Hello guys.

I want to see more inter-club talking going on, and this thread is one way to see it happen on HCS.
I think that we as club leaders should make it a point to talk with other leaders so we can share ideas, problems, and storys.

So if you are a club member or leader, speak up and list the clubs name here. Ask questions, offer answers, and make a new friend or ten. NH faces a tough future in regard to sledding. Lets band together here and see what happens!

I am Richard, trailmaster/president for the CCC. My chief concern about sleddings future is the influx of liberal minded people from the south. They are fragmenting land, and posting what little they can call theirs. They have a "I am here, and I am going to save you hicks from yourselves as my personal hobby" attitude. What can we do?

Who's next, and leave a link to your clubs website if you can. :banana:

Oldtimer AKA Richard B. :fluffy:

64 views, no posts. Hardly surprising I guess.

O.K. I'll chime in.
I'm Mark, OVSC Trailmaster. and I'm a sledoholic......any laughs?

Seriously though my concern is lack of participation by the huge majority of sledders.
I've always said, If you can't help physically then help monetarily. There is tons of work that goes into having those nice trails for you and yours to enjoy on the weekends and if things don't change your going to see less desirable conditions be more of the norm than not.
Just read this forum or the NH trail conditions forum once the season gets going. Lots of folks complain about grown in trails, poor signage, no grooming and so on.
Well who do you expect to get out their and take care of these issues.......?

As far as the folks moving north to escape the rat race, well we have to try to educate them in the way of the great white north. Show them the trade off of having snowmobile clubs put trails on their land.
3 months of tolerating snowmobiles gets you 12 months of greater access to your property. Free maintance of those trails including some nice bridges and gates.

Also let them meet some of us people. We not to bad to hang with...except for you Rich........come on man :frech32: , how bout some laughs?
Just kidding Rich, keep at it your a credit to the sport. :beerchug:
Later All,
Mark
OVSC Trailmaster
ossipeevalleysnowmobileclub.com

I agree with Mark as far as the lack of participation by the huge majority of sledders. But in the same token when I go North all I want to do is ride (after my duties are done here). I know it's hard to find the time to spare to do trail work but we can't keep expecting the same few to do it all.

As more and more people move to the area and the lot size goes down then there are more landowners to deal with and some might be against snowmobiling. :frech32: We do need the growth or the economy will become stagnant. If we can all learn from OVSC President Dave Bowles it is that no matter what your political view we can still all get along. Keep up the good work Dave.

I hope OT gets the clubs talking with each other on this thread as it would be a good forum for them to do so. Keep up the good work OT.

John


Secretary OVSC

Thanks guys. How 'bout a link to the OVSC ?

This seems to be a problem everywhere. We have lost trail this year to. However, the local paper did a nice write up on the benefits of snowmobiling and what it brings to the economy. Maybe a local paper can shed some light on your issues like they did for us. Good luck!

Hey!! Jaggal, whats the name of your club, and are you an officer?

This is the NH forum, but a club is a club, so welcome and speak up loud! Also, please give us a link if you can!

I can tell you it is no different in Nova Scotia than it is in NH. There is always more people to critisize then there is to participate in trail work. Here if we are lucky we have the STP group (Same Ten People, that do all the work). I do find that sometimes the clubs need to plan, organize and advertize the work days better. A lot of people will help but you might need to call them, when they arrive, have an area planned for a crew to go with jobs to do. People's time is precious don't make them stand around while you think of work for them. Tell them what you expect and how long it should take, 4-5 hrs is what most will want to volunteer. It is even better if you can tell them this info on the phone when you call.

Steven
Trail Director
Route Six Snowmobile Club

Thanks Steve!

Oldtimer I've talked to you before about clubs. About 3 months ago. I am an active participant in our club. I am volunteer assistant membership chair and board of directors note taker, and a landowner. I know that this is the NH forum, but maybe people can exchange ideas on what is working for them in their area and they can try it in others.

http://cherrycreeksnogoers.com/

Thanks Gal! Always welcome here in the NH forum!

Draft Copy for next newsletter
Who makes up our club and who maintains the club?
Who makes up our club?
We have 562 memberships (107 out of state) and if you count the families as two, that is 846 members. We maintain trails in six towns and three counties. Farming ton (92 memberships), New Durham (83 memberships), Rochester (80 memberships), Alton (44 memberships), Middleton (21 memberships), and Brookfield (0 memberships).
Who maintains the club?
1. Of the 846 members about 6% help (about 50) in a year.
2. Of those 50 members about 25 members help over 10 hours in a year.
3. Of those 25 members about 8 members help over 50 hours in a year.
4. Of those 8 members about 4 members help over 100 hours in a year.
What does the club do?
1. We do a safe rider course, fund raising, membership, maps and newsletters (about 350 hours).
2. We work with landowner. Without them there would be no trails. (about 200 hours)
3. Winter trail work (writing grants, grooming and repairs about 500 hours)
4. Summer trail work (writing grants, making and maintaining trails, and signing about 600 hours)
Many people ask why we do not raise money to hire the work out. I think everyone can see that there is no way we could raise enough money to pay for 1650 man/hours. The goal we are aiming for is that we are trying to make everything easier and that the people giving of their time are not also paying for what they do. The club bought a bush hog, three pole saws, two chain saws and two brush saws so the volunteers do not wear out there own equipment. The club also pays heavy equipment operators at lest the cost of running their equipment, in the past some people paid for all including fuel and repairs.
So we like to thank all that freely help on the trails and all the landowners that freely let us use their land. Without you there is no trails or club.
In closing I am glad to say for the 2005-2006 season we have already met with landowners about 150 hours and completed about 250 hour of summer trail work. There is still more to do so let us know if you want to help. Go to http://createforum.com/forums/?mforum=PMSC for updates , Web site http://www.metrocast.net/~kperry/
Mike the trailguy Powdermill Smc

I saw this and had to check it out. I am the Pres. of the Trail Hawks Snowmobile Club from Eveleth, Minn. and I agree with the STP group. We are kind of like that, same ten people doing all the work, I don't mind but it would be nice to get more of the members active in different things our club does. We collect for and give to a needy family every Christmas in the local area, We have raffles to raise money for groomer maintenance, trail work and signs and all the things that go along with being a club and maintaining a trail system. We have safety training for the kids in the area twice a year, maybe 100 kids total, We also help with any snowmobile function that happens to come along, like the Hill Cross at Giants ridge and things like that. We do get funding from the state for grooming and trail improvements but sometimes it is not enough. We just got done putting in a 490,000 dollar bridge across the St. Louis River to extend our trail further north to Eveleth. Projects like this take many years of paper work and applications and grant paperwork and filings to get done, our trail administrator retired from his part after the bridge got installed, saying his contribution to the club is done, he was burned out after all the paper work. I myself have been one of the ones who built our clubs trail from start to finish with my own chain saw and wheeler to get into the woods along with 6 others in the club. Only 30 miles of trail so far but that is enough

Thanks mike!

And thanks for posting hawk!

I hope all you fine folks will peek in on this and speak up as things come to you! Like I said, what state or country you are in don't matter. We are all in this together right?

EDIT;

Don't forget the links to your clubs!

If you don't know how, here's a quick run down; Click reply (not fast reply), then click on the " http: " icon above your message box. Do what it says, and the second thing you type in is what we will see in your post.

Like this; Carroll County Coyotes Snowmobile Club

i live in sanbornville nh near the pub. oldtimer what can i do to help.

Oldtimer, You got that right it never hurts to get ideas and stuff from other areas to see how we all compare

HEY! I see you "lurkers" reading this!

POST damn it! lol....

Hi! I lived in a place up on the bluff beside the lake, right behind the big cemetary off 109. Also lived just over the tracks in Union at the Hunters property.
To help, post up what club you are in, and how you help them. If you don't really do anything, no trouble, join up with 7 Lakes or OVSC or the CCC or the PMSC.
This thread is just here to get us talking. I first thought it would be just a NH forum thing, but the beauty of HCS is that a lot of other people see this. So anyways, look here in the NH forum for posting about a club planning a work day. And come on out! :banana:
:beerchug: :beerchug:

what the deal. need help? can get 1 more person if not more.

I quoted this so peeps can see and learn how if need be! :fluffy:

7 lakes doesnt want to hear from us younger croud. so i didnt join. need a club open to saving the sport.

Then it sounds like you should come meet me and the boys. Not to take away from 7 Lakes, they seem like good eggs to me! We (CCC) went to a BOD meeting at the 7 lakes clubhouse, and they were very decent to us.

Like I said, stay tuned here for a call to arms! We should have a work party going on soon. It will be posted by either the CCC or the OVSC.

please call me i am willing to help. 522-6050 jeff.

:div20:

Wow OT,
Just checked back in before hitting the sack and see that folks from all over are checking in. Nice.
Looks like most folks here are the ones with the most interest in the sport. Keep the info coming in.
It's especially cool to see folk writing in from other parts of the country.
I'll be back,
Mark
OVSC Trailmaster
www.ossipeevalleysnowmobileclub.com

In a way we are lucky here in Pittsburg, NH that the riding season is usually over four months long. :banana: But, we have over 200 miles of 14 foot wide trails with many bridges to maintain and many, many users to accomodate.

The club membership for the past two years has been over 4,000 but, it is the same hardcore members that do almost all of the work (about 20). So, you can see that a large membership really doesn't ease the work load all that much.

Don't get me wrong, the membership dues help out a lot and we are very thankful for them but, the mailing costs and paper work has gotten to the point where "volunteerism" just won't get it done. We have had to hire a full time club manager to take care of the increase in club business.

This coming season we will have a fleet of five groomers on the trails with paid drivers and all the associated costs to comply with state and federal employment laws not to mention increasing liability insurance costs and much higher fuel prices.

As our club manager has said: "We have created a monster and now we must feed it."

Anyone who wants to help in any way; labor, money, running a fund raiser, siding our groomer shed, sign maintenance, etc., etc. contact the club and let us know you want to help. I know the Pittsburg Ridge Runners will find something you can do to help out. Maybe not right away but you will be on the list. :div20:

We are looking for groups of three volunteers each to take just one Saturday each week during the season at the Deer Mountain Warming Hut. This is to give the same old crew a needed break from time to time during the season. Especially Saturday January 28, 2006.

The club URLs are in my signature. :div20:

OT, good luck with all you are doing and I wish I could get down there and help out too but, I am up to my eyeballs in alligators up here! :augen41:

Mark :beerchug:

p.s. (BREAKING NEWS) The club is planning a group trip to Yellowstone the last week of January 2006. :banana: If you are a club member and would like to come and get a really good package deal, give the club a call at 603 538-1142 Monday through Friday, 9am to 4pm to get information and make reservations. :div20:

I thought I'd chime in as one of the 20 people Old Viper Rider was referring to in the thread above. I am the V.P. of the Pittsburg Ridge Runners and I too recognize the need to get some new people involved in getting things done to keep the system the best it can be. There is little glory in being an officer in a club of this size, only more work, but the up side is we are blessed with a system that a great number of people have recognized as being a fun place to ride. Having an opportunity to help keep things going is a relentless mix of "the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat".
We in Pittsburg are very lucky to have a system that is made up of a majority of well made and maintained logging roads, which allow us to make things wide, safe and visible.
I encourage everyone out there to get involved in a club or two, or three...they all need help and there are lots of good things happening out there, not the least of which is the flurry of activity we see on this sight with the founding of the Carroll County Coyotes and the cooperative alliances resulting with the surrounding clubs.
The enthusiasm down there is infectious and these guys deserve a lot of help with the level of projects they have taken on. :div20:
The sport of snowmobiling is changing almost faster than we can keep up with it and the key to staying on top of it all is the clubs and HCS, and other lines of communication.
If you are involved in a club already, keep it going! If your not involved in a club find one and help them, in this time that they need all the help they can get. :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help: :help:
pathfinder58 :cn:

Thanks you guys!

Your input is greatly valued!

OT
Its almost worth coming on line every day to see what avatar you will have up next, although I think your current one is great. Keep on truckin'.
pathfinder58

Yep, it's a game I play with some other HCS members...see if I can find something no one else has used..CKF is in on it now too...lol...

Is that Marty Feldman? He had this wndering eye that use to add to his comedy, and really fracture anybody who ever saw him.

Yes, it is Marty F.
The one befroe this was Sammy Davis Jr.

There must be more people out there that could respond to this thread. :banghead: . Oldtimer is trying to get clubs talking to each other so we can all work together. :augen41: Come on HCS members what are your thoughts??????????

As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time on this website trashing NHSA for one reason or another , I think it only fair to convey to all that I recently had the pleasure of spending an evening in Pittsburg with NHSA president Ford and her husband Dennis (former NHSA presidnet) John Coos county directer, Gail Hansen, NHSA Director, and the executive board of the Pittsburg Ridge Runners. I find it necessary to inform you all that these people took the time to drive to Pittsburg and have a very productive meeting on our own turf which was very much appreciated. :div20: Many issues were discussed, form the Insurance problems we are all reading about in the media, to problems of communicating effectively in a state that takes almost four hours to drive the length of to attend meetings. It is unforntunate that we all dont have a chance to chat with people like the Fords extensively in a casual setting and learn how involved these people are for the direct benefit of all of us, and are sometimes thanked with waves of critcism from people who only understand part of the picture, which is almost impossible to see completely. The effort on their part was HUGE! It was also recognized and appreciated. Thank You!

Hey, we need to get real. We have 575 members in our Club and with family memberships we have almost 1000 warm bodies. The same ten people do all the volunteer work with occasional peaks of twenty. We have 65 miles of trail to walk this fall and getting help will be like pulling teeth. It's the same all over the country with any Club. Oh Well!!!!!!

Maybe we could get people's attention if we didn't cut new trails and clear the "face slapping" brush that stings your face at eight below zero! The lack of participation in the developement and maintenance of the system is quickly becoming a crisis, with all of us older folks doing the work. It wont be long before we are all gone for one reason or another and then who will be there to take our place? It doesn't seem to matter wether your in a club that has 600 members or 4000 members the number of people doing the work is almost rediculous! Amen!
pathfinder58 :cn:

We are sending out a calender with "work days" listed on it to the membership with the next newsletter. Do you think that maybe a two-tier membership would work? In example, active and non-active members? I don't know if that would seem "fair" to everyone though. Maybe starting a committee within the club, that would look at where the club wants to be in 5 years. Get the kids involved with a junior board of directors. Afterall, they are the future of the clubs. The thing is to figure out how to get more people involved. On our membership application there are choices that you can pick regarding what you would like to do to help the club, besides paying your dues. In example, groomer operation, trail maintenance, raffles, etc. Also, a direct approach seems to work sometimes, like at a fundraiser event putting a person on the spot and asking them to go around and sell tickets or help pass out something. People tend to refuse less when asked on the spot. If we all share ideas throughout the clubs, maybe collectively we can figure out a way to get more of the membership active.

Ideas/opinions anyone?

Excellent post, considering your age! Keep the ideas coming, that's what we need. Great Post Z

Thanks for keeping the talk going guys.

I am unfortunately one of the Ridgrunner members that has done nothing do help out on the trails as far as maintenance goes. We do however join the clubs, buy raffle tickets and drop a few bucks in the jar everytime we see one. I think one way to raise some money would be to have raffles for "non snowmobile" items that would attract people outside of our sport. How often do we all donate $5, $10, OR $20 to someone at work to help out their kids sports teams, schools, etc. Every little bit helps and I think we need to look "outside the box" to find ways to get any money we can. Also I like the idea of the calender to show members when the work days are going to happen. Also one thing to look at is how if a private business donates their time/equipment to help out the club there are great tax benefits for them, i realize there is still a cost incurred to them but if they realized what/how they could get a tax benefit for themselves it certainly woudl not hurt.

Great ideas! Good Post. :div20:

I know that if you are listed as a "non-profit" club, which most are, you can utilize many different areas. In example, the local boy scout and girl scout groups are always looking for projects to earn badges. Have them help design signs, or mark trails. Even clearing trees and debris I think qualifies for their nature badge. Also the local high school is a good resource. There are 4-h kids and future farmers of america clubs that are always looking for hands on projects. Get into contact with your local 4-h horse club. Most of the members will help mark your trails if they are shared trails. (most of ours are) Contact your local BOCES, they are also looking for hands on projects. Also, there are always college kids that are taking forestry and conservation that need the work experience for their degree.

Powder Mill, we are theClub to the north with a few more members and your statistics are correct. Our trail work parties begin Sept. 10th and I bet I can name who shows up. It is the same 10 people with spurts of 10 more later in the season. Moose mountain is a great place to ride and on to Wolfeboro from there. We need a Rock Group on the mountain te remove rocks. Lets see if we can get some local equipment this year or not.

Anyone out there?

What are some of the things that your club is currently doing to get ready for the season. Lets keep this thread going. Someone must have something to say.

Well put. I have asked many times to be called as to when there is a bunch of guys going out.... But the same thing every time....NO CALL! I would love to help out if I'm able.....But dont bitch if you wont call. I know this is a problem in our area. Hope its not like this in too many others. Also to those of you who put so much time and effort into this sport I Thank-you !

I think that one of the clubs where I've had a membership last year had a great idea. They sent out a refrigerator magnet with the scheduled work party dates w/ contact Numbers in the renewel envelope. I thought this was a very good idea and quick to reference

Sometimes, just a simple reminder will jog the ole memory. If only most things in life were that simple!

well i don't know how the other states handle the money collected for the trail system.but here in iowa it goes into a fund that can be pillaged by the state to balance the budget.a few years back the state was in dire financial straits,and the snowmobilers fund was quite large,so they used it to balance the budget.talk about polarizing a diverse group of people!!!!we went from 5 people at the meetings to standing room only.but as the years have passed its been hard to keep people interested.

I know most of you guys on here do not like hearing a young kids opinion but I am going to give it any way. As for how the topic opened up I am a little upset at that. As for living down south or a "flatlander" as you guys call us. I think you owe more than just criticism because if it was not for the people who come up from the south, you guys would not even have a sport or a club in our area. At least it would not be as big, and I know that the ovsc just got a new groomer which the state helped out big time on the purchase of that, because the state looked at the increasing number of sledders in the area and know there is big money comming to them from the area. Well where are these people comming from? The SOUTH. Ask any of your local dealers even Pittsburg, 80% of their customers/riders are from the south. I do not think its right to bash the southerners for all the crap that goes on in the trail systems, or that they do not help out. There are plenty of local guys that do not contribute to their local clubs and still ride the trail systems. So all I am trying to say is don't just start pointing fingers on one group of people, because its everyone. Well thats all I have to say, I hope its a good riding season and hope to hear that more people are attending their local clubs work parties. See you guys on the trails.

On the contrary, I for one love to hear the opinion of any young person who cares to respond to this thread. :div20: You might be interested to know that the vice president of the Pittsburg Ridge Runners who has lived in Pittsburg since '96 in still called a flatlander, :augen41: and it really doesn't bother me. I think what you are responding to is that most people who "complain" about non involement of those from the south are actually responding to less and less people from "anyhwere" helping out. Clubs are the backbone of this sport and its frustrating to a lot of "active" members that the participation level seems to diminish every year. I think any mention of "flatlanders" is in good fun and should be taken that way. Any club in the state of New Hampshire recognizes the importance of memberships from outside the area and how much value they have in the "overall" pcture of the sport. :help: As you pointed out there are lots of local people that dont contribute to the sport in any way and continue to take advantage of the efforts of the same overworked few, and frankly its getting old.
Thank you for stating your opinion, and keep it coming, it can only do us all good to keep the dialog going! :banghead:
pathfinder58 :cn: