More members, more money and more manpower are needed to keep snowmobile trails in good condition this winter, area club officials said.
Alan Tubman, secretary of the Rainbow Riders Snowmobile Club in Fayette, said, “Our trailmaster retired. He was in his 70s. A high school student offered to take it on, but he couldn’t do both his schoolwork and the paperwork the job required.”
It’s a challenge to get the trails ready, he said. “We actually get complaints about the trails not being groomed quickly enough.”
About 25 percent of those with registered machines in Fayette are club members.
“We’ve tried potluck suppers, giveaways, you name it to get the word out,” Tubman said.
“Most every club is in the same boat,” John Davis, treasurer for the Jug Hill Riders snowmobile club in Livermore Falls, said. “The riding public takes it for granted that the trails will be maintained.”
Active participation in clubs is needed, but the money from membership is better than nothing, he said. “It’s frustrating that the people doing the work are in the minority.”
Jug Hill Riders President Ty Barker is hoping to raise money for a Tucker 4 track groomer. “It would make our job easier. It could accommodate the fewer manpower hours available and get the trails groomed more efficiently,” he said.
Darci Gibbs, secretary/treasurer of the Livermore Trail Blazers said about 25 percent of those who register snowmobiles actually join the club.
“We’re a volunteer club. Our members maintain the trails during their free time and use their own money,” she said. Membership dues help pay for grooming the trails.
Excise taxes from snowmobile registrations only cover a portion of the funds needed for a club to maintain the trails in its coverage area.
Among the tasks to keep Maine’s trail system operating are obtaining landowner permission, raising money to purchase equipment, clearing trails and building or repairing bridges, posting trail signs, maintaining trails and monitoring legislative initiatives.
Many local snowmobile clubs and the Maine Snowmobile Association formed over 45 years ago.
Andrew Hogan, secretary/treasurer for the Andy Valley Riders in Jay, said participation in Jay is “disheartening. The four most active members in the club are in their 70s.”
He said he would like to re-energize the club but he’s at a loss about what to do.
A meeting was held last spring at the Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington to encourage young people to join snowmobile clubs. The students were told the state spends $1,000 for each mile of snowmobile trail it maintains. Clubs spend $300 per mile to maintain their trails but are only reimbursed for about 50 percent of their costs.
Maine’s snowmobile trail system includes over 14,000 miles of trail, including 3,500 miles of primary trail known as the Interconnected Trail System, according to the Maine Snowmobile Association website.
The Jug Hill Riders has tried to come up with some incentives to boost membership, Davis said. It has a policy that any member who gives 50 hours toward trail maintenance receives a free membership the following year.
He said it would help if the state would adopt a program similar to one used in New Hampshire. Any snowmobile owner who becomes a member of a snowmobile club is eligible for a reduction in the registration fees. The dealers have club membership forms available.
“It works,” Davis said.
Andy Valley Riders, Jay
Meets the second and fourth Tuesday from late September through April, 7 p.m. at the clubhouse/garage behind the Hannaford Plaza in Jay next to the railroad bed. Contact Andrew Hogan 320-2037.
Jug Hill Riders, Livermore Falls
Meets Sundays at 8 a.m. during the season at the clubhouse on the Dump Road. Contact Ty Barker at 320-0616, or John Davis at 931-6889.
Livermore Trail Blazers, Livermore
Meets the second Wednesday, September through April, 6 p.m. at My Friends Place convenience store/diner on 160 Fayette Road/Route 17. Contact Darci Gibbs at 491-4891.
Rainbow Riders, Fayette
Meets second Saturday at 7 p.m., September through April, at Fayette Fire Station. Contact Alan Tubman 685-9526.
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