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October 13, 2021
Every year we have our AGM. This year it is on Wednesday October 13 at 7:00pm. It is being held at the Kinburn Community Centre. This is your chance to let the Board of Directors and others know your thoughts on your Club, trails and operations.
We will also be holding the election of the new Board of Directors and electing the Executive for the 2021-2022 season, so this is your time to become involved in the running of your Club.
This season we will have some exciting things for all of you that the Board and volunteers have accomplished.
- The W1 Trail and the bridge over the Ottawa River will be fully open. This will provide an earlier opening of the crossing to Quebec as well a a safe non-ice crossing. We welcome our Quebec neighbours to WCSTA.
- We are working on several trail re-routes that will make for better trails. Come out and ride them.
- We are brushing and widening several trails to improve your ride.
- We will have the first OFSC Loop Trail in WCSTA that will include Kanata, Calabogie and Pembroke. It will connect to the RAP and other trails.
In order to continue these improvements, and the everyday operation of the Club, we need new blood on the Board of Directors.
Need for New Directors
Some Directors have been on the Board and contributed to the Club for many years. Some are moving on and need to be replaced at the AGM. I encourage you to put your name forward to become active in the running of the Club. It is a rewarding experience and 100s of our members have provided this service over the last 41 years. You will be involved in Club management, project development and implementation, working with volunteers and event management and presentation. We need a wide range of experience and commitment so do not be afraid to step up.
If you would like to run for a Board position, please contact Kyle Fierens at kyle_1123@hotmail.com or Rick Craig at rcraig@cmelectric.com. Alternatively, you can email president@wcstai.com. In order to be successful, we need new people to replace those that have kept the Club going all these years.
We look forward to seeing you at the Annual General Meeting.
Paul McDonald, President
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 27th 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.
People, we have to stay on the trail, and OFF the field.. or we will lose this link to crossing the 417.