On Sunday afternoon Jan. 18, the Rumford Polar Bears Snowmobile Club posted on its Facebook page that it would be opening its trails.

The region had received 2 inches of snow the previous day, bringing the total to 5 inches for the past week. While the modest snow coverage was just enough for opening, the snowmobile club warned that “trail conditions are not good, however.”

“There is scant snow cover at lower elevations,” the club reported. “There are open water bars and many exposed rocks, roots and stumps to watch out for … If you decide to go out, be cautious and keep your speed down.”

A storm forecasted for Sunday night into Monday is expected to bring at least 8 inches of new snow to Western Maine.

The snow will be welcome, as trail conditions remain marginal across much of Oxford County, even as a few more storm systems have passed through this week with a few inches of fresh powder.

“Very few snowmobile trails are open and even the ones that are open are not good,” said Jerry Major, of Norway, one of five Western Region vice presidents for the Maine Snowmobile Association.

Major, who has been part of the association for 50 years, oversees Oxford and Franklin counties and part of Androscoggin County. Maine Snowmobile Association is a statewide organization that supports snowmobiling in Maine by acting as a central coordinator, advocate and resource for local clubs, riders, landowners and government agencies. They collect registration fees, run safety seminars, inspect Interstate Trail System trails and employ a lobbyist.

The lack of snow marks a sharp contrast to earlier decades, Major said.

At age 35, when Major began riding, he said the season ran from November through the end of March. He said he remembers driving his snowmobile out of his Oxford shed one October with 18 inches of snow on the ground.

The changing season is being felt most acutely at the club level.

“We need a good 8- to 10-inch storm,” said Carol Bourque, of Gilead’s Wild River Riders Snowmobile Club. This is the third year in a row the club has not opened until late January and closed in late February. “We haven’t had a good year in a long time. The trend has been toward later openings and earlier closings.”

As seasons shorten, Major said, “99% of the trail work is done by just a few people” in each club.

That is the case at Wild River Riders on Route 2. Bourque said her husband, the trail master, is the only regular volunteer. He uses his chain saws, nail guns and drills, while the club has purchased just one other chain saw. He clears blowdowns and trails year-round, while Bourque accompanies him for safety.

The club maintains 30 miles of trails and inspects and repairs 20 bridges, some crossing the Androscoggin River. “We do many, many repairs on our bridges along the Androscoggin River. Ice chunks come in and float the bridges away. Break it up … ,” Bourque said.

The workload continues even as snowmobile participation declines.

Because of the lack of snow, Bourque said membership fees and donations have dropped, but trail work continues. “We’ve spent $4,000 fixing bridges this year. My husband has 150 volunteer hours of trail work already.”

The volunteer strain is compounded by rising equipment costs.

The club’s groomer is in the shop with a $33,000 repair bill. Bourque said a state representative told her no additional funding was available because registrations are down. She said the club expects to receive its $9,000 grant and plans to pare down repairs and trade in its backup groomer to cover costs.

Some clubs are adapting by changing how they maintain trails.

“A lot of clubs are using side by side ATVs with tracks on them,” Major said.

Financial pressures have also renewed focus on how snowmobiling is funded statewide.

Major and his wife, Terri, director of the Norway Trackers Snowmobile Club, have attended about 10 area club meetings to answer questions, mostly about funding.

Riders pay registration fees to the state. Proposed legislation would raise fees to $70 for residents and $150 for nonresidents, while early registration before Dec. 15 would remain $55 and $119. LD 1547, which would use a portion of sales tax on snowmobiles for trail maintenance, is before the Legislature. Club membership, which is not required, typically costs about $30, with half going to the Maine Snowmobile Association.

Major said 80% or more of Maine’s snowmobilers do not belong to a club. Some club leaders argue the system should reward participation.

Bourque said she would like Maine to adopt a New Hampshire-style incentive system, in which club members receive discounted registrations while nonmembers pay higher fees. Major said the idea has been proposed to the Legislature but rejected.

The Maine Snowmobile Association is hosting a social club, supper and meeting that is open to the public beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24, at Norway Commons. Call the association office 622- 6983 to reserve a space.