b'VAST NewsA message from VAST President Tim Mills HEALTHY SNOWMOBILINGbuilders. We enjoy being out duringVAST has complete plans to open our the winter months, taking in thetrails system on December 16, 2020 vistas, enjoying the social gatherings,if we have the snow to do so. With and exploring new trails around thisCOVID-19 still an issue, please check beautiful state.with our Vermont state guidelines Alright, time for the big pictureanytime you plan to go out and ride. portion of my article. There areThis has been a very active summer approximately 127 snowmobile clubsin VT with thousands of ATVers and across the state of Vermont. A fewmountain bikers, so as long as we are social clubs; most are clubs withall do our part to stay at physical infrastructure and trail mileage todistances, wear our masks when not maintain and groom. The 127 clubsriding, etc. to keep the virus away, the exist statewide and connect to onemore snowmobiling we can enjoy this another across Vermont. It takeswinter.The older we get, the quicker timeeach and every one of these clubsHere is the most recent info on travel seems to fly, and this summer hasto make up the VAST Snowmobilefrom the State of Vermont: www.gone by especially quick for me.Trail System. When we lose a clubhealthvermont.gov/response/It seems like just yesterday thealong the trail system, it creates acoronavirus-covid-19/traveling-snowbanks melted in my back yardhole which eventually divides thevermontand we all fired up our lawn mowerstrail system and leaves riders without for the summer months. Here welocal access. If such a trend were to are now, and it is already applecontinue, we would eventually end upFIND THE HELMETpicking season - a true sign in mywith riding areas but no connecting household that winter is right aroundtrails between those areas around the corner. Another sign that winterthe state and no local trail access. is just around the corner is the VASTSo there is a new campaign called Annual Meeting, which was heldJoin Where You Ride, which is on September 12th at Farrs fielddesigned to support the trail system in Waterbury, Vermont. This yearsthat you prefer riding. The concept is Annual Meeting was definitely aa worthy one, and you should support challenge to pull off given the socialthe club where you enjoy riding, but distancing guidelines that were inthis also comes with side effects. The place for Vermonters at the time. Forside effect is the reduction in funding that, I would like to thank the VASTthrough exclusive membership in staff and volunteers who workedyour local club. Without your support, Chase Haden, age 9, found the helmet extra hard this year to make theit could become harder for your localin the last issue on page 26 in the meeting flow as smoothly as it did.club to stay financially fluid, and lackBarnard Mountainviewers cookout This has been a unique nine monthsof funding could eventually meanphoto. He was randomly chosen from for all of us, and we have all had tothe demise of small local clubs. Theall the correct answers. If you can find make adjustments in our lives. Ourgood news is that, in our re-vampedthe helmet in this issue, send an email monthly Board of Directors meetingsonline system, you do not have toto editor@vtvast.org and you could are currently being held by Zoom, anbuy another TMA to support anotherwin a VAST t-shirt!online video conferencing platformlocal club: you can purchase just a that I am learning to prefer as timemembership through your local clubProtecting your ridecan be very precious to all of us inby using the new online system, our busy lives. The social distancingbut you can choose other clubs to guidelines at the time of this writingsupport as well, simply by paying still limit the number of people atthe member dues for that club. Your gatherings. These limits also affectmembership fee to your chosen local the way we are used to interactingclubs helps to keep them financially with each other, on the trail andfluid. In the end, this system is off. The snowmobile community isbetter for the health of the VASTso you can enjoy yoursas unique a group as any other ISnowmobile Trail System as a whole.Insurance for all of your recreational vehiclesknow of. We gather to build bridges,Ride Safely and Smooth Trails,trim trails, fundraise for the next big project. We are planners and Tim Mills, VAST President802-685-3885www.mkrichardsonagency.com4 | Snowmobile VERMONT'