RICE LAKE SNOWDRIFTERS ANNUAL NEWSLETTER – OCTOBER, 2022

Hello Everyone,
Once again it is time to turn our thoughts to snowmobiling and the hope for snow. Our Board of Directors and volunteers are beginning work on the trails to provide you with the opportunity to ride the best trails in our area. Trail maintenance, brushing, signage etc. must occur before snowfall so we are ready. As always, more volunteers mean we can open trails more quickly. We need volunteers. We are only a small group of people and in order to provide the best trails we can we need people to step forth and help. Even if you can only spare a few hours we could use you. Please contact any member of the Board of Directors (listed below) to find out how you can help. We are looking forward to seeing you on the trails this season.

Please read further for more details about what the OFSC, District 3 and the Rice Lake Snow Drifters are up to.

The Rice Lake Snow Drifters are a member of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs and District 3.
Information about us and our trails can be found at ricelakesnowdrifters.com, district3ofsc.ca or ofsc.on.ca

A message from the Board of Directors of the Rice Lake Snow Drifters.

To our landowners, club volunteers, and fellow snowmobilers,

With our 2022/23 season fast approaching, our volunteers will soon be brushing trails, placing field stakes, and affixing signage on our 130 km of local trails. We wish to thank our hard-working volunteers and our landowners for a successful last season. Provincial permit sales were the highest in recent memory, and this revenue fuels our grooming fleet, maintains bridges, and trail signage.

A few points that describe how our local efforts scale up provincially:
· In Ontario, volunteers and non-profit clubs maintain a snowmobile trail network of 30,000 km.
· The trail network provides access to rural communities and services, connections to neighbouring regions, and up to $3.3 billion in economic activity each year.
· Thanks to 18,000 generous landowners, the vast majority of snowmobile trails cross private property in southern Ontario.
· Snowmobile trails on private property are a privilege that volunteers and clubs work hard to maintain:
          · Snowmobile clubs and landowners enter into a land-use agreement and are covered by comprehensive liability insurance.
          · Ontario law requires snowmobilers to purchase permits. The funds are used to build and maintain the trails.
          · Snowmobile clubs maintain a sophisticated trail status system to close trails if poor conditions will cause damage to property.
          · Snowmobile clubs pay farmers for crop damage beneath trails.
          · Snowmobilers are asked to comply with a rider code of conduct which emphasizes staying on marked trails and obeying signage.

As a non-profit organization with finite volunteer time and resources, we are beholden to our over one hundred landowners as we cannot compensate them enough for their generosity.

Please honour the efforts of your club volunteers by riding the trails responsibly and respectfully this year. Be a good trail ambassador and deliver a wave and a thank you to our much-appreciated landowners.

Yours on the Snow,
The Rice Lake Snow Drifters team at 705-295-SNOW (7669)

It's BACK!

The much enjoyed Elimination Draw is back.
We are so pleased to gather together again and hope you will support this fundraiser again this year.

Elmhirst Resort – Saturday, October 29th, 2022
6–7 pm-Social Hour, 7 pm Roast Beef Dinner
Tickets $100 each. Must have the stub to attend the dinner.

Prizes include: $100 for the 1st, 50th, 100th and $150th ticket drawn
$200 for the 198th ticket drawn, $300 for the 199th ticket drawn
$6500 grand prize for the 200th ticket drawn
Many raffle prizes to win as well
You do not have to attend to win but it’s certainly more fun if you do.

You can get your ticket from any of the following people:
Nathan Jackson 705-872-1353
Kevin or Julie English 705-696-2009
Larry Stewart 905-767-7741
Doug or Sherri Luff 705-295-4321
Donna Atkinson 705-295-4833
Jeannine or Fred Stillman 705-295-4538

Get Your Permit Early to Save

Permits are available for sale on Saturday, October 1st online at ofsc.on.ca.

Seasonal Permits:
Until November 1st - $200 plus $7.50 processing fee
November 2nd – December 1st - $230 plus processing fee
December 2nd on - $280 plus processing fee

Classic Permits (1999 and older):
Until December 1st - $160 plus $7.50 processing fee
December 2nd on - $190 plus $7.50 processing fee

Multi Day Permits (2 consecutive days minimum)
$45 per day

GIFT CARDS ARE AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 1, 2022

Please choose RICE LAKE SNOW DRIFTERS as your club to support. A portion of your permit dollars comes back to our District to support trails in this area.

PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL NOT BE A TRY OUR TRAILS FOR FREE THIS SEASON.

It is imperative that if you ride the trails you have a permit. The OPP and Trail Patrol will be out on the trails ensuring that this occurs. So much of our ability to work on the trails, groom the trails and provide safe and rideable trails depends on permits being bought. Without permits there is no revenue to complete this work which means trails will close. Thank you in advance for buying your permit.


Landowners

Without them we have very few trails. Your cooperation is essential if you enjoy riding a variety of trails in any area of Ontario especially ours.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE:

Stay on the trail – driving over a farmer’s field may damage crops that have been planted already (yes this happens) or damage a field that is ready for spring planting. It looks like fun to you to whip around the field but to the farmer it could mean they withdraw their permission to ride through their property

Leave gates and fences alone. If a gate is closed or a fence is up it is for a reason

Leave tracks not trash

Avoid farm animals and pets that may be along the trail

Do not four wheel, ATV or dirt bike on trails. You have no permission to do this. Our land use agreements with landowners are for snowmobiling only. Plus four wheelers, ATV’s and dirt bikes wreck the trail. If you are seen on the trail the OPP will be alerted.

Check the Interactive Trail Guide at ofsc.on.ca to ensure the trail is open. Just because there is snow does not mean a trail is ready or a landowner has allowed us to open the trail yet.

We are very thankful for our 100 + landowners.
Please show RESPECT for their land.


Volunteers are Needed BADLY

We are a dedicated group of snowmobile enthusiasts but our number of volunteers are dwindling. Please know that we will do the best we can but the trails can only be as good and ready as the number of volunteers we have. We could use people who would be able to put in signs along the trails, help with maintenance such as brushing back of trails, etc. It is important that you understand unless a trail is ready and has proper signage we cannot open it. So if you have any time that you could spare we would really appreciate your help. The more help we have the faster we can open trails for everyone’s enjoyment. As well we could use more people on our Board of Directors that make the decisions on the permit holders’ behalf. Please consider attending one of our meetings.

Please contact Nathan Jackson 705-872-1353 of Kevin English 705-696-2009 if you can help

DRIVER TRAINING

Registration Available Now For Students 12 Years and Older Online Driver Training

Between the ages of 12 and 15? Over the age of 15 and do not possess a valid Ontario Driver’s License?

Then you need to successfully complete an Ontario-approved Snowmobile Safety Course before riding on public lands. SNOWMOBILEcourse.com is a delegated provider for the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs. Visit ofsc.on.ca/drivertraining

Meetings – Everyone welcome to attend

Our meetings are held at Glen Isle Business Offices, 15 McCallum Pt, Keene, Ontario beginning at 7 pm. We are always looking for new ideas and creative people to assist us.

Our regularly scheduled meetings are:

Monday, October 17th
Monday, November 21st (AGM)
Monday, December 19th
Monday, January 16th
Monday, March 20th
Monday, April 17th

Rice Lake Snow Drifters Board of Directors

Nathan Jackson
Nathan Jackson
PRESIDENT
705-872-1353
(also groomer coordinator and our representative on the District 3 Board of Directors)
Kevin English
Kevin English
Vice President
705-696-2009
(also groomer coordinator)
Larry Stewart
Larry Stewart
2nd Vice President
Doug Luff
Doug Luff
Treasurer
705-295-4321
Sherri Luff
Sherri Luff
Secretary
705-295-4321
Julie English
Julie English
Executive Director
Nick Crowder
Nick Crowder
Director
Donna Atkinson
Donna Atkinson
Promotions
Ken Edwards
Ken Edwards
Inspection of Trails Coordinator - Southern
Dean Crowder
Dean Crowder
Inspection of Trails Coordinator - Northern
Contact Us
CONTACT US
All of these people can be contacted on the snow line (705-295-SNOW (7669)) or by email:  ricelakesnowdriftersd3
@gmail.com
Safety First

Safety

Safety is huge in our sport. If you see any issues on our trails that require our immediate attention please contact us. We would like to know if trail maintenance is required, signs are missing or if in general there is a problem. We would also like to hear of erratic drivers or if you see 4 wheelers, ATVs or dirt bikes on our trail. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure others safety. Please obey the speed limit of 50 km per hour and DO NOT CONSUME ALCOHOL OR DRUGS when DRIVING!!!!

Call us at 705-295-7669, email us at ricelakesnowdriftersd3@gmail.com or call Kevin English at 705-639-2009 or Nathan Jackson at 705-872-1353

Please visit our website at ricelakesnowdrifters.com or ofsc.on.ca for more information on Safety.

We are hiring groomer operators!

- Night-time grooming operations November 2022 to March 2023.
- Heavy equipment experience necessary, with training for snow grooming provided.
- Part-time hours, weather-dependent, in new and comfortable equipment.
Please call Nathan Jackson at 705 872 1353 to inquire.

Did You Know?

The OFSC, District 3 and Rice Lake Snow Drifters believe WE ARE ONE. This means that we are all in this together for the enjoyment and safety of our riders.

With common goals, practices, policies and procedures we can provide snowmobilers with a great experience.

OFSC trails and permit buyers generate 3.3 billion dollars in economic activity in the winter months.

The OFSC has a fleet of 300 industrial groomers

There are 18000 private landowners that allow snowmobilers across their property.

There are 30 000 kilometres of trail in Ontario

The OFSC website has over 1.5 million views per year.

The Interactive Trail Guide or ITG is your up to date resource for what trails are open (green), limited (yellow or caution) or closed (red). Riding on trails not open or RED is dangerous and you will not be covered by insurance. Red means the trail is not safe to be open.

There will be no Try Our Trails this year.

You can buy a special events permit for riding in an event that a local club is doing. These are available online only.

Trail Patrollers do have the right to stop you as they are the agent for the landowner who we have a land use agreement with. They can ask you for your information which can be reported to the police. If you are riding without a permit you are trespassing.

© Copyright 2020 -  Rice Lake Snow Drifters - All Rights Reserved
Site by Grace Godfrey-Reid