Please have a view of the Announcement of support our club has received in our efforts to make the W1, including the bridge over the Ottawa River a reality.

Thank a Volunteer and a Land Owner , Blame it on the Weather

March 11, 2021: Our trails have been moved to RED – Closed – as well as all trails in District 1. We know this has been a short season but this is the worst snow year for our Club in 40 years; since 1981.  The Board, volunteers and groomer operators thank you for your support this winter.  We had little snow to groom and we did what we could.  There was only one day lost to groomer down time this year and these things happen. 

We would like to add a huge thank you to our landowners because without their generosity we would have no trails.  The landowners receive nothing from us (snowmobilers) for letting us use their property so at least show some respect and stay on the marked trail.  If there is no improvement about staying on the trail next year (and in the future) there will be more and more trails closed and more road running every year.  Using our landowner’s property is a privilege, not our right

Also we are seeing a lot of garbage on the trails now that the snow is melting, if you can carry it in you can carry it out, please don’t litter and keep Canada beautiful.  A volunteer has to clean up your mess and this is not reasonable.

For those of you who spoke up to volunteer we are working on a new email tool to communicate more effectively with all members.  We need new volunteers to help us with this.  It will improve how we can work with our existing and new volunteers.  This is being put together with help from ForceFive Media. I have heard from a number of you this year that you want to help and we need to communicate to engage you better.

We are already working on improvements to groomer management east of 417 and other trail improvements this summer. We have almost 1,100 members this year with 200 new members.  Don’t lose faith in the group of volunteer people that do so much to keep your Club and your trail going.  Going forward become involved with your Club and hope for more snow next season.  There is only so much the volunteers can do; the rest is up to the members.  Stay on the trail or stay home and bring your garbage home with you will be a start.

The Burgess and Russell families enjoy a crossing of the Ottawa River on the new bridge on W1.  While The bridge is not a opened part of the Ontario and Quebec trail systems riders are using it at their own risk as an unopened trail at this time.

These two families put in more the 1,000 hours a year building, maintaining and grooming trails for your Club.  If it was not for them the W1 trail and the bridge to Quebec would never have been completed.  While other volunteers helped, no other families were that committed to seeing the project done.

If you want your club to be successful, you have to contribute.  Sitting on the couch and complaining does nothing and does not support the volunteers that do so much.

STAY ON THE TRAILS AND RESPECT PROPERTY OWNERS

SNOWMOBILING IS A PRIVILEGE NOT A RIGHT

Paul McDonald

President

Many snowmobilers have been asking when the new snowmobile bridge over the Ottawa River will be open.The bridge has been completed but is not open as part of the OFSC trail network. The snowmobile trail on the Quebec side has not been opened on the CN Rail corridor to date.

The bridge is accessible from the WCSTA trails but is not open until the proper arrangements have been put in place in Quebec.  The Quebec club has marked an unofficial route to access their trails at Norway Bay.  This trail is unofficial until all legal requirements are met

Anyone using this trail is doing so at their own risk on Ontario and Quebec trails .  Anyone using the trail has to have due respect for speed and noise along the full length of the trail and especially in built up areas.  Volunteers have spent an inordinate amount of time establishing the bridge and trails and we do not need a few disrespectful snowmobilers putting this at risk.  We are having trouble with snowmobilers across our system not staying on trails, speeding and making excessive noise in built up areas.  If you keep this up you will have no where to snowmobile and the efforts of your volunteers will have been wasted.

Please use some common sense and obey the rules or stay home. We don’t need you wrecking it for the rest of our members.

Paul McDonald

President

The Entrance to the Crazy Horse snowmobile trail (W20B) will be closed at the March/Huntmar intersection  Saturday Feb 27^th from 9:00am to approx.. 1pm for Trail maintenance and trail re-routing. There will be no snowmobile or pedestrian access to the trail during this work period.

Please respect the work being done by your volunteers for you.

And then again, if sign says No Snowmobiles, please don’t go.

The W311 (the stretch of the Ottawa Valley Rail Trail known as the OVRT) running through our club has been set to yellow state.., Except for small section at Arnprior, which remains closed (red status). For further updates, check the Interactive Trail Guide.