10 | Snowmobile VERMONT VAST News By Patty Companik 25+ 25+ Trailblazers’ Corner Trailblazers’ Corner Years of Volunteering Mark Bushey from the Northwest Riders has been actively involved in snowmobiling for approximately 40 years. He started snowmobiling in 1978 in the Franklin county area. When he first started grooming, he pulled an old bed spring behind the snowmobile. I’m sure he could share a lot of stories with all of us about those earlier days. He was instrumental in obtaining a personal loan to purchase the first big groomer of the county. I guess the bed spring just wasn’t enough. He groomed from St. Albans all the way over Richford mountain into Orleans county and north to Canada. He has held the officer position of president for the Northwest Riders and continues to be actively engaged in the club as assistant trail coordinator and groomer operator. He is a familiar face at their county meetings too. Gary Lamberton of the Buckaroos of 302 has been involved in snowmobiling for approximately 29 years. He has helped organize and participated in every trail project since he joined this club. This includes bridge projects, trail construction and general trail maintenance and inspections of the trials and bridges. One of the first to volunteer, he also reaches out and recruits others to help with the trail work. He uses one week of his vacation time every fall to help with signing trails. He helps to organize the Annual Dick Page Ride-In by recruiting others to help, ordering supplies needed for the event, reserving the building and getting the chairs, tables and anything else that is needed. He is always first to arrive and last to leave the event! He also updates the club’s Facebook and website regularly with trail condition updates. And, if that isn’t enough, he handles all of the club’s TMAs and established a TMA renewal system the club has been using for the past 10 years. David Gilderdale from the Middle Valley Polar Bears has participated in every area of trail maintenance and upkeep of their club. The club stated, “We couldn’t function without him.” Having had a career at VTrans and as a town highway maintenance supervisor, he provides excellent advice on next steps, state permits, who to call, all while coaching his club through the process. Not only does he do this for his club, but he has also provided the same type of support for other clubs in his county. He has been volunteering for way more than 25 years, providing countless hours of his time, equipment, knowledge and experience. He was the club’s trailmaster for years but gave up that role about five years ago, though you wouldn’t know that. He still plays an active role in this area, and he never really walked away from it. His contributions include picking up stakes, working with landowners, researching and getting parts for the groomer and drag at reduced rates, helping with groomer and equipment maintenance as well as training new operators. He is a priceless asset to his club. DO YOU KNOW A TRAILBLAZER? Applications are accepted all year and may be filled out online or downloaded in PDF format at vtvast.org/awards.html