9299-R5_MSA_March2026_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

From the President

clubs have been out, and folks are able to ride locally. This is great for both the club’s morale and our snowmobile registration numbers, a major income source for club and municipal grants that pay clubs to do the work they do so we can all get out and have fun. Clubs all around the state have been busy hosting events, working through landowner issues (in season) and dealing with entitled people who make the choice not to follow signs/rules/laws. If you see someone doing something obviously wrong, don’t be afraid to step up and say something. It could be one instance that causes loss of access for everyone or creates an unsafe condition on the trails. If you are reading this, that means you are a club member, thank you. I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to join at least one club, volunteer to help with an event, do trail work or something a whole lot more. It takes all those hours of volunteerism to make it so we can hop on our sled and go have a great ride for the day, weekend or longer. As I write, school vacation for Maine and Massachusetts is wrapping up and next week is New Hampshire’s school vacation. These weeks Along with the clubs being busy the MSA has had a busy few months for sure. We have had monthly Director’s Meetings which started back in August and will end this month. I would like to thank all the clubs that have hosted one of these meetings, it is nice to get out and have these meetings in the different regions as you see a lot of new faces and with it brings new conversations and discussions. Thank you to clubs that were able to host a “Showcase Ride” in their respective regions. February took us to the East Branch SnoRovers in East Millinocket where we took in the Groomer Rodeo and had a fabulous lunch along with a 100 mile ride through the Region. That evening took us to the Northern Timber Cruisers Clubhouse for another awesome meal and hosted the Director’s Meeting. Thank you to both clubs D espite the minimal snow in February, I managed to get in some great rides all over the state. From Newport to Range ley to Greenville to Benedicta to Portage to Brownville then a couple days later in east ern Aroostook County leading up to 3 days in New Brunswick at the ISC Northeast Chapter meeting. Snow levels were pretty consistent, and I noted that the entire state could have used at least another foot. Still all the clubs did an amazing job at working what they had into a very enjoyable experience for me and my riding companions. THANK YOU ALL for the effort and dedication in getting the trails brushed, signed, and groomed for all to enjoy! One frustrating topic that comes up every year is the disrespectful individuals that ignore signage and markers and ride where they are not welcome. We’ve all seen it. This season at my club there was a beaten path between two NO SNOWMOBILING signs. which are vital in keeping the Snowmobile program alive and well. I haven’t seen any tourism figures yet, but I am hopeful that we will see strong numbers here as well. What I have seen in my travels this season is very heavy traffic both on the roadways and in the restaurants and lodging and if that is any indication then I feel confident that this Winter’s economy has been a positive one. Talking with a few of the Snowmobile dealers in the State, sales have been strong and inventory has been moving quickly. Snowmobiling is one of the largest contributors to the State’s economy each year and relies directly on adequate snowfall to make this happen. So, whether you are a snow lover or not so much, it poses a huge boost to the Winter economy and is a welcome commodity. One thing to remember is that a strong Winter season is not only good for everyone right now, but also sets us all up for funding next year which is most important to the roughly 285 clubs that rely on this to operate and to stay in business. Outside of their own individual fundraising, operating expenses are funded by registrations and a small portion of the State gas tax through the Snowmobile program grant process.

along with the Jo Mary Riders and the Twin Pines Snowmobile club for making our ride absolutely perfect! March will find us in the County. The Gateway Snowmobile Club in Van Buren will host the Meeting and Showcase Ride, definitely looking forward to that. The March Meeting will be kind of bittersweet for me as this will be the last Director’s Meeting of my Presidential term. On the Legislative side of the MSA, our Lobbyist James Cote and funding committee chairman Matt Stedman have been hard at work all season with a number of Snowmobile related bills at the Statehouse. We have been lobbying hard for the clubs and fighting to pass a couple of bills that would pump more money into the Snowmobile Program and ultimately back into the hands of our clubs. It’s hard to believe that the season is wrapping up quickly and our focus for the next few weeks will be on the MSA Annual Banquet to be held on April 25 th at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer. As always, we will be honoring a host of exceptional individuals, clubs, dealers and manufacturers that have shown outstanding involvement and dedication within our Snowmobiling Community. We will be hosting a silent auction at the Banquet which always proves to be fun and sometimes competitive. So if you would like to feature yourself or your business in the auction, we are always looking for donation items. If you have something to donate to the silent auction, please call the MSA office 207-622-6983 or contact Eileen Lafland and they will be happy to help you. Call to reserve your spot today and come join us at the Banquet! That’s all for now folks, and just because I am passing on the torch doesn’t mean that I am going to disappear, and also doesn’t mean that I’m going to stop talking about Snowmobiling and advocating for the sport, so please feel free to reach out to me and let’s talk “Snowmobiling” And remember my door is always open! Thank you, Mark bring additional traffic and provide a huge economic boost for our communities and state of Maine. Thank you to everyone who chooses Maine as your place to ride. Whether you pack up from home in Maine or somewhere else we are thankful you choose Maine snowmobile trails to explore and make memories on. Another point of concern I see as I ride and talk to others is rider etiquette. Ride right, ride within your control and experience level, be respectful of others on the trail. When you get to an intersection pull all the way to the right and stop out of the way. Even though you may have to walk over to see the sign it’ll prevent an incident or jamming up an intersection with snowmobiles blocking the trail. If you are leading a group ride, make a plan & communicate it to the group. If you are with a new or inexperienced snowmobiler, take the time to ensure they know not to ride beyond their knowledge or ability level. Check in with them throughout the ride. We need new riders in the sport and it’s up to seasoned riders to make sure we help them along the way. I’ve been very fortunate so far this season to spend quite a bit of time snowmobiling and/or We worked with the landowner and put up yet more signs, fencing, and caution tape to miti gate the trespass and still had issues. Our clubs work very hard to keep our landowners happy. We always go the extra mile, so we don’t lose the trail. I would remind everyone that we do have resources and that a portion of every sled registration is allotted to IFW for enforce ment. Reach out and introduce yourself to the local game warden and build a relationship so you can make a direct call when issues pop up. Also know there are two wardens dedicated to landowner relations so if you do happen to call the warden dispatch, make it known it’s a landowner relations issue. That will get you faster response verses a general call for service. The MSA Trails App continues to display more and more local trails and POI’s. Most of the technical issues have been worked out. Many thanks to everyone that contributed data

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

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 25,046.37 $ 31,864.16 $ (6,817.79) $ 93,956.22 $ 176,889.61 $187,111.98

H ello Everyone, We are well into another Snowmobile season and clubs have certainly been busy with the snow that did fall and keeping it on the trails and flat, and what a great job the groomers have done with that. Snowstorms were few and far in between but with the cold temps that we saw this season what snow fell seemed to stay and that made it, so groomers had something to work with which gave us great trails most of January and February. What we did see this Winter unlike the last several seasons was good snowfall in the Coastal and Southern parts of the State. I was very happy to see this as quite a few of the clubs in these Regions have struggled due to low or no snowfall in recent years. With all of this being said, this season has seen strong numbers both in membership as well as Snowmobile registrations, both of

Net Revenue

Short Term CD (2/28/26)

Checking (2/28/26)

Dedicated Account (2/28/26)

Pay Pal (2/28/26) Square (2/28/26)

$ $

150.00 348.00

Stripe (2/28/26) - Online Super Raffle $ - Special Events Account (2/28/26) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (2/28/26) $ - Building Fund (2/28/26) $ 57,675.62 Brian Wass Safety Fund (2/28/26) $ 3,997.93 Scholarship Savings (2/28/26) $ 67,864.74 Scholarship CD (2/28/26) $ - Scholarship 12 Month CD (2/28/26) $ 5,187.15 Larry Lafland scholarship Fund (2/28/26) $ 3,097.78 at snowmobile events. I’ve seen new places, met new people and ridden with folks who have never snowmobiled before. I enjoy so many things about snowmobiling but being able to explore and see things you may never see from the road, a bike, a hiking trail is one of the things I think I enjoy the most. The scenery all around while riding is an amazing thing to take in. We should not take this for granted. I think that’s why we are all members of clubs and active within the local or State association in some way shape or form. Please bring this message forward to the folks you know and ride with those who are not involved: We have something unique here and want to make sure we can pass that on for generations to come. I know that’s what I am involved for. And why many of us at MSA spend time going to meetings, being on a zoom call or traveling to meet with other state/provincial agencies to understand what problems they may have and or what solutions they may have to problems we are encountering. Have a great March, hopefully we can ride it right to the end! Matt and feedback to improve the user experience. Please send an email to TRAILS@MES NOW,COM and let us know when your trails have been closed. We will change the status to RED and wait for the cold and snow next season. All for now…… Brent CLUB MEMBERS Once grooming begins submit your trail reports to: EDITOR@MESNOW.COM Please include your name and club affiliation

From the Executive VP

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

W ow, February is just flying by! There has been a lot of activity this month statewide from snowmobile clubs and riders. It’s awesome that we have had snow statewide, and it seems as though most all

Trails Committee Chair Report

Brent Spaulding, MSA Trails Chairman 207-944-7762 41 Madison Ave Brewer ME 04412 msatrailchair@gmail.com

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