Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56Club News 40 | Snowmobile VERMONT Worcester Rangers Worcester Rangers are very active during summer months. The club had a summer kick-off barbeque at Lori and Roy Scott’s lakeside home. Club members are committed to undertake an ambitious summer trail improvement program. Proceeds from the Annual Rangers Raffle will make Worcester’s trails and bridges safer and more groomer-friendly. Mount Tambora was recreated by the and adjust corridor trails accordingly. We have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to run existing trails for a couple years while their plans come together, knowing that we were on borrowed time. The upcoming riding season will be the one where actual construction requires us to perform some reroutes. Steve Malnati and Jon Joslin have been leading the charge, moving us from group discussions and google maps, to walking proposed trail relocations. With time, volunteers and money all being short, the preferred reroutes we are entertaining utilize as many fields, former trails and logging roads that we can. This reduces the amount of effort and expenses to establish new trails. Even with the need to bypass something like a new house being built, reroutes usually end up having several miles of new trails to get us there. We have currently identified some decent options and are working to identify, contact and work with new landowners to see if we can make it happen. If so, we move on to getting quotes for the work to be done, cutting, excavating, bridge building and redecking. We then file paperwork with VAST to obtain approval and hopefully go from there. In our 40-mile network, we are in need of two good-sized reroutes this year and possibly a third smaller one. There will also be a reconfiguration near Maplewood and the Comfort Inn. As we work with new landowners, I’d like to put a huge shout out to all snowmobile riders to say “thanks!” As you ride respecting the land, other riders, other trail users, our landowners and local businesses, it creates a very positive image of our recreational activity. This also helps us retain existing trails. When folks are respectful, landowners are happy to grant us permission when we approach them each year. Eighty percent of the VAST trail network is on privately owned land. Without generous landowners, we wouldn’t have a trail network to enjoy. A big thanks to them and thanks to you for respecting our partnership with them. Our club works with more than 60 landowners to provide our portion of the trail network. At our April end of year meeting, Directors Nathan and George Hunt informed us that Jessie Lambert of Lambert Farm Grooming offered to store our Tucker Cat next to his, inside the barn free of charge. Jessie even took care of transporting it there for us. This is a great show of neighbors helping neighbors and it’s great to have our machine protected from the elements in a secure location. Over the last few years, Lambert Farm Grooming has worked with clubs improving trails and providing alternate routes to Groton from the Washington and Topsham area. Jessie also assisted us in building the landing ramp for our Snowmobile Free Style Jumping Show and plowing the parking area for the 2014 VAST Winterfest. We appreciate what he’s done for VAST and assisting our club. Hopefully we can pay it forward when he or others need our help. David Rouleau, President www.barretownthunderchickens.com Like us on Facebook Sno-Bees of Barre As you read this, we are in the middle of summer and most members have forgotten all about snowmachines and are into summer activities. However, there are the members that continue to work at projects in the off-season. Our landowner gift certificates are all sent out to the gracious people that let us use their land for our trails. I am sure some think, “Why bother? We did not use their land this past winter,” but the point is that they made their land available to us and it is not their fault Mother Nature did not come through. Our trail support sign has been taken down and returned to the Beehive so that it can be rebuilt this summer and returned to the trail system in the fall. A big thank you to Pat Reed for getting this done. VAST Annual Meeting is on Aug. 20 and if there is anyone who is interested in attending, we would be more than happy to have you come along. Please contact us if you would like to attend. Enjoy your summer and we will see you in the fall. Mike Perrigo, President www.snobees.com Like us on Facebook