The Maine Snowmobile Association has been an active and involved part of the Maine outdoors since 1968. From an initial organizational meeting of six dedicated snowmobilers, the MSA has grown to include approximately 30,000 snowmobilers (and friends) across the state and beyond its borders. Club members throughout Maine work locally, regionally and at the state level to promote snowmobiling in Maine as a safe, fun, family oriented winter sport.
Members of local clubs accept the responsibility for much of the trail clearing, bridge building, maintenance, signing and grooming that keep the Maine trail system open.
One of the clubs' most important duties is obtaining landowner permission for access, and maintaining contact with the generous people who allow snowmobile trails to cross their property. Over 2000 MSA business members support the trails effort through their membership in the clubs.
Each of the 285+ clubs of the association is entitled to representation on the MSA Board of Directors, which meets six times each year. Director representation is based on membership - every club is entitled to one director - clubs with more than 50 members have two directors, over 100 members have three directors, and so on. During the 2007-2008 season, there were over 500 MSA club directors and alternates eligible to vote at the monthly Directors meetings. The Officers of the Association are elected by the Directors each year at the MSA Annual Meeting.
The state organization has a fulltime office staff, including a lobbyist, based in the state capital of Augusta. Services include: assisting members with snowmobiling concerns; representing the Association before the media, Maine legislature, state agencies and our Congressional delegation; producing a newspaper (The Maine Snowmobiler), this web site, an annual tourism publication (the 'Snowmobile Maine Guide'), safety publications and the annual map of the Interconnected Trail System; producing and distributing membership materials and maintaining membership databases. The association also distributes information and action alerts to members through an extensive email alert system. The MSA is represented by staff and volunteers on numerous formal and informal groups and organizations involved in landowner and access issues, recreation, tourism and legislative concerns. The MSA produces the annual Maine Snowmobile Show, held the first full weekend in October at the Augusta Civic Center.
Many clubs are involved in charitable work, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars each year towards donations and scholarships and donating many man-hours to the work and events of charitable organizations. The MSA Scholarship Fund, Inc., a separate but closely allied organization, has awarded tens of thousands of dollars in assistance to Association member students pursuing higher education.
The MSA offices are located at 7 Noyes Place in Augusta, Maine. Drop by, or write us at PO Box 80, Augusta, Maine 04332, call (207)622-6983, Fax (207)622-7669, or drop an E-mail.