26 | Snowmobile VERMONT Club News CALEDONIA COUNTY Buckaroos of 302 As Kevin and I sit down to write this newsletter, we are doing our best to beat the heat and can’t help but wish it was winter here in Groton, Vermont! The Buckaroos have taken the summer off to rest and recuperate before our weekends will be busy with trail projects as soon as the calendar turns to September. The Buckaroos of 302 had an excellent 2017/18 season. We sold 634 TMAs, breaking our TMA sales record that we had set last season! Thank you to everyone who purchased a TMA from us last year! The Buckaroos expect to have minimal trail projects this year, as the only significant projects that need to be performed are to reposition culverts from Choate’s pasture to the Cabot/Peacham line with an excavator and to put up some gates on landowner’s properties. Despite minimal trail projects this year, we still expect to be busy cutting back trees and branches on our trail system. Keep checking our Facebook page and website to see some new changes coming. We plan to allow for more people to post on our page with pictures, trail conditions and general questions and answers. A big thanks to Suzanne Pare for making these changes! We plan to send some members to the VAST Annual Meeting to represent the Buckaroos in September and to see some of our fellow clubs from across the state. We are always looking for some new volunteers. We offer 10 free VAST Volunteer TMAs every year. Please contact either Gary Lamberton or Kevin McDonnell if interested. That’s it for us, we hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather, but thinking about snow! As always, be safe, respect the landowners’ property and please don’t litter our beautiful trails. Taylor Lamberton, President Kevin McDonnell, Vice President buckaroosof302.com Like us on Facebook Caledonia County Snowmobile Trail Club There is a great deal of uncertainty with the Trail Club as we transition from the 2018 season. In a case of consequence by association, we face a couple of retaliatory trail closures that are critical to connecting neighboring trail systems. Because we are the “Vermont” Association of Snow Travelers, some landowners think we are a state-run organization and tie any legislative or executive actions to us. We are completely independent from the state, but suffer the wrath of frustrated citizens. We can work this fall on trail reroute construction, but there is very little money in VAST or Trail Club accounts. If good luck and/ or cooler heads prevail, the situation will not require any costly reroute. Our equipment is aging and in need of replacing. We spent as much in maintaining our groomer and drag as we took in from the grooming reimbursement program. Replacement of the power unit and drag will run close to $300K. VAST grants have been reduced. If we apply for USDA grants, the VAST grant gets reduced significantly. Trade in value for the power unit is minimal due mainly because it is 12 years old. TMA sales were down from the previous season. We really need to find a way to get more members to join VAST. We also need to replenish the ranks of our volunteers. And probably as important, we desperately need to preserve our trail system by keeping landowners happy. This is a herculean task that will require all counties, clubs and members to work with the VAST board of directors towards a collaborative solution. We need the state of Vermont to work on our behalf and make it easier to host a trail on your land. If we look to our past, family participation was a cornerstone to our growth. Families gave VAST the wholesome image it needed to promote our sport and that remains the same today. It also gave us the succession strategy that is critical to continuation. Money is the fuel that drives the VAST machine. Expenditures need to be reviewed closer than ever before. Everyone that reads this magazine should take the time to review the upcoming budget and prepare to offer constructive solutions at the VAST Annual Meeting this fall. Submit ideas and opinions to your county director to be discussed at the board meeting every fourth Monday. Enjoy the summer, but keep an ear to the ground for the upcoming 2019 season. Mike O’Hara, Vice President snowmobilecaledoniavt.com Like us on Facebook Lyndon Sno-Cruisers Hello from the Lyndon Sno-Cruisers’ snowmobile system. We got all of the stakes and signs pulled and stored for the summer. Most of the trails were in good condition, but we have one problem area on Corridor 51 where we go up Chesley Hill. Some ATV and dirt bike riders seem to believe they have landowner permission to ride that section of trail after snowmobile season. Another spot on Corridor 51 had snowmobilers riding on a landowner’s lawn instead of riding the side of Chesley Hill Road. I know it was late season riding, but the landowner does not like that inconsiderate attitude. Now the club has to work with this landowner to try to keep this segment open. Cross your fingers that we will be successful. Our big event on June 23 and 24 at the NEMBAfest involved putting on a pancake breakfast for the riders who