9 people in person at 6 PM. A few more joined after that. Had several folks join via Zoom.
Highway WY-130 is closed for the season, woohoo!
Search and Rescue request for support: Are we willing to write a letter of support for Albany County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue’s grant proposal? Yes. The Club supports this effort. Sunny offered to write the letter. ACSSAR is applying for a grant from Wyoming Intertie (Community Investment Program)
to purchase two snowmobiles (SkiDoo Expedition sleds, capable of all around use) with a tow behind trailer for transporting patients from Elway. They currently own 1 functional snowmobile, ~2013 RMK 600 144” track, otherwise they are entirely reliant on volunteers using their own personal equipment for rescues. Grant app is due December 15th for this. ACSSAR will be buying the on-road trailer for transporting this equipment if the grant is funded (as their matching funds).
Membership update: 25 memberships have come in through PayPal (as of 20NOV24), a handful more via mail. (Post meeting update: memberships continue to come in. Please renew if you have not already done so.)
Parking Lot: The easiest to implement lot is going in this year, across the highway from the USFS visitor center just above Centennial. State Trails will groom Ehlin Road up to T trail once there is sufficient snow. Hopefully this provides useful parking for folks that aren’t deadset on riding from GreenRock, and demonstrates users are willing to try new parking areas. Longer term, we’d still like to expand the Half-Moon lot off WY-130 and add in the gravel quarry lot off Sand Lake Road (this would be the most effective). There’s a brush pile that needs burned at the new lot location, State Trails will do that. State Trails needs to approve the plowing contract to keep it clear and accessible, in progress. This is a 3 year pilot project to give it a trial run before it becomes permanent. The more use it gets, the more it shows there is a need & it will be permanent. Advertise this lot, encourage folks to use it. It is multi use lot, please share well.
Gravel pit off Sand Lake will run another year, once that permit is up and gravel is done this will be targeted as a larger lot.
Trails: Logging between Rob Roy and Q trail. Road is being plowed until Dec. 15th. Heads up on that.
Safety Shelter updates: Trailer went up on Friday the 15th to the Lake Marie site. New platform/landing up on Saturday, new steps going up shortly. Steps were donated by a rider out of Michigan, thank you! Cody made us new signs for inside of it. Burkhart has some solar powered lights to go inside. Plan to add a vent at the same time. Still seeking a permanent shelter for Quealy (think Strawberry outside Pinedale). Is the Sierra Madre hut going in again? Checking with Josh at State Trails: yes. What is the wood situation? We could drop a dump trailer of wood off up there. We could purchase a load. This was motioned, and seconded. Motion passed. We’ll buy it locally to Saratoga, or exchange for a business membership. (post meeting update: the road was closed the morning the wood was to be delivered: working on a solution).
Snow Update: It’s slowly stacking up. Not much yet for riding. Remember the 12” rule for off trail riding. Certainly A-arm season.
WSSA Update: Justin will be our area representative for this season. Fun Days in Rock Springs, March 7th-9th. Ride SxS in Killpecker sand dunes, sledding out of LaBarge Creek. WSSA scholarship is coming up for club members with kids in school. Due date is February 1st, 2025 https://snowmobilewyoming.org/scholorship/
Donation: Check in the mail, $2593.65 from “Recreationists of the Bow”. This was formed years ago for the Forest Planning process last time (20-ish years ago). This is the remaining money from that organization, which they donated to us as they said during formation that any leftover funds would be donated to support local snowmobile advocacy. Thank you to all those involved.
Treasurer Update: $14xxx in the checking account. ~$600 in additional memberships incoming via Paypal transfer.
Laramie, Wyoming