February 2015 Newsletter

Acting Secretary Sheila read the minutes from the January meeting and they were accepted.

Treasurer Gail updated us with her report and we heard that our new drag should be finished and ready to use within the week. Perfect timing for all the snow we have to groom.

Trail Coordinator Steve said we have all four groomers up and operating. I remember not too long ago when we only had one small groomer for our entire system. Through the hard work of our members we now have four bigger machines capable of doing a great job. We have excellent operators who take a lot of pride in OVSA having the best trails to ride on. Our heavy snow this past Sunday presented a challenge in trying to get around to all our trails as quickly as possible. We are out running night and day to get the trails packed so they can freeze up and give us a big base. It is a real pleasure to have plenty of snow no matter what direction we ride out from.

The new Warsaw trail is working out well and Steve has been on top of any item as it pops up. If you see a rock or tree branch in the trail stop and remove them for the safety of all. If you see a Stop sign post tipped over take a minute to stand it up and pack around it. We want everyone to know where all our road crossings and important markings are.

One recent item of note came to us about a theft of a wildlife camera from Dave Pankow. Sled tracks and footprints from the sled made it easy to deduce that a snowmobiler perpetrated the theft. First of all it’s just plain wrong to steal from anyone and especially our landowners who allow us access to areas through their properties. Second is the realization that our trails are a privilege not a rite. If someone has knowledge of this theft returning the camera is important. We have also offered to purchase a replacement one for Dave. Steve put out a very well written and thoughtful email regarding this issue so I won’t belabor it further.

Snow drags will be held Sunday February 22nd at the Leicester Speedway for anyone interested.

We have our NYSSA annual meeting once again this year in Rochester in mid April. If anyone would like to attend and learn more about what makes snowmobiling work in NYS please let us know. There are many seminars to choose from that are interesting.

As I write this on February 3rd we’ve been blessed with a lot of snow everywhere. We work hard all year preparing for such a time as this so let’s get out and enjoy the trails and support our local establishments. I love to eat dinner at a different place everytime I’m out and about. I hope you do to. Ride safe and don’t fall off your sled like I usually do.
See you on the trail. President Jeff f.