Amalgamation Update

The newly-formed Borderland Snowmobile Club is growing and putting organized snowmobiling back on the map in Rainy River District.
After almost folding this past fall, the three remaining clubs—Rainy River, Emo, and Fort Frances—were brought together by the North Western Ontario Snowmobile Association (NWOSTA) to discuss a solution.

The largest problem identified by the group was getting enough volunteers to form a separate executive in each area, as well as the duplication of the large amount of paperwork required to run the club.
With the help of Bruce McGregor, Gail Sayers, and Audry Robb from NWOSTA, an agreement was made to form one club with a central office located at the club house in Emo.
The new executive is well-represented with members from Mine Centre, Fort Frances, Emo, Rainy River, and Nestor Falls. Several executive meetings have been held, and all of the local trails are now open and groomed.
The lack of volunteers and funding are still barriers to the success of the local trails. A budget for this year was set at $25,000 for the operation of the network of trails from halfway to Atikokan to Rainy River, and up to Nestor Falls.
It seems like a lot but after putting $150 of fuel in the groomer for one trip (Emo to Clearwater and back), it’s easy to see the high cost of operation.
The yearly budget does not include groomer operators nor trail clearing, which is all done by volunteers. The club needs about 220 permits to fund its self and this year we have sold about 99 to date.
Permit sales in Kenora, Dryden, and Atikokan will help to subsidize the club this year, but next year we need to run on our own.
Meanwhile, the Borderland Snowmobile Club is organizing several rides to promote the local trails.