On the trails with Rural Cass Snowmobile Club

Snowmobile North Dakota receives contract dollars from ND Parks and Recreation Department.  These contract dollars are pulled from the state snowmobile fund, which is generated by snowmobile registrations and a portion of gas tax.  The state snowmobile trail program assumes 70% of the trail grooming equipment, 100% of the trail insurance and 90% of the trail sign expenses.  The remaining funds are used to assist trail associations with grooming operation costs.  A large portion of grooming operation costs are funded locally through club events and community grants.

On average it costs over $114,000 to maintain just one of the 14 trail systems in the state.   The state snowmobile trail program has leveraged trail expenses with grant funding, making it possible to maintain over 2,800 miles of trail, even if there is no snow to groom.

Trail signing in the fall has been a nagging issue for the Rural Cass Snowmobile Club each year, and it was a key topic for the club’s October meeting, which kicked off the 2014 snowmobiling season.

But, a new idea surfaced last year and the club is trying it out to see if it works better. Three members of the Farmhouse Fraternity from North Dakota State University were on hand to discuss the potential of the fraternity members helping with trail signing as a service project.

“This is a new concept that we’re trying out,” said Troy Klevgard of Casselton, who contacted the fraternity about the idea. “It will only work if we still get the right level of club member commitment to support us. To make it work, we need drivers and other help to ensure we maximize the time the fraternity puts in. Our goal is to get all trail signing done when we have the extra help that day.”

The designated trail signing weekend is Nov. 15 and 16. Plans are to start at 8 AM. Additional work days are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 23, if they are needed. Snowmobile North Dakota requires that club’s complete trail signing by Dec 1.

Also during the meeting, club members elected Brent Haugen of Argusville as the new club president. All others officers remained the same.

Planning for SnowJam 2015 also was discussed including specifics on event sponsorships and ideas for changes to the event agenda. SnowJam will be Saturday, Feb 21, headquartered at Hagge’s Bar and Grill in Mapleton.

If you are interested in learning more about the Rural Cass Snowmobile Club, who maintains more than 100 miles of snowmobiles trails in the area, you can find information on the club’s website at http://www.ruralcass.org.

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