Alaska State Snowmobile Association

Serum Run Accepting Machiner Applications

Good day!

I wanted to pass along that there will be a Serum Run Informational Meeting on Saturday, October 13th at 2:30 pm in the Willow Community Center.

This meeting is for past and perspective snowmachiners and dog mushers who may be interested in participating in the Norman Vaughan Serum '25 Run. The 2008 run is scheduled for Feb. 17 - March 7, 2008.

The Serum Run '25 is a dog team journey with snowmachine support across 800 miles of Alaska's frozen rivers, tundra and sea ice from Nenana to Nome. The mission of this annual trip is twofold. First, it is to commemorate the twenty men and their dog teams who relayed crucial diphtheria serum to Nome, saving countless lives. Second, and more importantly, it is to widen the awareness throughout Alaska about a chosen medical topic of interest to villages in Alaska.

Please check out our website at www.serumrun.org for more information and applications. Applications deadline is October 30th.

Please spread the word about the meeting!

Stop the attack on Motorsports in the Valley!!!

There is currently a movement in the Mat Su Valley to severely limit all Motorsports activities, including the Iron Dog, Alaska Raceway Park, Northstar speedway, Capitol Speedway, all motocross tracks, all snowcross, and any other thing you can think of that involves a motor. If you can, please take the time to fill out the petition, read up on it, and please forward the information to as many gear heads as you can.

Your favorite pastime is under attack from a proposed change to Matanuska-Susitna Borough ordinances, which will change Race Tracks from a Core Area conditional use, to a borough wide conditional use. This does not just apply to normal tracks (dirt or asphalt) but ALL forms of racing, whether they take place on land, ice, or snow and involve cars, motorcycles, ATVs, or snow machines.

Please take the time to read the draft ordinance, and existing ordinance MSB 17.60 Conditional Uses and MSB 17.63 Race Track Regulations. We must all get involved in this if we want our sport to survive. There is a petition available for you to sign. Please add your name to the list of Motorsports supporters.

Written comments on the draft ordinance should be received in the borough planning office no later than 5:00 p.m. Thursday, November 9, 2006.

Their address is:

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Department of Planning and Land Use

350 E. Dahlia

Palmer, AK 99645

By email to planning@matsugov.us or by Fax to (907) 745-9876. Please clearly indicate you are responding to draft ordinance to MSB 17.60 and 17.63.

If you have further questions on this item please contact Eileen Probasco at (907) 746-7431, or via e-mail at eprobasco@matsugov.us.

Alaska Outdoor Access Alliance Annual Meeting

The Alaska Outdoor Access Alliance is holding an Annual Meeting on October 14th at the Eagle River Lions Club. The AOAA is issuing an invitation to all clubs to participate in this meeting. Any club wishing to have a silent auction or raffle or game of their choice is welcome. In other words this is YOUR ANNUAL MEETING TOO!!! We are paying for the hall. All you need to do is contact your members and gather up your fundraising items. Contact Todd Clark @ 297-4570 or Patti Barber @ 745-4446 for more information or to RSVP.

SB 85 ORV Use in the North

On Sunday March 5, 2006 at 1:30 p.m. the House Transportation Committee will be taking up HB 85. When passed into law SB 85 will repeal the ORV ban in the Dalton Highway Corridor Management Area, allowing motorized access to millions of acres of public lands in GMU 20, 24, 25, and 26, north of the Yukon River. The members of the House Transportation Committee are listed below along with their contact number and e-mail. Please respectfully contact their offices to convey your support for this piece of legislation. Information regarding SB 85 is listed directly below. If there are any questions regarding this piece of legislation please contact Senator Seekins Office at 907-465-2327.

Background: A substantial portion of Alaska's landmass lays on the north side of the Yukon River, served by only one road in the entire area -- the Dalton Highway. With very limited exceptions, current law entirely bans the use of off-road vehicles within five miles of the highway's right-of-way starting at the Yukon River crossing at mile 57 and extending 357 miles north to the Arctic Ocean.

Summary: SB 85 Removes the prohibition on the use of off-road vehicles within five miles of the right-of-way of the James Dalton Highway; beginning 12 months after the bill becomes law.

What does SB85 do?

>>> Provides access for average Alaskans to recreate on tens of millions of acres of public land

>>> Allows the State of Alaska & BLM to create and implement land use plans to provide recreational development.

How ORV use is regulated within the Dalton Highway Corridor Management Area, after the passage of SB 85, depends on who participates in the planning process.

House Transportation Committee:

CO-Chairs

Jim Elkins 465-3424 Rep_Jim_Elkins@legis.state.ak.us

Carl Gatto 465-3743 Rep_Carl_Gatto@legis.state.ak.us

Members:

Vic Kohring 465-2186 Rep_Vic_Kohring@legis.state.ak.us

Mark Neuman 465-2679 Rep_Mark_Neuman@legis.state.ak.us

Bill Thomas 465-2679 Rep_Bill_Thomas@legis.state.ak.us

Woodie Salmon 465-4527 Rep_Woodie_Salmon@legis.state.ak.us

Mary Kapsner 465-4942 Rep_Mary_Kapsner@legis.state.ak.us

Curry Ridge Riders Riding Saturday

Our ride this coming weekend will be on Saturday, Feb 11, with Bruce Brocket leading. We'll leave the parking lot at MP 121.5 of the Parks Highway at 10am, heading for the Peters Hills and Dutch Hills, depending on conditions. If anyone wants to meet us at the Reflector Tree, be there by 11 am to sign up and join the group. Bring a lunch, water and plan on about 50-70 miles or so. This will be an intermediate level ride, with some sidehilling and moderate grades. If you have questions, leave a message on the CRR hotline at 352-3669 in the valley and 689-7669 in Anchorage.

Finally--A Ride This Weekend

We’re pleased to announce that there will be rides the next three weekends. This coming Superbowl Sunday February 5, we’ll have our traditional ride for those who will not be watching the game. Meet at the MP 127 parking lot Sunday morning at 10 am to sign in and depart at 10:15. That’s MP 127 of the Parks Hiway, on the left going north. This’ll be a low-key, family and newcomer ride and should be a good first ride for the experienced who have not yet been out this year. There will be a few sidehills and short climbs but nothing too challenging. Bring a lunch, water and plan for about 40 miles or so. We expect to be back to the parking lot by 3:30 or 4 PM. Leave a message to let us know you will be attending or if you have questions. More on the other rides soon. 352-3669 in the valley and 689-7669 in Anchorage.

Also, the East West Express Trail has been smoothed out with a small box drag. It is very ridable all the way to the reflector tree and conditions are getting better.

Map of Tompson Pass

Thanks to the hard work of Mike Bowden we have a map of the Thompson Pass area with the trails marked. Download the map here.

Joint ASC CRR Ride postponed

The ride scheduled for the seventh of January has been postponed due to poor snow conditions. While the East West Express and Chulitna Bluff Trails have been broken open and are ridable, they are still quite bumpy and hard-packed. The snow to the west, near Bunco Bump, is not much better so we will reschedule as soon as possible. Call the hotline at 352-3669 in the valley or 689-7669 or 566-0272 in Anchorage for the latest. We expect to have the trails groomed as soon as a foot or foot and a half of snow falls. Keep dancing...Snowjo

Currry Ridge Riders Break Through

A small but dedicated crew finished clearing major brush and deadfall on the East West Express trail today, getting to the swamps north of Petersville. Trapper Creek is frozen nicely and Moose Creek is also in good condition. The trail is not yet groomed (not enough snow) but will be soon.
The Anchorage Snowmobile Club and Curry Riders will still have a joint ride on January seventh, with destination not determined yet. We will decide on where to go later this week. Call the CRR hotline at 689-7669 in Anchorage or 352-3669 in the valley for more details. The snow is in good condition but well-used so we'll try our best to find fresh for you. Please leave a message on the hotline to let us know if you are coming. See you on the trail. Snowjo

Curry Ridge Riders Still On For Nov 26th

The Chulitna Bluff Trail has been broken open and is ridable from MP 121.5 all the way past MP 131 and up to Niceview. Reports of riders making the whole length of the East West Express have not yet been confrimed. We'll be out on Saturday, Dec 31, to finish the last sections that need clearing. The joint Anchorage Snowmobile Club/Curry Ridge Riders ride planned for January 7 can't happen until these last few bits are cleared up. You'll have plenty of time to come out, lend a hand and be back home or to the cabin for your New Year's celebration. If enough people are interested we'll also do a pre-ride on New Year's Day. Leave a message on the hotline to let us know you'll be joining us. We'll leave from MP 121.5 at 10:30 or 10:45 from MP 131. Call the hotline Friday after 6 pm and let you know which one. 352-3669 in the valley or 689-7669 in Anchorage.