2011/2012
Presidents Newsletter fall 2011
With the cold snap in the air and the fall colours showing on the
trees, its time to start planning for a great snowmobiling season ahead.
Our dedicated group of volunteers have begun preparing for this up-coming
season - they are a talented group who want to make every ride on our trails a positive and memorable experience.
Watch our website www.newdundeesc.com for up coming events this season. We are looking forward to another great snowmobiling season on the NDSC trail
system.
The quality of the NDSC trails for the last several years has been
truly outstanding. The wonderful trails that we have are a hidden gem and we like to keep it that way! Of course without our cooperative landowners and the many volunteers we would have no trails. Our landowners continue to be the main reason we can continue to snowmobile on groomed trails - they are our largest asset.
We absolutely MUST stay on the trail and respect the land that we use. We all must police the group that we sled with, lead by example. Our volunteers ask the landowner for permission to cross a portion of their land - when a sledder goes wide of the orange stakes, the club looks foolish as does the volunteer. When you have permission to go on
someone's land, why ruin it by leaving the marked trail?
ATV's using our trail system has also become of great concern to us.
Not only do they not have permission to be on our trails, they also cause
heavy crop damage. If you know of anyone that is using their ATV on our
trail or see someone please let them know they not welcome on our trails and they may be charged with trespassing.
For all those that snowmobile from their house to the trail please
be respectful to all your neighbors along the way. It is not only a
reflection of you but snowmobilers in general. Remember to stay off of
people's lawns, driveways and drive as quietly as possible. As our trails
become better and better it shows what a great job our groomer operators are doing.
This year we have to change 1 trail as there has been homeowner complaints of noise and we lost an adjacent landowner permission to cross their land affectively shutting us down . Also we have to change a major connecting trail as someone in a 4*4 truck drove over a section of trail and a muddy Wheal field. This is the last year we will have access and will need to do a major re work of trail system to get around it.
We are going to reopen an old section of trail this year that has been
closed for a number of years because of landowner issues. The landowner has consented to let us go across again but has already put "us" on warning that if anyone strays off the marked trail they will shut it down immediately.
We all have to be stewards of the trail system. If you see someone doing what they should not be doing, please politely inform them of the issues and that we may loose landowner permission to cross their land. It is a big problem to try to get new trails. Unfortunately as the trails get smoother there is a tendency for some to drive faster and faster, but remember:
The speed limit is 50 kph
When you see a Quiet Zone, slow down and obey the sign.
Some of our trails go on roads. Keep to the right at all times.
Expect the unexpected at all times.
Alcohol and snowmobiling don't mix - Ride safe ride sober.
NDSC Executive Members 2011/2012
President: Ron Furlong
Vice President: Doug Hallman
Sign Coordinator: Pete Hansma
Past President: Adam Furlong
Permit coordinator: Angie Parker
Secretary: Todd Mowbray
Treasurer: Kevin Ambrose
Response: Doug Hallman, Dave Murphy
Landowner Liaison: Don Poth
These people all give of their time, effort and energy to make the club and
trail system the success it is - don't forget to thank them, and join in and
help them make the trails even better!
As a member of the Golden Triangle Snowmobile Association members of our
executive attend monthly meetings to keep in touch with provincial and
regional issues.
Ron Furlong