November Membership Meeting: On Thursday night, November 17^th the membership meeting was held at the Greene Township Building. There were only 7 members and 7 Board members in attendance. We had a visit by Liz Krug, the current PSSA President. She talked about some of the things happening in the PSSA and mentioned that there is some talk of PA increasing registration fees, with some of the funds going to the clubs.

It was reported that our new Swisher Brush Mower was ordered and came in. We also obtained 100 new steel stakes and discussed purchasing 100 wooden stakes and getting groomer oils and filters.

We also discussed our upcoming Christmas celebration meeting and the following important dates:

December 15^th 2011 – Wales Sno-Drifters membership Christmas celebration meeting

December 17^th, 2011 – Snowmobile Safety class at the township building

January 15^th 2012 – PA Gamelands trail opens with snow

January 28^th 2012 – Wales Sno-Drifters’ Poker Run with snow (Take note that this is a new date)

Charity Drive: The first collection for the area food pantry was taken at the November meeting. Those present donated $48.00 for the Greene Township Food Pantry. We will be taking donations again at the December and January meetings. Your donations will enable the food pantry to buy $34 of food with each $1 donated. After all donations are collected, the club will add its contribution to the membership gifts and the total will be submitted for matching gifts and presented to the food pantry.

If you don’t think you will be able to attend the meetings but would like to donate, you can mail your donation to; Wales Sno-Drifters, Inc., PO Box 11283, Erie, PA. 16514.

Acknowledgements: Again this year, Off Road Express has generously agreed to underwrite a portion of our trail grooming cost. Their contributions go toward fuel for our grooming activities. When you are at Off Road, remember to tell them Thanks! If you are looking for a sled, keep in mind that Off Road has a large selection of late models sleds priced to sell – all makes and models. Check them out!

Trail Work: We met at our storage barn on 11/19 and 11/20 to place the trail signs last month. It was perfect weather for the work, but we had fewer helpers turn out this year than last year and everyone worked hard to get the trails ready.

All trails other than the Game Lands will open, with sufficient snow and landowner permission, after hunting season ends on Dec. 11^th. Please do not ride the trails until they are open. As mentioned above, snowmobile riding in the Game Lands is not permitted this season until January 15^th, 2012.

Snowmobile Safety Class: Member Jim Johnson is holding a Snowmobile Safety Class for those riders aged 10-15 on Saturday, December 17^th at the Township building on Tate road. The hours are 9AM-5PM and lunch is provided. There is NO COST and parents do not need to stay for the class. Some insurance companies provide a discount if a safety class is taken. Please call Jim at 825-9501 for details and signup.

Membership: This year’s membership drive is now over. To date, 54 members have renewed and 3 new members have joined. Thank you very much for your support. It would be great if we could get all of our 123 members from last season to return this season. If you know anyone that has not renewed, gently remind them it is not too late, but after November they will no longer be receiving the newsletter or be considered a member.

So far 51 (86%) of our 2011-2012 members have provided their email addresses for club correspondence. This saves the club over $22 every mailing; monies that can be used on trail improvements! Thanks! If you receive your club info by regular mail and have an email account, please consider sharing it with us to reduce our postage costs. Email your address to Tbowers3@roadrunner.com and I will add you to our list.

Poker Run: Keep Saturday, January 28^th 2012 in mind for our Poker Run. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will have plenty of snow like last year, but if there is no snow that day, we will try again on 2/4/2012.

For more safety tips, visit snowmobilers.org.

Don’t drink & drive Ride defensively

Ride to the right Know and use hand signals

Ride at a reasonable speed Stay on the trail

Carry current registration & insurance Wear proper gear for safety & warmth

Pack a safety kit Be sure to check your sled’s fluid levels

Sunshine Person: Please note that Mary Ann Matasowski is our sunshine person. If any of our members have fallen ill, please contact Mary Ann at (814) 825-2067.

Upcoming Events:

• December 15, 2011– Wales membership meeting and Christmas party
• December 17, 2011– Snowmobile Safety class at the township building
• January 15, 2012 – State Game Land trails expected to open (with snow)
• January 26, 2012 – Wales membership meeting
• January 28, 2012 – Wales Poker Run (No snow date is 2/4/2012)
• February 23, 2012 – Wales membership meeting
• March 22, 2012 – Wales membership meeting
• April 26, 2012 – Wales membership meeting

Notice: Riding is not permitted in the Game Lands this season until January 15, 2012.

Once open, we caution everyone to ride only on the trail the Game Commission approves for us to follow through the Game Lands. Snowmobile trails are open in the Game Lands from the 3rd Sunday in January until April 1^st and only on marked trails for registered and insured snowmobiles.

Riding away from the designated trails and near winter habitats can cause undue stress or injury to wintering wildlife in the area – Please stay on the marked trails!

Next Meeting: The next general membership meeting will be held Thursday, December 15^th, at 8:00pm at the Greene Township Building. Please take note of the week earlier date due to the Holidays. Come join the meeting and help one another prepare for the Holidays and the upcoming riding season. The lack of significant snowfall so far may mean that it will come when the trails can be open.

Please plan to bring your favorite SNACK(s) to the December meeting to share, as our December meeting is our Christmas celebration meeting. The club will provide the beverages.

Please come and join us at the meeting.

T. Bowers