Palmyra Snowmobile Club purchasing six-mile railroad bed

loading...

Ask anyone involved in Maine outdoors issues about snowmobile clubs – it doesn’t matter if you’re talking about Sno-drifters or Beltburners or Stumpjumpers or plain ol’ Cruisers – and you’ll likely get a single response.

“Well organized,” people will say.

You’ll nod your head, smile, and unless you think about it for a minute, you might miss the message.

Don’t. And make sure you’re not one of those people who dismiss snowmobile clubs as mere social organizations that provide a convenient trailside warming hut on a frigid February day.

They’re also charitable entities that raise thousands of dollars for the Pine Tree Camp each year.

And they’re visible, outspoken, focused advocates for their sport.

Long before snow flies, snowmobile club members are doing the kind of thankless work that many people ignore … even as they buzz down a well-groomed trail through some of the state’s most breathtaking terrain.

It’s snowmobile club members, after all, who knock on doors and talk to reluctant landowners in order to make sure that sledders will continue to have access to Maine’s top-notch trail system.

And it’s those same groups – like the Palmyra Snowmobile Club – that work together to accomplish impressive things.

Like this: If everything works out according to plan, in November the Palmyra SC will complete a purchase that will be a boon for riders in the Sebasticook River valley.

The club has agreed to purchase a six-mile section of the Guilford of Maine railroad bed – which stretches from Hartland to Pittsfield – for $37,000. Club members had been trying to buy the land for about 21/2 years, and if everything works out, that work will pay off when details are finalized on Nov. 18.

Not a bad outcome for a small club that represents 40 families or so.

Bill Small, the club’s president, says the Hartland snowmobile club has pledged its support, and he hopes that the Pittsfield club also decides to jump on board.

Small, whose club is responsible for 25 miles of Interconnecting Trail System trails and another 25 miles of club trails, said the purchase will be an important one for area snowmobilers.

“It’s scenic. It comes along Douglas Pond and connects ITS 85 with ITS 84,” Small said. “It connects Pittsfield, Palmyra and Hartland. It’s just good for this whole area.”

Small said the spur assures riders that they’ll have not only local access, but also the ability to conveniently venture farther afield.

“When we connect onto the railroad bed, our ITS goes from there, through a portion of Pittsfield, right into Newport,” he said. “And from the Newport railroad bed, when we connect we can go clear to Greenville.”

Small said the club has had access to the trail in the past, but when the owner decided to sell, snowmobilers got a bit concerned.

With abutting landowners eager to pick up individual slices for their own use, sledders were forced to consider the impact those purchases could have.

“It got to the point where [we thought] we were going to be shut down if we didn’t purchase it,” Small said. “They had some serious bids from landowners.”

And sledders aren’t the only ones who will benefit if the sale is finalized.

“It gives three towns access to horseback riding, skiing, ATVing, snowmobiling and walking,” he said. “It’s an all-access trail, four seasons.”

As soon as the club agreed to a price, they quickly mailed off a check as a down payment … which has since been cashed, treasurer Sally Withee optimistically pointed out.

And Small was quick to credit attorney Alfred Bachrach and spokesman Tom Cianchette for their efforts to lead the club through the complicated maze of requesting grants and making a land purchase.

“It’s so delicate and so confusing. It’s really confusing,” Small said. “That’s why Mr. Bachrach’s been so helpful. Without him and Tommy, we wouldn’t be this far.”

The club’s efforts shouldn’t come as much as a surprise, really: On Oct. 15, the towns of Palmyra and Hartland were honored by the state as municipal landowners of the year at an annual banquet.

The awards honor landowners for their efforts to grant access to the sporting public.

Palmyra, for instance, lets sledders use trails on town land, donates the use of the town hall for the club’s monthly meetings, and gives the club 75% of the money it gets from the sale of snowmobile registrations, Withee said.

Small said that no matter what else a snowmobile club does, if it can’t get along with the people who grant access to trails, it has a serious problem.

“The only thing that makes our system work is landowners,” said the man who anxiously awaits the day when his club will join that list of landowners.

“Things would have changed a lot [if the rail bed had been shut down],” Small said. “Fortunately, I think we can tie the whole thing together on Nov. 18.”

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.