HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 5-5-2012 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

A moment of silence was held in memory of Connie Duke, active and loved MSA Life Member, wife of Jim Duke and mother of Karyn Hautamaki. Our prayers and best thoughts go out to Jim, Karyn and their families during this very difficult time.

MSA trail permit sales for last season appear to be 35% lower than last year. DNR trail permit sales are expected to be down by the same amount. The reduced sales will mean less dollars for trail maintenance and groomer replacements this upcoming year.

MSA has completed the move into the new office owed by MSEAF and the staff is working on unpacking and organization. Several people have stopped by to say hello. A donation of a front sign board and lettering was made by an MSA member. There are several maintenance projects still to be performed.

This year’s National Vintage Snowmobile show will be July 13-14 at St Ignace, Michigan which is the first time the show has been held in Michigan. MSA will have a full page ad in the show magazine. Over 300 Vintage Sleds are expected to be on display. The official trail dedication and ribbon cutting for the new NE State Trail will be June 23, 2012. Some of the local clubs and MSA will be present.

The 2012 Campout will be June 22-24 at Old Mill Creek east of Mackinaw City. There will be no organized golf this year, but there will be organized games for kids and adults alike. The Friday night Fish Fry and Saturday night meal, will be potlucks with sponsorships. The Sunday morning breakfast has been sponsored and will be cooked by the MSA officers. All campers must pre-register with the office to get the control number for the reduced camping rate. Please plan to come and enjoy the fun with fellow MSA members.

Attendance at the spring “Sneak Peak” Shows was way down. The average age of the attendees was close to 45, and those that did attend the shows were serious shoppers.

The 2012 Annual Convention and membership meeting will be October 26-28 at the Double Tree Resort in Bay City. The theme will be lumber Jack and Jill. The Friday night events will be hosted by MichCanSka and the Mid Michigan Snowmobile Council.

The 2012 MSA All Sport Show and Ams Oil Shoot Out will be September 21-22 at the Martin Speedway. This year the MSA tent will act as the entrance funnel and there will be some changes in the swap meet layout. Some vendors and manufacturers have already purchased their sites.

Bids for the 2013 Groomer Workshop will be going out soon, with chosen location hopefully announced at the July meeting.

Only 40 clubs submitted their 2011 Charity reports. A new method of collecting the information will be considered for the future.

MSA has ordered one “helmet cam” to be used for recording MSA events and rides and then posting on the web.

The SAW committee and several MSA members will be working on the snowmobile portion of the new Statewide Trail Plan. Any one with concerns, suggestions, or comments should contact MSA prior to the June Campout which is when the committee will start on formulating the plan.

Purchasing of non-new grooming equipment is being looked into due to the increased maintenance cost of existing equipment, and the large need of more and better equipment with less money available to buy the equipment.

2012 MSA Camp Out Returns to Mackinaw City

As the snowmobile season comes to a close, Michigan Snowmobile Association (MSA) members are reminded that snowmobilers know how to have fun all year long. It’s time to register for a great summer event – the MSA Camp Out.

This can’t- miss event offers something for the entire MSA family including kids’ games, swimming, great food and fun for everyone. This year’s event is set for June 22-24 at the Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping campground in Mackinaw City.

Campers are encouraged to bring a dish to pass for the Friday and Saturday night potluck dinners, which will run from 6-7 p.m. on both evenings. The North Side Snow Vets will be hosting dinner on Friday night frying up some tasty fish. The Seney Snowmobile Association and Fox River Motel will host dinner on Saturday night (Road Kill Stew is NOT on the menu).

Bonfires will be held both Friday and Saturday nights. Don’t forget your tales of fun on the trails and your lawn chairs – summertime campfires provide the best environment to exchange stories of good rides and great times. Don't forget to bring a package of plain donuts to roast over the fire along with your marshmallows.  YOU MAY NOT BRING YOUR OWN firewood into the park because of the Ash tree disease.

The fun continues on Saturday with a wide variety of kids’ games that are ideal for the children or grandchildren. The exact time for the games will be announced at the event.

Sunday morning the officers and the Alpine Snowmobile Club, Dubie Groomers, and the Michigan Snowmobiler Newspaper (Andy Twork) will be providing and cooking breakfast for all the campers.

Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping

A Great to Place for Fun!

Along with all of the scheduled MSA activities, Camp Out guests can enjoy facilities at Mackinaw Mill Creek including a heated swimming pool, one-mile of beautiful lake shoreline, a basketball court, two playgrounds, an arcade and Camp Store. There is also FREE mini golf. The Old Mill Creek State Historic Park is just down the road, featuring a zip line and rock climbing wall. The campground is located just five minutes from Fort Michilimackinac and the Mackinac Island ferry docks. It offers a beautiful view of the Mackinaw Bridge and Mackinac Island. The Car show in St Ignace is also going on all weekend.

MSA has negotiated a group rate for campers. Full hook-up campsites are $35 per night for up to three occupants and $2 per person beyond that. There are also cabins available.

ATVs and scooters are not allowed, but campers can bring their own golf cart as long as they register them with the campground office.

WE WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY ARE PARTICIPATING SO PLEASE CALL THE MSA OFFICE FOR A CONTROL # at (616) 361-2285 .

2012 Camp Out Details

Date: June 22-24, 2012

Location: Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping: 9730 U.S. 23, Mackinaw City,            (231) 436-5584      www.campmackinaw.com.

Campsite Fees: Full hookup: $35 a night for three occupants and $2 for each person more. There are also a limited number of cabins available.

What to Bring: Camping gear, a dish to pass for Friday and Saturday nights’ potluck dinners,  swimming suit and of course don’t forget your stories of past rides on Michigan trails.

WE HAVE MOVED!

Please note that we have moved to the south end of Grand Rapids to the suburb of Wyoming. The new address is;

Michigan Snowmobile Association

4543 S. Division Ave.

Wyoming, MI 49548

Highlights of 3-24-2012 MSA Board of Directors Meeting

There are 4 snowmobile related bills introduced in the House that are not receiving attention or any action.  Three other house bills and 2 Senate bills have had some movement or hearings.

• Seven MSA volunteers attended the March 5-10 Clean Snowmobile Challenge at Houghton, MI at no cost to MSA
• Approximately 100 MSA members attended the February 17-19, 2012 Ride-In at the Sault.  Bids were sent out for the 2013 Ride-In, and it will again be at the Kewadian Casino at the Sault.  Room rates will be lowered to $75 next year.
• The 2012 Campout will be June 22-24 at Old Mill Creek east of Mackinaw City.  There will be no organized golf this year, but there will be organized games for kids and adults alike.  Friday and Saturday night meals will be potlucks with sponsorships.  Sunday morning breakfast will be cooked by the MSA officers and a sponsor may be coming forward.  All campers must pre-register with the office to get the control number for the reduced camping rate.
• A motion was made and approved to reinstate the Life Membership option with an age based fee schedule and payment plan.  More details to follow.
• MSA published our own magazine for the 3^rd year.  Overall cost to MSA was less than $5000 which is 1/3^rd of what it used to cost. Due to poor economy, ad sales in the magazine were way down or the magazine would have paid for itself.  Options for future ad sales were discussed at the annual magazine review meeting with expectations of the magazine making a profit next year.  Marie needs stories and pictures for next year.
• The 2012 Annual Convention and membership meeting will be October 26-28 at the Double Tree Resort in Bay City.  Bids for the 2013 and 2014 conventions will be going out in late April.
• The 2012 MSA All Sport Show and Ams Oil Shoot Out will be September 21-22 at the Martin Speedway.  There will be layout changes for the vendors this year.  Letters are at the printers now which will be sent out soon to vendors and dealers.
• MSA hosted an Enlightment Ride on February 27^th and 28^th in the Christmas area for several top ranking DNR and Forest Service personal.  This important ride was very successful, and several new partnerships and contacts were made.
• Approximately 90 people from 19 different grooming groups attended the March 2-3, 2012 Groomer workshop in Ishpeming, MI.  There were 2 brush cutters, 8 different brands of groomers, and 5 different brands of drags available for demonstrations in the 22” of fresh snow.
• Four MSA members attended the annual Fly In at Washington D.C. on March 18-20 and met with 1 of our U.S. Senators and several of our U.S. Representatives.  They also attended the ACSA and Midwest Chapter meetings.
• The annual charity report forms have been sent out to all clubs, and are due back to Kaye Houk by April 23, 2012.  We need ALL clubs to report what they have done for others, as this useful information is used by the ISC and sled manufactures.
• Donations from wills and estates of deceased MSA members are being considered as a new way of planning our financial future.
• MSA has a new landlord!  MSEAF purchased a commercial office building in Wyoming, MI and MSA will be renting from that organization at a much lower rental rate.  MSA will be moved into the new building by May 1^st.  There is plenty of office space, a large conference room, and a 2 stall garage for “cold storage”.
• Draft #6 of the new sign manual was recommended for approval by the SAW committee on March 1^st and should be finalized soon.  Eleven existing signs will be removed from the trails including winding trail, narrow trail, 2-way trail, and chevrons.  CURVES will no longer be signed, just TURNS.  There will be 6 new or changed signs.  The 2012 sign order form is going out to the grant sponsors this week and is also available “on-line”.  The finalized sign manual should be “on-line” soon.
• Several MSA members will be attending the June 5-9 Congress at Sturbridge, MA.
• MSA will be buying a “helmet cam” to be used for recording MSA events and rides and then posting on the web.
• There seemed to be a lack of DNR law enforcement or presence in the western end of the UP this past season.  MSA will investigate and also ask the DNR for a state wide accounting report.  Snowmobile registration renewals were way down this year along with trail permit sales.
• All Michigan trail user groups will be creating their own trail network plans this year.  MSA directors, clubs, councils, and grant sponsors should all submit their ideas and thoughts to the MSA office prior to the June Campout, so that a draft plan can be discussed and proposed at the July board meeting.

The Department of Natural Resources (Department) is committed to understanding our partners’ impressions of the Department. As we strategically plan for our future and the future of our natural resources, we would like your help.

We would like to know your membership’s opinions about the Department’s strengths and weaknesses and the threats and opportunities that face the Department and natural resource management over the next five years. We are also want to know more about how our partners are involved in natural resource management and outdoor recreation. We are using a variety of tools to collect this information including focus groups, phone interviews, a statewide citizen survey, Department employee survey and this survey of partners. I am asking that you electronically send out the survey to your members, which can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DNRstrategicplan. It is important to note that the completed survey will not be sent back through your organization but will be available to the Department for analysis. The Department will not have access to who filled out the survey or their email address. Please feel free to forward this entire note to your membership. We are asking that the survey be completed by March 30, 2012.

The information collected from all of these sources will be compiled, analyzed and provided to the Department’s Management Team to assist in the strategic planning process. The strategic plan will be completed by August 2012, and copies of the plan will be provided to your organization.

I greatly appreciate your help in ensuring that the Department has a comprehensive awareness of our citizens’ and our partners’ thoughts about the Department and the future of natural resource management and outdoor recreation.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Donna Stine at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 517-241-3774, or Pat Stewart at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 517-335-1833. We would also appreciate if you will or will not send the survey to your membership.

Thank you for your help.

Rodney Stokes

Michigan Snowmobile Association thanks Senator Stabenow

On Tuesday, the Michigan Snowmobile Association presented Senator Stabenow with an award of appreciation for her commitment to the Recreational Trails Program. Michigan has thousands of miles of recreational trails for snowmobiles and off-road vehicles, and these trails attract millions of visitors every year. “These trails are part of our Michigan way of life, and I will keep fighting to make sure they remain available for recreational use.”

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GOP lines up to punt on highway bill

03/21/12 08:10 PM ET

House Republicans moved to punt consideration of a long-term highway bill until at least this summer, announcing Wednesday that they would seek to approve a three-month extension of current funding next week.

The short-term bill would give House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) more time to rally his conference around a five-year, $260 billion measure that would use revenue from new domestic oil-and-gas drilling to pay for highway projects.

Conservatives have balked at Boehner’s bill, and he has been unable so far to unite his conference behind an alternative.

Most observers saw the chances of Boehner’s bill becoming law as low, given opposition to the new drilling from the White House and some Senate Democrats, but moving the bill through the House would have served as an important political victory for the Speaker. In an election year when the economy and rising gas prices are on voters’ minds, Boehner has sought to seize the advantage by casting his conference as champions of domestic energy while criticizing President Obama’s opposition to new drilling.

This narrative has been complicated by opposition within Boehner’s own party to his five-year bill, and by the Senate’s passage, in a bipartisan vote, of a two-year, $109 billion highway bill. The best way for Boehner to get back on offense would be to win support in the House for his own highway bill.

The top Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said Wednesday the short-term bill would at least buy Boehner time to build support for the five-year bill.

“That’s what we’re trying to get the votes for,” committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) told reporters off the House floor.

Democrats worked hard Wednesday to portray the decision to move a short-term extension instead of the Senate bill as a failure of Boehner’s leadership.

“He had his chance to put together a partisan bill,” Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of Boehner in a news conference Wednesday. “He failed and failed again.”

But Schumer and other Senate Democrats did not outright reject the idea of passing the short-term extension, which would prevent an interruption in the collection of the federal gas tax set to expire March 31.

The gas tax brings in about $36 billion per year to the federal government, and Democrats said the money it generates provides funding for millions of construction jobs.

The short-term measure House GOP leaders said they would move would authorize the collection of the gas tax through June 30. This would be the ninth extension of the last multiyear highway bill, which expired in 2009.

The move is the latest in what has become a rollercoaster ride for the House GOP’s measure.

After party leaders failed to win backing from their conference for the initial bill, they floated shorter versions of 18 months and two years. When those also met resistance, Boehner tried again to rally support for the long-term bill before threatening to take up the Senate’s two-year measure.

Now it appears the Speaker has returned to square one, dispensing with plans to either pass or tweak the measure the Senate sent to the House.

“I’ve talked to leadership — they’ve committed, we’re committed,” Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, said in reference to the five-year bill. “We’re going to make some tweaks to it to make sure we pick up enough support.”

Shuster, a member of the GOP whip team, said he thought party leaders would have better results this time around.

“Last time we whipped this thing, there was a lot of confusion out there,” he said.

Shuster said the hope was that the 90-day extension would provide enough time for the House to pass its bill and go to a conference committee to reconcile differences with the Senate. The Senate measure, he said, “is a bill that’s got a lot of problems with it.”

House Republicans said the two-year Senate bill does not provide enough certainty for transportation contractors, and Boehner desperately wants to include the key element of the House measure that links infrastructure spending and domestic energy production.

Schumer and other Senate Democrats argued again Wednesday that after the two false starts, the House should simply pass the Senate bill. They also warned that the short-term extensions endanger the trust fund for highway projects, which is supported by the gas tax.

“It’s death by 1,000 paper cuts,” Schumer said. “Every time you extend it, the trust fund gets lower and lower, and it’ll be gone by ... the end of the year.”

Asked by The Hill if the Senate would reject a short-term House extension if the alternative was an interruption in the gas tax, Schumer said: “We’re urging them not to put us in that position, or America.”

SAE Snowmobile Challenge 2012 – A Great Success!

HASLETT, MI, March 13, 2012 – Clarkson University of Potsdam, NY, captured first place in the 2012 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, which drew to a close March 10 at Michigan Technological University.

Kettering University, of Flint, placed second, with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville earning third place in the internal-combustion category.

The University of Alaska-Fairbanks won the zero-emissions category.

The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is a collegiate design competition of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Engineering students from participating schools re-engineer a stock snowmobile, while preserving the riding quality demanded by snowmobile enthusiasts. A total of 12 university teams participated in the internal combustion category.

The Challenge’s zero emissions category, for battery-powered sleds, is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. NSF uses electric snowmobiles while conducting atmospheric research in pristine arctic locations. The electric or zero emissions challenge is running up to 20 miles with one battery charge. Five teams participated in the zero emission category.

This was the 13^th annual challenge. The snow was great and all the events ran smoothly.

Awards were presented for recognizing the best balance between cost, fuel economy, performance, design, handling and acceleration.

The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is sponsored by Michigan Technological University by the Keweenaw Research Center and the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics.

The members of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (Arctic Cat, BRP, Polaris, and Yamaha) are gold sponsors of the event and support the competition throughout the year.

Plans for next year’s event are being discussed and preparations are under way for another great event.

Snowmobilers' Rights Protected in Huron-Manistee

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- January 31, 2012

Contact: Bill Manson-616-301-2743

On September 29, 2010, Kurt Meister, a southeast Michigan attorney won a case against the USDA Forest Service claiming that his right to enjoy public lands in Michigan were being infringed upon by noisy firearms hunters and folks using snowmobiles on designated trails. His solution? Ban guns and snowmobiles on almost 70,000 acres of the Huron-Manistee National Forest.

Finally the Record of Decision for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) and Amendment 1 to the 2006 Land and Resource Management Plan for the Huron-Manistee National Forests was signed by the Regional Forester, Charles L. Myers, January 27, 2012.

THE MICHIGAN SNOWMOBILE ASSOCIATION, a non-profit group that has served as Michigan's voice for snowmobilers in Michigan since 1982, quickly organized a response fueled by sound science-based management principles and its members who believe strongly in the rights of Michigan's citizens to snowmobile on public lands.

The USFWS adopted "Alternative 4" which maintains the rights of snowmobilers will be preserved on designated trails and the hunters to hunt in all areas as were allowed previously. While this was not MSA's choice (we wanted alternative #3) Alternative #4 will allow the same use that snowmobilers enjoyed over the past 6 years. What alternative #4 will do by not designating the Semi Primitive Non Motorized (SPNM) areas to Semi Primitive Motorized (SPM) areas, that may leave the door open to further lawsuits.

The USFS ruling was not without some potential problems however. The agency also announced that it will retain the objective in several areas in the Huron-Manistee to provide for a “less-roaded opportunity” relative to the rest of the forest. Any road closures would still have to go through analysis and public comment before a site-specific decision would be made.

We understand the Forest Service's desire to eliminate some roads that either were not intended to be permanent or were illegally created, but there must be a process in place to determine which roads will be closed so that adequate access is maintained. There is a fine line between creating a more solitary experience for those who are seeking that and shutting the public out of the land that they own.

We will be watching this process very closely to ensure that snowmobilers are considered in those decisions.

While the first battle in this war has been won thanks to the efforts of MSA and its members and partners, it is not yet over. The decision is still subject to appeals and MSA will be actively monitoring the situation to ensure the final outcome is the best one for Michigan's snowmobilers.

Please feel free to forward this on to your snowmobile friends, and for further updates get you e mail address to MSA  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

MSA would like to congratulate the following as

winners of the 2012 MSEAF "SUPER RAFFLE"

Drawn first was Lynn Pauly of Traverse City MI, she chose the 2012 Arctic Cat, ProCross F1100, the winning ticket was sold by the Grand Traverse Area Snowmobile Club

Drawn second was Janet Schaefer of New Boston, MI, she chose the 2012 Ski-Doo MXZ TNT 600, the winning ticket was sold by MSA

Drawn third was Scott Lampinen of Chassell, MI he chose the 2012 Polaris 550 Shift, the winning ticket was sold by the Range Snowmobile Club

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DECEMBER 10, 2011 MEETING HELD AT FOGGY’S IN CHRISTMAS MICHIGAN

*President Jim Dickie called the meeting to order at 9:03 am and in following tradition, he then turned the meeting over to our new President-Elect, Bruce Wood.

*Introductions were made and roll call of the Board of Directors was taken.

*The posted minutes of the July 23, 2011 meeting were approved.

*Treasurer John Houk briefly discussed the prepared treasures report.  He then announced to the members that the Executive Board have decided to start looking into purchasing commercial property in the Grand Rapids area due to the every rising rent costs at the current office location.

*Bill Manson gave an update on the many committees he is a member, of and the presentation he made to Consumer Energy personal in Jackson regarding snowmobile safety and history.  He has also been meeting with several of our elected officials in Lansing discussing snowmobile topics.

*Tom Meyer gave an update on 9 snowmobile related House bills currently introduced and the status of each one.  Bill Manson then gave an update of Senate Bill 248 which if passed would cap the amount of total acreage the DNR can acquire the surface rights to and how that could affect our snowmobile program.

*Bruce Wood announced that Don (and Judy) Wing will become the chairman of the Recreation Committee.  Don announced they are currently finalizing plans for the Feb. 17-19, 2012 Ride in at Sault Ste Marie, and are also working on plans for the June 22-24, 2012 Campout at Mackinaw City.  Reservations and meal packages for both events are to be made through the MSA office.  More details will be listed in the MSA magazine.

*Bruce Wood then announced that Ron Corbett will be chairing the MSA membership committee and *Gail Scott will continue to chair the publication’s committee.

*Karyn Hautimaki read off the current membership numbers which total 12,853 voting members.

*Jim Duke presented a recap of the last MSA Convention held in Cadillac, and thanked the Cadillac Winter Warriors for all of their hard work.  Next year’s convention will be held October 25-27, 2012 at the Hilton Double Tree River Resort in Bay City, Michigan.  Jim Duke will continue to be the Convention committee chairman.

*The MSA website which is still maintained by a volunteer in Kalamazoo was discussed.  Currently there is a “test” being performed on the trail report page to change the color of the push pins from red to green for any grant sponsor who is updated in the last 10 days.  Everyone needs assist with selling ads on the trail report pages.

*Jim Dickie gave a report on the last Michigan Trails and Greenways meeting of which MSA is a Life member.

*During the Friends of the Forest report, Jim Duke discussed all of the reroutes being performed by the USFS to get trails out of low lands and onto harder, higher ground.  Tom Meyers then reminded everyone to submit their comments to the USFS by 12/23/11 concerning the Meister law suit in the Huron-Manistee Forest.  MSA supports Alternative #3.  Please submit your own comments as form letters do not carry much weight.

*Al Green announced that letters will be going out to the equipment vendors soon for the March 2-3, 2012 Groomer Workshop to be held in Ishpeming.  The office will be sending out letters to the grant sponsors right after the holidays.  Al Green will remain as chairman of the Groomer workshop.

*Kaye Houk announced she will be sending out notices to all clubs soon reminding them to keep records of everything club members do for others, not just snowmobile related items.

*A proposal to revise the current by-laws concerning the way MSA meetings are conducted was passed out and discussed.  Several members made comments.  There was no motion made to support a by-law revision, so discussion ended.

*John Griffin stated that as the times change, MSA must also change the way we do business.  He gave several examples of how other organizations are maintaining financial stability through donations.  John is going to continue to work on a donation based program.

*MSA support of Easter Seals was discussed and a decision to support Easter Seals in a non-monetary format was made.

*Jim Dickie announced that MSA will participate at the I-500 Race again this year by having volunteers assist with various work assignments and a membership booth.

*Draft #5 of the new signing manual was discussed at the SAW meeting on Thursday and again at this meeting.  There is a lot of confusion in the interpretation of “turn” or “curve” and how each is to be signed.  Look for more info on this in the future.

*The “Back to the Bricks” car show in Flint was discussed and it was decided that MSA would be involved again this year.  The show is a good place for MSA exposure and there will be a membership/donation booth.

*Bruce Wood reported the Novi Snow show had near record attendance this year.  MSA sold almost 1800 trail permits.

*The 2012 meeting dates were announced.  Check the MSA web site for dates, times, and locations.

*MSA members will soon be receiving raffle tickets for an Airens snow blower in the mail.  The winning ticket will be drawn at the MSA Ride-In.

*Joe Kuchnicki from Harbor Springs was elected to the MSA Board of directors as a delegate-at-large from Emmett County.

*Bill Manson gave a recap of the SAW meeting held on Thursday 12/8/11:  The new grooming rate will be $5.27 per mile, consideration into purchasing new “demo” equipment is being looked into, the grooming reimbursement sheets are being looked into trying to better capture the actual equipment maintenance costs, and the changes that are taking place in the DNR and DNR personal.

*At the conclusion of the meeting, Bruce Wood thanked Jim Dickie and John Houk for all of their hard work during the very difficult times the last 2 years and presented an Appreciation Plaque to Jim Dickie.