Fall 2016 Your Link to the Missing Link Snowmobile Club SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: Our Open Sesame poker run is always the third Saturday in January and the Bow-Tie Classic is the first Saturday in March. The A-trail section east of Stonecliffe is changing this season. It looks like we are back to a full compliment of club trails for this coming season, including the Rat Lake Loop. Have you seen our website visit www.missinglinksc.ca for club news and events. Like us on Facebook to get the latest event and trail information. Got a fun picture from club events? Please forward it to dowser@morningmistresort.ca INSIDE THIS ISSUE: PRESIDENT S MESSAGE 1 WHAT IS MOTS ANY- WAY? COME OUT FOR GROOMER DAY A NEWBIE S EXPERI- ENCE #2 THIS SEASON S EVENTS CALENDAR OUR 7TH SPRING ATV RALLY 2016 SUMMER FISHING DERBY ON THE TRAILS 5 WINTER IS COMING 6 2 2 3 3 4 4 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Hunting season is finally winding down as we are slowly progressing through the month of November. There seems to be a vast amount of weather predictions for this coming winter pointing to a very snowy season ahead of us. Isn t that great news for us snowmobilers? We are opening a recruitment office this year in Stonecliffe to acquire volunteers to handle this possible increase in snow events. Groomer operators, club members, volunteers are all being hired with full training provided. If you arrive in Stonecliffe and the recruitment center is closed please contact the club through email or Facebook and we will gladly get in touch with you. Our events this year will continue with the tradition of offering an enjoyable outing with a whole lot of fun. Please check our events page on our website to plan your calendar. As we enter this time of year, the club is very busy organizing the season ahead of us. We are redirecting the A-trail in Stonecliffe to make use of the rail line from Pine Valley Road to Yates Road. This will help eliminate some treacherous paths through the bush. The signage crew is organizing signs. Our computer techs are updating Facebook and our website. Our brushing crews are refurbishing our brusher and awaiting the end of deer season to get out and brush the trails. Our grooming equipment will arrive in time to get our groomer operators out for a groomer day to go over the equipment and train on maintenance. As you can tell there is a lot going on and we look forward to seeing our Missing Link friends out on the trails and at club events. Let it snow! Brent Allen YOUR CLUB EXECUTIVE & VOLUNTEERS 8 Brent
THE LINK NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 WHAT IS MOTS ANYWAY? Three members of the Missing Link Snowmobile Club attended the OFSC/AGM Convention held at the Hilton in Mississauga Sept. 16 th and 17 th. The main topic of last year and this year s convention was MOTS More on the Snow. The membership voted this year to accept More on the Snow with a 70.4% majority. So what is More on the Snow? It is a set of guiding principles that will be used to implement important organizational and operational changes that will ultimately result in long term sustainability of organized snowmobiling in the province of Ontario. How does OFSC plan to do this? Reduce the number of Districts from 16 to 12. This would adjust the kilometers of trails to an average of 2700 per District. Reduce the number of groomers and create a sustainable grooming fleet. All permit revenue would be controlled at the District level rather than at the Club level. What does this mean for District 6 and the Missing Link Snowmobile Club? Presently, District 6 consists of 9 clubs in the Snow Country Snowmobile Association and 3 independent Clubs. Missing Link is one of the 9 clubs in the Snow Country Snowmobile Association. Within Snow Country, we pool our permit revenue with the other 8 clubs to share the cost of expenses for putting groomers on the trails. The biggest expenses are buying groomers, fuel, or repairing groomers for the 9 clubs. With More on the Snow, District 6 will have 12 Clubs with the possible addition of 2 more from another District next May. When will More on the Snow be implemented? The process will be gradual across the province over the next few years. District 6 already has a groomer committee that includes all 12 clubs. Representatives from each club meet to determine how best to satisfy the varied groomer needs of the District. Other committees will be formed to look at the needs of all Clubs. What is Missing Link s opinion of More on the Snow? That s easy. We have been a part of Snow Country Snowmobile Association since its incorporation date of Dec. 15, 1997. We understand the importance of having our permit revenue controlled centrally and therefore, feel that this will be a fairly smooth transition for Missing Link and District 6. Marlene COME OUT FOR GROOMER DAY As I write this article this morning, we have about 25 cm of snow on the ground with another 15-20 forecast before it ends. It is at this time when everyone really starts to get the sledding fever. With this in mind, we await the delivery of our two groomers. We have had another major overhaul completed to both groomers and look forward to them operating problem free for another season. We are holding a groomer day on December 10 th at Morning Mist Resort to review and discuss operations. If you wish to become a volunteer operator, we can always use the help and groomer day is a perfect opportunity to meet the other operators. You get a good understanding of the equipment as we give the groomer a once-over to confirm all is in working order. Please remember this season that the groomers are slow moving and that a snowmobile sneaks up very quickly. Make sure the operator is aware of you and the left is clear of oncoming sledders before you pass. Be careful, courteous and drive safe. Lets go snowmobiling. Chris
THE LINK NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 SNOWMOBILE TRAIL GROOMING AND MORE: A NEWBIE S EXPERIENCE #2 Well where has the time gone! One moment I am lamenting my experiences as a Newbie over the past sledding season and here it is, summer gone, and time to get rolling for a new season of sledding. But it has already been rolling for quite some time. Monthly meetings, organization for fundraisers, repairs to structures on the trails, trail maintenance planning, District 6 Snow Country Meetings, and the OFSC AGM/Convention. Missing Link President Brent Allen suggested that I attend the annual OFSC Convention and so I did. Jim and Secretary Gibson were the designated voters so I was able to observe and learn. Terry Vaudry, our District 6 manager rented a van and drove me, Art and Andy from the Golden Lake and Eganville Clubs down to the event. This Newbie got to have a look at all the new grooming sleds, tractors and task specific rigs! The machinery was awesome! This AGM was a crash course on how the OFSC operates and is organized. I participated in group discussions regarding the MOTS Proposal, witnessed the MOTS vote and how Club politics and Constitution drove the vote to a whopping majority in favour, thus kick starting the implementation of a whole new operating plan and club/district organization. Guest speakers from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ontario Agriculture Representatives and others discussed Bill 100 and land owner issues. Overall a terrific learning experience and an opportunity to meet so many snowmobile enthusiasts from all parts of Ontario with lots of stories to share. I learned not to miss a club meeting, even if it was for the moose hunt. When I returned I found out I was appointed in absentia to lead the project for the proposed development of the A Trail reroute plan on a portion of the Ottawa Valley Recreation Trail (CP Rail roadbed). Renfrew County Council voted on and accepted the proposal for our Lease on October 26 th. So now onward with all hands on deck to make this a successful project and a new section of A Trail to groom; bring on the snow!! Now to learn more on trail construction, signage, landowner issues, trail safety..it never ends!! Just the way I like it, that s why I joined Missing Link Snowmobile Club! Last newsletter I decided it was time to get a sled. I did, thank you very much Marlene and Jim Gibson for making this happen. So see you on the trail. Pat THIS SEASON S EVENTS CALENDAR GROOMER DAY Saturday December 10th Get up close and personal with your groomer after a long hard summer! Hosted at Morning Mist Resort. OPEN SESAME POKER RUN Saturday January 21st Snowmobile Poker Run - Cash Prizes and more! Dinner to follow at Stonecliffe Township Hall. 20TH ANNUAL BOW TIE CLASSIC POKER RUN & SILENT AUCTION Saturday March 4th
THE LINK NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 OUR 7TH SPRING ATV RALLY We had a record turnout once again for the spring ATV Geocache. 266 paid riders came out to hunt for the Geocache jars hidden in the bush. Of course, we give out a little map to help along the way. Our day started bright and sunny and most riders were registered and on the trails by 11:00 in the morning. This year s route took us east from Morning Mist Resort and ventured back into Mackey Creek territory. Lunch was available at the township gravel pit just off Mackey Creek Road where 260 hot dogs and a few boxes of chips were devoured by hungry riders. The lunch providers also take this opportunity to provide hints and suggestions to anybody who really doesn t know where they are or where they are going. The stories are always a big part of the chatter. The clouds rolled in as the riders headed off so we packed up the BBQ and headed back to the camp to find a shelter tent already setup in case of rain. Our volunteer cooks (Robert, Sheryl, Paul, and Les) were prepping for dinner as the riders slowly trickled back in after a full day of bush exploration. The potluck style dinner was enough to fill the hungriest of appetites with numerous salads and finger foods to supplement the 288 burgers and 50lbs of fries cooked to order. The best poker hand walked away with $700 of the total $1500 in prize money handed back out to the pack. The lucky 50/50 rider also gained $480 for the winning ticket. These fundraising events would never happen without the generous support of numerous volunteers and the local businesses who donate our door prizes. Thank You! We look forward to seeing everyone back on the first Saturday in May for the 8th Spring ride. Todd The best poker hand walked away with $700 of the total $1500 in prize money 2016 SUMMER FISHING DERBY For those who question Do the fish bite in the rain? They sure did for the 2016 Fishing Derby in Deux Rivieres. The only 2- full days of rain we had this summer was on Aug. 12 & 13, but the big fry pan and the sun fishing gods came through again and the sun did shine on the fish fry Sunday afternoon! For those that put on their slickers, raincoats, bimimi tops and umbrellas Thank You for going out there and providing the fillets for the 113 hungry entrants, along with Sandra s homemade beans, the corn roast, the salads, the desserts, pretty much everyone was seen leaning back in their lawn chairs with rounded tummies, while waiting for the prize tables to be emptied! The absence of the Tommy & Patty fishing team (would you believe away on holidays?), opened the path to the prize table for Noah Bray with the largest pickerel and Richard Baril with a monster bass. Not to let the Clouthier name fall from the list was Shannon Clouthier who landed the largest Northern Pike and son TJ Clouthier who wrestled aboard the largest fish in the OTHER category with a 1 lb. 6 oz. perch!!! Congratulations to all the winners and there were many standing by the weigh-in table right to the last minute for winners to be decided! Pictures Doug needs help, while posing for many with the fry pan, the winners table, etc. the photo bank is empty if you have any, please f o r w a r d t h e m t o doug.antler@antlerslodge.ca, and we ll put them in the Club photo album that is viewed by many! To all those that donated prizes, time, effort, a joke or three and entered the derby Thank You and a special word of gratitude to the fish cleaning team of Jarett & Jamie your efforts were much appreciated and the lack of bones in the fillets remarkable! Till we all sit in the boats at the 2017 derby see you there and do enjoy the winter season now! Doug
THE LINK NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 ON THE TRAILS First and foremost, we are happy to report that our snowmobile trail system is not expected to conflict with local logging operations over the next few months. This means last season s A-trail detour via Wilderness Trail (193) has been reverted back to normal and the Rat Lake Loop (191) is back on the grooming schedule for the coming season. Many thanks to Robert and Ernie for getting the signage back in place. The spring thaw resulted in a major culvert washout along the Waterloo Loop (197). Without a fix in place, the club was faced with closing the Waterloo Loop this season. Thanks to the friendly folks in Deux Rivieres, the culvert has been replaced and we are ready to go, but not without cost of course. There is always a list of potential trail improvements on hand and the club attempts to tackle a few each year. Your permit dollars go a long way to running and maintaining the groomer fleet but there is seldom much left in the piggy bank for trail improvements after the fuel is paid for. These trail improvements would not be possible without your generous support throughout our club fundraising efforts. Every fall brings with it the need to inspect our bridges to make sure they will continue to safely support our groomers, drags, and the many sleds which cross them each season. Thanks to Ernie for inspecting our bridges this fall. The only bridge requiring immediate attention was our Heney Creek bridge, where the grade for the approach path on each end needed restoration. The Renfrew County purchase of the CN rail bed presented an opportunity for the club to bypass a troubled piece of A-trail on the east side of Stonecliffe. The trail known as Happy s Way has been traditionally difficult to groom due to it s curvy nature and water flow issues. The highway crossing at the cemetery was far from ideal with the steep bank on the north side of the highway and the need in recent years to groom around the helicopter landing pad in the town of Stonecliffe has made this section of trail harder to maintain. An application was made to Renfrew County to use a 2.4km section of rail bed between Pine Valley Road and Yates Road in Stonecliffe. Once the formalities were in place, a local contractor was hired to grade the rail bed to groomer width and a new trail was born! The TOP-A will now cross the highway at Pine Valley Road and run this new section of trail into/out of the town of Stonecliffe. Many thanks to Pat for spearheading this effort and Jim for making sure the paperwork landed on the proper county desk. Last but not least on our fall roundup is getting the trails brushed with our mechanical brusher. The club decided to rent a tractor again this fall to pull the brusher through the trails ahead of the busy packing and grooming period in January. The club also had a custom 3-pt hitch made for the brusher which will give it more freedom of movement over the supplied Sur-Trac style hitch. The brusher does a fabulous job and is a key piece of equipment in building great trails along our many heavily forested sections. But due to the nature of the beast, this powerful unit also needs people and money each year to make it go. Thanks to Brent for the many hours he donates to this exercise.
NEWSLETTER TITLE PAGE 6 WINTER IS COMING With the imminent arrival of this year s sledding season it is prudent to discuss trail safety, trail etiquette, and common sense. Trail groomers and what to do when meeting or catching up to them: When meeting the groomer be aware that it cannot venture off the groomed trail in order to let you by as this would most likely cause the groomer to get stuck. Groomer operators are instructed to stop when it is safe to do so in order to allow snowmobiles to travel around them, stop and watch for hand signals from the groomer operator. When catching up to the groomer the same applies, the groomer operator will stop as soon as possible (be aware that on a hill the groomer will not stop until the hill is crested). Once the groomer has stopped watch for hand signals from the groomer operator. When travelling on fresh groomed trails that have not set (still soft) please do not spin the track or drive aggressively so the least amount of damage is done to the fresh groomed trail. One inconsiderate driver can ruin a full nights grooming and waste hundreds of dollars worth of fuel with one pass, not to mention ruining the trail until the next scheduled grooming. Be aware that although most grooming is done after 4pm, early season trail packing, heavy snowfalls, or preparation for poker runs and other events might mean the groomers are out at all hours. Trail safety and etiquette: Would you drive your car down the centerline of the highway? Not likely, yet the majority of sledders seem to think it is OK to drive down the center of the trail. You need to think of the trail as a two-lane highway and that you should always be to the right of center, even on corners. If you can't negotiate the corners by staying to the right of center you are probably travelling too fast. Any groomed trail is wide enough for two lane traffic if everyone travels where they are supposed to be. Do you know trail hogs? These are the sledders who drive the center of the trail, usually at slower speeds either single sleds or in groups of two sleds or more, oblivious to anyone behind them and sometimes they refuse to let overtaking sleds pass them. Whether by design or forgetting to check their mirrors there is no way to get by them as they seem to zigzag whenever a passing opportunity presents itself. If someone has caught up to you on the trail it means they are travelling at a faster rate of speed. GOOD trail etiquette requires that you move as far over to the right as possible while staying on the groomed portion of the trail so as to allow them to pass, slowing down or even stopping for a second would help as would a hand signal indicating you know they are there and it is safe to pass. It only takes a few seconds to pass a sled doing 40 km/h and very little distance. Ignoring someone behind you that is trying to pass could lead to frustration for that driver and he may attempt to pass when it is unsafe to do so which could lead to an accident. Do not try to cut off a driver that is attempting to pass you and yes it happens, would you do that on a highway? What are you thinking? I have seen a number of close calls, snowmobile vs groomer and snowmobile vs snowmobile that would not have happened if the drivers were on their own side of the trail and had a little consideration for the other folks using the trails. Just like the highway, people will drive at different speeds and it is up to each of us to make everyone's experience on the trails safe. Hopefully this will make all of us a little more conscious of our behaviors and I hope everyone has a safe, enjoyable riding season. Ernie
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION (OR INACTION?). PAGE 7
THE LINK NEWSLETTER PAGE 8 YOUR CLUB EXECUTIVE & VOLUNTEERS President Brent Allen 613-586-2621 District Representative Marlene Gibson 613-586-2761 Vice President Doug Antler 705-747-0851 Secretary Marlene Gibson 613-586-2761 Treasurer Todd Dowser 613-586-1900 ORS Coordinator Chris Dowser 613-586-1900 Signage Coordinator Chris Dowser 613-586-1900 Trail Coordinator Chris Dowser 613-586-1900 Response Coordinator Chris Dowser 613-586-1900 Inspection Coordinator Doug Antler 705-747-0851 Volunteer Coordinator Pat McGurran & Doug A. 613-253-0351 Permit Coordinator Todd Dowser 613-586-1900 Grooming Coordinator West Doug Antler 705-747-0851 Grooming Coordinator East Chris Dowser 613-586-2621 Landowner Coordinator Doug Antler & Pat M. 705-747-0851 Trail Patrol Coordinator Jim Watters 613-586-2691 Trail Patrol Person Jim Watters 613-586-2691 Trail Patrol Person Robert Gervais 613-584-9756 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Editor and Chief Whip: Todd Dowser Thanks to our Contributing Writers: Doug Antler Pat McGurran Brent Allen Chris Dowser Ernie Villeneuve Marlene Gibson If you have any stories or ideas for future editions of The Link, please forward them to dowser@morningmistresort.ca