This can't be good.
I have a good idea where these are going to be.
I'll be at the meeting.

vooodooo

keep me informed on what the outcome and thoughts of this meeting are PLEASE.

It effects all of us in southern ontario and seems to be growning very fast. The sooner we can hear about things the better chance we will have of acting on them.

Dave
webmaster@ontariosnowmobiletrails.com

Is this a farmer, development, noise, tresspassing or ? issue?

I can't be there due to other engagements, but keep me informed.

Went last night.
Orangeville will lose 50 km of 150 km of trails.
It seems to be a the same issue that allot of other clubs have.
The same six people doing all of the work.
I guess that's two clubs I'll be helping at this year.

Are you saying that the club is closing 50 kl of trail because of manpower issues and not landowner related ones as we all suspected?

Most are due to manpower.
There are a couple of spots that would need to be re-routed due to development.
Without the people to do the legwork that will not happen.
In another year a part of the rail line will be also be lost.
The club hopes the land owners who allowed trails, before the rail line was able to be used, will once again allow the club passage.
More work for the over loaded volunteers.
This is going to take a serious bite out of my drinking time.

dang civilization taking up our land base........

What part of the rail line is going? Is it the one that connects up to Shellburne.

Yes, that trail.

OUCH! Is that a for sure or maybe? But not this year? I like to start in Erin and make my way up there to Markdale and around for day runs.

Not this year, only a small portion of it, and hopefully it can be re-routed.
Do you start in Brisbane, at the gas station?
Let me know when you are going and you/we can start from my house if you want.

Yes ,I drop at that gas station. Had a friend meet us there last season, we sledded to Cremore and back. When we returned his twoplace trailer had been run over by a rig. Its quiet a busy plase at times. Thanks for the invite. I will let you know when the snow flies. Rick.

I have a question for you guys, I rode up there for the first time last year and headed from Shelburne near the cemetary over toward Creemore , there was part of the trail that goes down a huge steep drop on to a road ,it's like a 100 ft drop. Where would that be? :beerchug:

Stevie was it right beside a ski-hill? Because if so i know exactly where you talking about.

wow, theres a fair bit of people from this general area, we should get an hcs ride going somtime starting from the pines on hwy9 or somthing like that.

and as for those railroad tracks, we started at the gas station one day heading home and we thought those were the tracks that ran parallel to hyw9 straight into grand valley, and about 10 sideroads later we didnt recognize we ended up damn near shelburn, just before it got dark with the deers and some voltage regulator problems that blew the headlight.

great area to ride.

Near Mansfield I think.
Steep bastard, isn't it.

voodoo your correct it is near mansfield.

I don't know what was more fun going down it or back up :div20:

Can't remember a ski hill

So does anyone know exactly what trails are gunna be closed in/around orangeville this year? Probably some around the pit where the college is going in? Any one have any clue?

South of the pit, east of the tree farm.
Most of the secondary trails.

So where those new buildings are going in by the gas station? How are we supposed to get to the tracks are they gunna reroute it?

I don't know about them. I'll find out next Monday.

Orangeville has 900 members but can only get 6 out to meetings. OFSC mandates an executive of 12 and with only 6 showing up for meetings they don't have enough for an executive, nobody for the books, website, newsletters, membership, etc, etc.. Trails are covered but no one to run the club administration and those doing it are tired of it.

Why are most club executives made up of folks at least 50+, seems the younger only want to ride. If you want to save this club you better get involved before it is too late and you have to trailer north of 89 for any riding. :banghead: :frech32:

Jim

What ? The OFSC mandates nothing of the sort. The Executive of a Club is laid out in the Club by-laws.
There maybe 12 positions that need to be filled but those people do not have to be Club executive. In fact one or two people could do the majority of the Jobs if need be.

If in fact i'm wrong please PM me the OFSC document that mandates a Club executive of 12

Thanks

Fine recommmends, doesn't change the fact that this club is in trouble. Seems kind of ironic that Big Bucks are paid at the Barrie office but no money is left at the clubs to pay for administration even with the extra burden placed on clubs by Barrie.

You seem to be knowledgeable on the OFSC, what share of the permit revenue goes back to the local club and what input does a local club have on the OFSC budget? Also what does Barrie give us for their share, to me it looks like the local club is doing 80% of the work for 30% of the permit revenue.

When I say benefit from Barrie I mean something that is material to a sledder not the theoretical BS that doesn't impact the average rider.

Thanks

Jim

Well since this topic was started about lack of volunteers to stake and sign trails and not a money issue at the OFSC I'm not going to drag this topic off somewhere else, nor am I prepared to disscuss a Clubs financial situation on a message board. I will say i have compared #'s with Orangeville to a number of other Clubs in the area and they should be no worse off than any others financialy.

In fact since the topic was about lack of volunteers, I find it real interesting that Orangeville is the closest riding area to Canada's largest population and yet no one can drive out of the city and lend a hand to maintain a few kms of trail that they all want to ride. Come on folks your killing your selves, there are a great number of people in the GTA or locally that could help, don't expect small town Joe or Mr. farmer to run out and prepare and maintain the trails for everyone in Toronto. 900 permit sales ( someone else's #'s) and yet only 6 people can seem to find the time to be a part of the Club? Good god people ya wonder why they are closing some trails. I'm not going to be popular here but.... get off you arse's and get out there and help or in a couple years there will be no trails to ride and you all will have to travel to cottage country for a one day ride. Yes this was meant as a wake up call for ALL of you who ride the area and yet can come up with every excuse under the sun as to why you can't help.

How much say does the local Club or average sledder have in the OFSC budget ? Lots, join the Club be a delagate at the AGM and have all the input you would like, your local Club has a very detailed breakdown of where all the money goes.

Big Bucks eh? Well since you seem to know how many Big Bucks the Big Brass at the OFSC get, could ya send me that info so I can compare the figures that I have been given. I know how basically much the OFSC General Manager gets and how much each of the other staff gets, believe me it's far from being what I would call big bucks, but you might be in a different world than me.

greenmachine : I'm not really picking on you personally, I just get really pissed when people publish acusations and false information on a public web site. If you don't know for certain that your information is correct than don't post it ! Thousands of people read these boards ( including the OFSC Big Bucks Brass) and posts with mis-information are the greatest source of unrest in our sport. Why not help the sport that you enjoy rather than harming it ?

Look few post back some dork called BossCat posts that Ontario will be closed this winter or something like that. No details...... no acurate information, just a stupid post that was intended to do nothing but rile everyone up and create more false rummors. WTF Like the Clubs need this right now, yes there are some farmer issues in some area's and they are being dealt with as they arise. This is the time of year that we need to band together as fellow snowmobilers and help the sport not shoot our selves in the foot. Then some weak minded people come on and post Fock the Farmers, well folks without the farmers we got no trail NOWHERE ( yes that includes northern ontario) . Maybe all the citiets should all stay in the city and ride there!

Sorry folks but i'm a little pissed off at the attitude of some of my fellow snowmobilers lately.

Why not get out there and help the sport you enjoy ?

Go ahead shoot away !

As I stated Orangeville's problem is not trails it is administration and members stepping up to be part of the Executive. The original post was not accurate to the root of the problem.

Jim

I am the one that said fuck the farmers that want to use us as a pond in their game

And noted that it is the trails in the south that have the select few meat head farmers trying to use us

Never said all the farmers are pricks just a select few that wish to further themselves by destroying our southern clubs aka no trails = why buy permits

Instead of working with us,they are forcing us into their battle

Some just twisted my words into something else without reading the rest of the posts

and NO the farmer protest has NOTHING to do with Northern Ont and YES We do aquire access from farmers up here too

that said I do my bit up here

we have 8-10 show up for monthly meetings out of 200 permits sold

once last year we had 13

I show up for 95% of the meetings and help out as you have seen in post I have made the past 3 yrs

The big problem is "I paid XXX amount therefore I should have trail to ride and do not need to give up MY time to help out the club"

You know that there are big bucks spent on Fairies who magically put trails out there,that up keep em,brush/build bridges,aquire land lease agreements etc (sarcasm must be noted)

BTW our meetings for the Northbound Sno Drifters(Chelmsford/Azilda)are held last tuesday of each month at the Northland,but due to Halloween falling on that date the meeting will be held Monday the 30th of Oct

Anyone is welcome to show up :div20:

BTW District 12 meeting is this Monday Oct 16 in Lively

We will still be able to get to the gas station.

Thanks Vooodooo youve been very helpful. Hopefully we'll see you on the trails this year.

I stepped up, so did a good number of others.



Come to the next meeting, and we'll meet before we ride.

I have not ridden their trails in 20 years but it is great to see new blood getting involved.

Jim

I dont know how seriously those guys at the meetings would take a 19 year old like myself. How does it work?

There is quite a range of ages there, all are good people.
I just showed up for the meetings, as it turns out I already knew a few people there.
Quite a few young guys.