Stedman with several bills on the table over at the Statehouse concerning our snowmobiling community, always looking for ways to pump more money into the Snowmobile Program and ultimately back into the hands of our Clubs. Stay tuned for updates on these in Matt’s article or at an upcoming E-board and Director’s Meeting. Speaking of Director’s Meetings, one more left next month before our Annual Meeting in April and it should be a good one! March will take us to “The County” more specifically Van Buren on Saturday the 14th for a Showcase Ride during the day and the Director’ Meeting and dinner to follow that night. It should be a fun time so make your reservations quickly. Well that’s all for now folks, have a good rest of your month and remember my door is always open, so if you have anything that you would like to share, or if you just want to talk Snowmobiling please reach out to me I would love to hear from you. Thank you, Mark We at the MSA have been giving feedback on the Trails Bond round two grant application processes. Do not wait for round 2 to begin your thought process or project determination. Every club should understand how this works and if it can assist them in trail rehabilitation or bridge work to ease the burden of their in-season grant. Reach out to a Maine Trails Program Ambassador with questions (https:// mainetrailscoalition.org/ambassadors). Once the department releases the open application date & updated guidance documents, 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. No one person or club knows everything. Network with others in your region, call/email or message one of the E-Board at MSA, we may not know the answer either, but someone 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 below. Matt Stedman

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

From the Executive VP

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 39,410.52 $ 25,843.38 $ 13,567.14 $ 93,956.22 $ 176,839.98 $188,576.36

Net Revenue

Short Term CD (1/31/26)

Checking (1/31/26)

Dedicated Account (1/31/26)

Pay Pal (1/31/26) Square (1/31/26)

$ $

284.63

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Stripe (1/31/26) - Online Super Raffle $ - Special Events Account (1/31/26) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (1/31/26) $ - Building Fund (1/31/26) $ 57,507.37 Brian Wass Safety Fund (1/31/26) $ 3,997.87 Scholarship Savings (1/31/26) $ 68,048.15 ($60,000 to be moved to Northeast Bank) Scholarship CD (1/31/26) $ - Scholarship 12 Month CD (1/31/26) $ 5,174.98 Larry Lafland scholarship Fund (1/31/26) $ 3 ,088.11 man Powersports, passed away suddenly at his home in the Jackman area. He was a silent giant, helping many neighbors in the area. He also helped his competition many times, answering questions and helping them succeed. The Border Riders Clubhouse was shoulder to shoulder with folks paying tribute to Dave and his family. It was nice to see my old friends. Doreen, Dave’s wife, and his son, Travis, will continue to run the powersport businesses. Well, the Super Raffle is in our rear-view mirror, thanks to everyone who took the time to support the clubs and purchase tickets. The prizes were incredible, and our vendors who support us are second to none. Thank you. Lots of events will be happening statewide this month. Hopefully, it snows at least a day or two each week. The January thaw lasted too long! Please cater to our supporting businesses; they need all the help they can get after this past month. Help your club by either trimming the trail or just dropping a tip in the trail fund jar. We have challenges every year, landowners changing trails, new owners coming in, insur ance, and the cost of doing business. Let’s work on things and make a positive outcome. We’ve come a long way in the past few years. I’m proud to be part of a team that works with everyone. Please call me if I can help. AL

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

H ello fellow snowmobilers, As I sit down to write this, we are coming off a long weekend & I had the opportunity to get in 3 days of snowmobiling. I was part of a huge team helping at the NEXC race for track setup & safety in Presque Isle Saturday, took a ride with my son to Washburn Club PO Box 621, Ashland ME 04732 Stedman.matt@jdirving.com

Director of Operations

Trails Committee Chair Report

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

Brent Spaulding, MSA Trails Chairman 207-944-7762 41 Madison Ave Brewer ME 04412 msatrailchair@gmail.com G reetings from Brewer, It’s been a tough start to season. I hope we’re up and running in earnest by the time you read this. Northern Maine was the first to come online, but Eastern, Southern, Central and Western struggled to get enough snow in January. Logging operations have resulted in

H ello Folks,

I’ve attended a Central Region meeting at the Clinton SC clubhouse. It was nice to see folks from the area that I call home. Thanks to Steve and his club for making it happen. Also, I went to the Anson North Anson SC’s fishing derby, another well-attended event on a beautiful Sat urday. Lots of fishing was going on by all ages! On a sad note, we lost a pillar of our snow mobile community. Dave Jones, owner of Jack

CLUB MEMBERS Once grooming begins submit your trail reports to: EDITOR@MESNOW.COM Please include your name and club affiliation

MSA CLUBS:

TO ORDER CLUB TRAIL SIGNAGE Contact Vanessa Haas DACF/Snowmobile Program Phone (207) 287-4957 Fax (207)287-8111 Vanessa.Haas@maine.gov

TO ORDER NEEDED ITS & JCT SIGNS Contact Mike Grass Sr. MSA Trails Committee 252 Condon Road, Plymouth, ME 04969 207-368-4914 home • 207-745-2745 cell Grasslands252@gmail.com

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