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It was a Winter Wonderland in the GNW last week. Very active Dee-ya Yhaaad behind the Pittsburg school - always plenty of critters to see.

While searching for the manual for some garden equipment I came across a few sled owners' manuals that might interest the vintage riders out there. 1972 Ski-Doo T'NT (292,340,440,640,775) *** Gone*** 1977 Polaris TX (250, 340, 440) ***Gone*** 1987 Yamaha EX570L 1990 Polaris Indy (400, 500, 650, 500 SP) Send me a message, with a mailing address, if you'd like one of these. BTW: In a time of 100+ hp sleds it's interesting that the 1972 Ski-Doo T'NT 775 made 52 hp, and was considered fast.

Jeff Not to point out the painfully obvious but we had no one to update the website about this news, since that is the job of the executive director. Trust me once we get the train back on the tracks I'm sure we'll see a lot of positive changes. Maybe as members you all could put together a punch list of things you'd like to see updated , changed or even continued as is. Let me know your thoughts and I'll bring it to the board.

This email to the clubs is another example of the NHSA seeing their "membership" as being the clubs, rather than those folks who paid their $10. At some point they might realize that $30 times 115 clubs is only about $3500, but $10 times 30,000 is $300,000. The NHSA depends on the clubs to deliver those $10 payments, and what happens if the clubs no longer deliver them? Maybe they will put the NHSA financials up on their website so we can all look at them, and decide if their services are worth the money.

Young moose chowing down on a sapling near Coleman SP last week

Here's one from Quebec.

Cabal: the contrived schemes of a group of persons secretly united in a plot Well, Skip, if secrecy was a primary goal of the alleged plotters, then they shouldn't be sitting together at the same table during meetings .I've seen enough James Bond movies to know at least the basics of plotting, which requires covert communication methods like secret handshakes, codes, and invisible ink.

I think we need Skip to come back and be the umpire in this game.

Here's a nice pic from this winter. Percy Peaks taken from the back country.

Well said Jeff. His biggest impediment will be reigning in the Past President cabal. My experience in Tilton convinced me that they were and still remain the biggest impediment to the Association operating legally and with the best interest of all members in mind.

I agree with you he can be a step in the right direction IF he is allowed to do anything without being under the thumb of those who are the problem. As far as updating facebook and web page. I posted a remark on Facebook and it was gone in a matter of minutes a few weeks ago. Their are pictures of the FU2 cruise on there too. So it looks like they have someone who has been running page so no excuse not to put info out on it. With a few County Directors who are on facebook that react when anything is posted they could have put the info out as well. One being a Past President who was on hiring committee. Improvements can only be made if the cronyism ends and it is allowed happen. I do hope there are many improvements starting with communication. God only knows of the abuse you and Don take in our county for not having any info. As far as my thoughts they will never be considered. I post actual court documents and am accused of making up lies about it. Until the Cronies are gone nothing will change.LOL! Same goes for Registration increase push. I post the copy of letter and get called a liar, shit stirrer, and that it never happened. Even though we all know it did get presented and a committee was formed. You commented on what transpired at meeting, yet a 2-County Director's and a Past President denies all of it. Who really are the liars would be my question.

Yeah, I knew that 30K didn't represent either this year or last year, but wanted to use a number more close to what has been "normal." Still, at $10/member it only takes 400 individual members to equal the club membership dues.A sensible organization aligns its priorities with its revenue stream. In a previous post RK-SXViper asked for suggestions to improve the NHSA-members relationship, and I'd say that improving direct communications between NHSA and the individual members should be a priority. Right now, the NHSA depends on the clubs to communicate NHSA news to the members, and there's little consistency between clubs.Some ague that the individual should regularly attend club meetings to discuss NHSA policies and events happening in the sport, but not everybody wants to attend club meetings.It's not the regular meeting attendees and club officers that need to be re-connected to the NHSA, it's the people that aren't active in a club.That connection is the source of the annual $10 revenue to NHSA. It seems to me that the NHSA's faith in the clubs' communication lines to the membership is misplaced. Off topic but connected: There are somewhat over 100 snowmobile clubs in our state, and in a good year there could be close to 40,000 club members.How many of those members are "active members" who attend at least 4 meetings per year? How many attend at least 2 per year, or even 1 per year?

As others have already noted, this gentlemen definitely has the credentials and experience to move the Association in a direction that some of us critics would appreciate. I will definitely cut him some slack and give him the time to hopefully address long standing concerns that have simmered for years. At first blush appears to be a sound and competent choice!

Last Wednesday... note the snowmobiles... in June ! https://youtu.be/gbHhNxjXQqk

Winnocturn, I deleted the duplicate post before John saw your request. It's all good....... path finder#6

I'd second that motion!

Is the Shit that is being splattered because some are so old they forget to wear their Depends? Or is it because the septic tank is overfull with some big turds or hasbeens that just keep resurfacing? I think the official scorecard reads as follows for the last fiscal year: 1) Executive Director resigns 2) Dealer Director resigns after being escorted off Grass-drags property by security/and or police. 3) Club has to hire Lawyer to defend itself from being thrown out of Association because they do not want to be a part of Online Membership Scam any longer. 4) Another club attempts to cut its ties with the Online Membership Scam. Put on notice that action to remove them from Association will be forth coming 5) 4 Complaints to Consumer Affairs officials at Attorney Generals Office resulting in item 3 & 4 being tabled for time being. 6) Club that bought space at Grass Drags shows up at event and are barred from entry unless they are made to violate their own bylaws and force any member to join Association if they buy a club membership at that event.The clubs bylaws and membership program allow an individual to make their own decision on whether they want to join the Association. 7) Hire lawyer to try and get a legal reading of issues regarding membership program. Instead decides to authorize expenditure of up to $15,000.00. The lawyer then files suit against the State of New Hampshire and the Attorney General. 8)Executive Director quits with a week notice. 9) Office personnel quits 10) Vice President resigns with no notice and the Board only hears crickets instead of being put on notice about what happened. 11) Association loses Lawsuit against Attorney General 12) County Director quits 13) One of the Hasbeens signs $325,000.00 contract with landlord without vote of the Board as required by the bylaws. 14) Executive Officers hire new office staff member without vote of the Board as per Bylaws. 15) Executive Officers hire new Executive Director (3rd in less than 9 months) without vote of the Board 16) New Hasbeen elected to Board after calling two Executive Officers and leaving in- appropriate and threatening messages to file complaint with AG or Sec. States Office on their answering machines. 17) Voting on a Rules of Business change to circumvent the bylaws. 18) Treasurer quits as a result of the Hasbeens nasty phone call and subsequent heated exchange at this weeks Board meeting. Very professional considering the new Office Staff members young child was in the room for this performance. 19)One of the Hasbeen's is nominated to become Vice President. Other hasbeens speak up against her and then stop all voting because person not present. Concern over that the Board is appointing the new Vice President and that appointee will be the next President when the sitting Presidents final term in 2019 expires. With the Bylaws not allowing many people to meet eligibility terms, the pool of viable candidates is very small to begin with. My prediction is that a different hasbeen will be appointed to be VP and then become President again when the time comes up. And another hasbeen will become appointed the replacement Treasurer. I know that baseball was brought up so the ironic thing is, that in the suit filed the, Association thinks they should be treated like Major League baseball. They feel the Sherman Act and Anti Trust laws do not apply to them. Guess what they were wrong and the Judge showed them that. They failed to file an Appeal of the Judges decision in the required time-frame so the ruling stays. This scorecard is so long it must have been a double header. I think this will give you an overview of the sporting season. Just think a new starts on July 1st. What type of shenanigans will come next?? The abutting states must be loving this. More people will just say the hell with this foolishness and ride there. Very sad for a sport that is in dire need of help and support to survive in a tough economy. I wonder how the New Executive Director feels about his viewing of this performance on Tuesday night. Must have been wondering what the hell he is getting into. Hope he didn't sell his house in Mass yet.

I didn't know that the NHSA had an army. It's almost always an army colonel that pulls this off, and it doesn't end well for El Presidente, or for the colonel. A coup d'etat implies the overthrow of the existing government by elements of that same government. So, how do we tell the players without a scorecard. I'm confused. What happened at the NHSA meeting? What officer left? Who needs to go away and stay away? What was the agenda item that provoked all this turmoil? Not saying that these "inside baseball" discussions aren't helpful to some, but for those on the outside all they might get is confusion. What happened?

The Grass drags needs to turn back into a true fundraiser for the clubs and not a fundraiser for NHSA. Currently the clubs are secondary and they need to be primary again. One issue at a time please.

Going to a board meeting reminds me of one of those Gallager shows (sledge o-matic), I need to wear a poncho and bring a tarp so I don't get splattered by the pu pu. On a serious note if things don't get rectified Rockingham county might have NO representation as I won't put up with the crap. Certain people need to just go away and stay away!

I don't know what will happen with this whole investigation/lawsuit thing, probably more than some people would want, and less than some people think we need, but I do know that we're only 90 days away from the time we should be thinking about sled registrations and club memberships. I do hope that the clubs are prepared to process any early registrations and club memberships, and that they're ready to put those funds to work. Next winter's weather is unknowable, but to have a good winter, and have insufficient funds at the club level to take advantage, would be frustrating. If you're anti-NHSA you have the ability to dedicate your club membership and registration discount money to any club that offers the option of not joining NHSA, and that decision to not join NHSA is a powerful message. (Money talks, BS walks) I believe that this option will continue, although recent changes in the ATV/OHRV membership/registration process are concerning.I don't see how the state can have different rules around two classes of recreational vehicle registrations.

I wonder if the discussion will lead down the path, of why the NHSA failed to file an appeal of the loss of their suit/injunction to the Attorney General, at tonight's Board meeting in Tilton. Should give the new Executive Director a warm fuzzy feeling listening to the excuses given. I guess that the "facts" came out and the Association is not all that protected by the law like they thought they were. All of the statements by Executive Officers about how they would be victorious or were they all just pipe dreams? We had heard at Meetings that the Association was going to file an appeal. Heard that it was voted on to do so. Wonder what happened to following the wishes of the majority? Wonder if the lawyer got paid? Maybe he didn't and that is the reason for failing to file the appeal before the deadline. Could be that the "Leadership" has heard some talk around the water-cooler about maybe they are in some deep shit with the AG's office now that they have pissed in their Cheerios with the suit. I could be wrong about all of it. The sound of the singing of Koom by Ya will drown out any questions tonight. No questions heard may mean no lies will be told. Maybe we will have some info posted tomorrow of what transpired tonight at the meeting of the minds?

Was approved (Route 16). This one was controversial due to its being right over a major aquifer and them having a contamination problem due to a prior business on the same location. Should have provided this additional info up front. There are other stations in the general area.

Actually NHOHVA recognized this problem and was proactive in changing their bylaws earlier this year to clarify this issue. The clubs pay a fee to NHOHVA based on the number of members that join the clubs. The fee is determined each year by taking NHOHVA's budget as approved by the clubs and dividing that by how many members are joining clubs. The fee is capped at $10/member but it can go down as the total number of club members increases. An ATV rider can get the discount (starting Jan 1st, 2018) by joining a club. The rider also can make the choice to join NHOHVA. For example, our club has a checkbox on our membership form that says "Join NHOHVA? (It's free)" and we have a link to explain what NHOHVA does. Almost all of the members that have joined our club have also checked the box to join NHOHVA. The law says you cannot force someone to join an organization so it must be the riders choice to join a club and also to join NHOHVA.

I found this particular line interesting, and I agree with the concept. I hope that the Association can do a better job of earning our support, and showing us all what they are doing to 'enhance and maintain' the sport in the coming years.

Please take a moment this weekend to remember and pay tribute to all those who have fallen defending our great country. Thanks goes out to all who proudly serve. I am very proud of my Grand daughter who went into a Construction Unit of the US Army as a Heavy Equipment Operator, back in August. We are very proud of her making a 6 year commitment to serve our great country. Many of my friends on this forum probably remember riding sleds with her and me through the years. I know John (CKF) spent many hours around her. Dirt Dummy as well. Lots of time at watercross races at Lakeshore farm

Well, George, it's not clear to me that the "SAM message" of mandatory membership in the the state organization in order to join a local club was all that popular among some reluctant NHSA members. I do believe in giving the new guy a chance to show what he/she can accomplish before making a judgement, but coming in with a top-down view of the NHSA's role could make for some bumps in the trail as some of the clubs have become quite feisty. Maybe best to give it a year to see how it all works out.

You know,it's funny I went a few rounds on Facebook with some dribble lip telling me that was "fake" news,from 2007,then last years,blah blah blah,all fake He came off as mentally unstable and a little unhinged so I didn't pursue it with him. He must have been one of the cabal.

If I'm catching your drift correctly, you're saying they're only secret when it counts.

Goldfinger comes to mind. They give the Goldfinger to the membership once they get the $10.00 from them.Dr. No comes to mind also. When any club needs a little financial support DR. No says NO!

I think George is meaning about if people who don't want to join NHSA the club cannot use club portal.Coupled with all of the issues with Portal being down at many times most clubs have been untrustworthy of it. I know when some clubs tried to take 2015 year member info to repopulate for 2016 it was no where to be found.My club could not even access the portal until the fall of last season. When your bylaws say all Officers must be member by July first how do you renew them when system is down until August? It is down currently if I an to understand correctly. Has been since May 1st. "Supposed" to back up in July sometime. Russ can you tell me the number of people who joined thru the Point of Sale Portal this past season? All I have heard is that any club that relied on that method vs. the old methods (dealer, website, meetings, special event, mailings) took a beating. Rumor has it 20+ more clubs are bailing on that system. What is the cost of the system now that the $2.00 surcharge from using POS system has failed to offset operating cost of system? I know Phyllis was the saving grace in the office helping membership people resolve all of the problems. When Roger came to county meeting he promised a big savings of Association cost of processing the memberships. Supposed to make it easier for clubs as well. Thank you in advance for any response that you may be able to give us on here.

Skip, Past President CABAL Don't you just get that "ICKY" feeling when you go to the ANNUAL Meeting and see the one table with them all sitting together!

Here is what I see on their website right now and yesterday when I made my post.Says they are taking resumes and nothing regarding position filled. I will assume your post was a copy of email sent to club? New Hampshire Snowmobile Association.pdf

It sounds almost to GOOD to be TRUE! Has he been introduced to the Attorneys General yet? Have the Officers and Directors finally had a COME TO JESUS MOMENT?

Sounds like this guy has the right credentials, with experience and a focus on social media. I think this is good news.

John, This year the $10 times "X" was way under the $300,000 figure. It was just under 19,000 Members witch would have only generated $190,000. What happens if the clubs no longer deliver them? It is already happening. This Season, 2016-2017, More Clubs were offering the "OPTION" to join or NOT join NHSA. I know of several Club that had good Membership numbers this Season but with the "CHOICE" of not joining NHSA, there seems to be a significant number of Members that did not joined NHSA. Is this the start of a "TREND"? I am going to petition my Club to Offer the "CHOICE" of Joining or Not Joining NHSA on our Club Application this upcoming Season. Part of my reason for doing this is for the Membership Person having to maintain 2 Membership Database, the Club and NHSA with the advent of the ONLINE Memberships Database. Before it was just the NHSA Database and we had the ability of simply sending an Excel Spreadsheet to NHSA and they would upload it to their Database. Now we have to MANUALY enter it in to the "ONLINE MEMBERSHIP" Database. Can you imagine the "HOURS" in additional WORK this puts on your Membership Person. What if you had say between 800 to 3,000 Membership to process twice? Here is an example, say it the first week in February. We just have gotten 2 feet of Snow, It's a Holiday Weekend and start of School Vacation Week and you just got hit with 300 Membership Applications to process. Which Database comes first? Yes, The CLUB COMES FIRST and the "HELL" with NHSA!