9443-R3_MSA_September2026_Newsletter

From The Executive Board

From the President

I am starting this piece by sending my condolences to Al Swett and his family. Al’s mother passed away in late August. The MSA family wants you to know we are here for you. Welcome to the 2026-2027 season everyone! I am excited and a little nervous to be in this new position. After 20 plus years as the Eastern VP, moving up the Executive VP is a big step for me. I want to thank Matt Stedman for having the confidence in me to ask if I would be willing to take on a new role. I also want to thank everyone who encouraged me to do this and expressed their support to me. It means a great deal to me to know I have your support. As I adjust to new responsibilities as well as new duties I will continue to be available to clubs as need be. I want ALL CLUBS statewide to know I am here to listen to what you have to say as well as suggestions from you. If your club would like to have me attend a meeting, function, event or whatever, please There is a lot to our sport that goes unnoticed. So many people work throughout the year to make the limited season happen for the 80,000 or so registered snowmobilers every year. To the thousands of us who are involved in local clubs and/or the MSA we understand the dedication it takes. When you have the opportunity, let someone who is not as involved know what it takes. There is a great need across Maine for additional volunteer hours in all aspects of club work. Make sure to highlight that as you talk to businesses, snowmobilers & community members. I would ask that you bring someone who is not as involved as you are to the next gins retired on July 31, 2026. Joe was a stead fast, passionate supporter of what we do. We wish him the best in his next chapter. The hir ing process is underway, and we should soon find out who his replacement will be. We worked through the summer on our MSA Trails app to further enhance the platform and correct some minor issues, and our second sea son should be better than ever. We are focused on continuous improvement and education. Our vendor was extremely impressed with our first-year numbers. The app was downloaded more than 14,000 times, with about 5,500 users opting for the PRO version. We hope to collect the remaining club data this year. We have approximately 2,500 miles of trails to incorporate into the app. Also, remember that we can add your local gas stations, lodging properties, clubhouses, and restaurants—we just need the information. Club and municipal grant packets should have reached your mailboxes by now. While they are not due until December it’s always an advantage to submit them in early, espe cially this year with a new director at the State Snowmobile Office. The sooner you get approved the earlier you can start your actual work hours and projects. I know conditions were very dry last September and made for easy bush hogging which worked well with my Sept 23 rd grant date. Enjoy the last days of summer and embrace the cooler air of fall. Brent into action. I would urge clubs to look on the MSA website or Facebook page for the links to our monthly Director’s Meetings. You can join via zoom through your phone or computer, either by dialing in or connecting through the web. It is a way to have your voice heard. Club directors can bring up new business and vote on motions brought forward. If you are not currently a club director, you can still attend the meetings and listen to what’s going on across the state. Until 5 years ago you would have had to travel across the state to participate – But not anymore. We tend to have the same group on the call & in person. I know there are clubs that have needs or concerns, this is your opportunity. We also hold regional directors’ meetings around the State throughout the season. Please see the schedule of events for the planned dates, locations and regions the meetings will be. If a meeting is not how you would like to connect with MSA folks, reach out to your regional director or regional VP to get connected locally.

club, regional or directors meeting. Show people the community of riders & volunteers we have and see if they want to join this great team. The leadership team at MSA looks forward to working with your club through the coming season. We have a great team of volunteer’s, regional directors & VP’s spread around the State. We also have a great office manager & director of operations based in Augusta. All of them are dedicated to helping you and your club navigate the business of running your club. We are always looking to add to our volunteer team in events, committees, regional directors or trail inspectors. If you are interested, please reach out and we’ll connect you with the right person. If you are not currently a club or MSA member, we need you! Please reach out where you live or ride and connect with a club today. The future of our sport relies on passionate snowmobilers like you to take on some part of what a handful in each community does today. Our clubs have volunteers, many of them built the clubs we see & recognize today and are still making it happen. They need your help, they need your time, they need your energy, they need your knowledge, they need you to take action. If there is something you are looking for that has not been answered, reach out and ask. Start locally by contacting your regional MSA director or vice president. It is very likely that no one person will have every answer, but we have a great network from which we can gather information. feel free to contact me and I will make every effort possible to attend. I realize I will not be able to make everything, but I also admit there are places in the state I have not been to. There are some exciting changes coming this year. With a tremendous amount of work from Bob Flagg and Lori Hemmerdinger, MSA is implementing a new online membership program. This is something many clubs have asked for and now it is available. It will be a learning curve for all of us, but one that will make membership submission easier for everyone, clubs and members. We ask that you be patient with the system as we all learn how it works and know we are all learning at the same time. Since April I have attended a meeting in Rangeley with Matt. It was good to meet people in the area, as I haven’t spent time in Western Maine. I have been involved in the reorganization of the MSA Scholarship Fund committee, worked with Bob, Lori and Matt on the new MSA Connect membership

Treasurer’s Report

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

Lori Hemmerdinger (207) 890-5455 544 Plains Road • Poland, ME 04274 Treasurer@mesnow.com Respectfully Submitted, Lori Hemmerdinger, Treasurer

H ello, fellow snowmobile club members! I hope you have all had a good summer, were able to spend time with family and friends, and maybe thought about the work of snowmobiling a bit less than you do during the fall & winter months. I am humbled and excited to be in the president’s role and am looking forward to meeting more of you over the coming season. MSA folks have been busy throughout the summer. Updating documents, meeting to discuss ideas, putting together the super raffle (early), prepping for the fall show, talking with state officials, working on the new digital membership platform, planning events…the list goes on. If you talk to someone this winter who says they wish the season lasted all year long, let them know it can be - they just need to become more involved! Put your passion

Monthly Income Monthly Expense

$ 2,222.97 $ 14,440.88 $ (12,217.91) $ 98,351.94 $ 109,250.86 $ 157,069.05

Net Revenue

Short Term CD (8/31/26)

Checking (8/31/26)

Dedicated Account (8/31/26)

Pay Pal (8/31/26) Square (8/31/26) Stripe (8/31/26)

$ $ $

56.93 766.87

491.70 Special Events Account (8/31/26) $ 4,987.53 Credit Line (8/31/26) $ - Building Fund (8/31/26) $ 58,667.88 Brian Wass Safety Fund (8/31/26) $ 3,998.33 Scholarship Savings (8/31/26) $ 48,334.89 Scholarship CD 12 Month (8/31/26) $ 5,263.74 Larry Lafland scholarship Fund (8/31/26) $ 3,150.78 program, and participated in the weekly zoom calls Matt set up with the office staff. The first Directors meeting of the new season was held in Solon in August. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend in person due to illness and was very disappointed. I was looking forward to meeting club members in that area. I did attend via zoom, and it looked like everyone was having a good time and attendance was good. Clubs received their club packets, Super Raffle tickets, and other information. With the Powersports Show coming up quickly we are looking for volunteers to assist at the Show. If you would like to donate a few hours, please contact the MSA office. The expansion of the show to the outside means we need more volunteers to cover that area. Even if you have not volunteered before, we encourage you to come join the fun this year. Until next month, sell those Super Raffle tickets and consider volunteering at the Powersports Show. Eileen relationships. I hope you as members and club leaders are doing the same, as your relation ships with your local legislative delegations are invaluable when major snowmobile dis cussions and debates arise. Please take the time to invite local candidates to your club house for a cup of coffee before or shortly after the election! With the State House quiet, I’m working with MSA leadership to continue developing our advocacy goals with partner organiza tions, on issues like the Land Use Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan, on staffing changes at the state snow mobile program, and the implementation of snowmobile registration fee changes that will become effective next summer. There is no question that lots of issues are heading our way once the Legislature begins their work in earnest starting in January. We will have brand new committees of jurisdic tion on the IFW and ACF Committees, and we will be sure to build strong relationships with members of legislative leadership and the Appropriations Committee as well! If you have ideas for new legislation, or any questions, please feel free to reach out to myself or MSA leadership any time so that we have time to discuss in advance of the legisla tive session. Until then, please have a wonderful fall! Fingers crossed for an early snow season! James Cote, MSA Lobbyist

From the Executive VP

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

MSA Lobbyist / Capitol Report

Trails Committee Chair Report

Brent Spaulding, MSA Trails Chairman 207-944-7762 41 Madison Ave Brewer ME 04412 msatrailchair@gmail.com G reetings from Brewer, The weather is still hot and humid as I write this, but our first committee meeting has already been held via Zoom. Planning is already underway for the upcoming season. It’s that time of year to communicate any ITS trail updates so they can be incorporated into our printed map program. If your club has any significant ITS updates, please contact me. Many of you may already know this, but State Snowmobile Program Director Joe Hig

James Cote MSA Lobbyist W ell, that summer sun is finally starting to set and I think all of us can feel what’s just around the corner. As the days turn cooler that will undoubtedly mean that campaign season gets hotter- and changes are coming to Augusta! A significant percentage of the legis lature will be newly elected, and we no doubt will have a new Governor and potentially new commissioners to begin working with. For my part, I’ve been visiting with a lot of candidates in the off-season, talking about issues of importance and trying to build new

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