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170 miles of trails ready for Saturday opener
OCTA is working to grooming trails
Published Monday, November 26, 2007
With the opening of Minnesota snowmobile trails Saturday, members of the Otter Country Trail Association (OCTA) are busy preparing local trails — and keeping their fingers crossed for snow.
“We groom the trails, all 170 miles of them,” said OCTA vice president Mark Miller, referring to the miles of paths that span the county. In all, Minnesota is home to about 18,000 miles of snowmobile trails.
To groom the trails, Miller and other OCTA members clear brush from paths, make sure signs are in place and use a skid with a road grater to pack down snow. Miller estimated membership at 70 to 100 people. But for those trails to be put to good use, riders need snowfall.
“Last year was overall a disappointing one, but come fall everyone is optimistic that the coming snow season will be a good one,” Miller said.
Significant snowfall is important not only to riders, but the communities they visit.
“It’s a big impact on the local economy,” Miller said. “The snowmobilers visit local gas stations and spend a lot of money on snacks and things.”
This year snowmobilers can look forward to a corridor trail system that will allow snowmobilers to travel throughout the state without having to rely on local trail maps every time they leave one trail system and enter another.
The OCTA offers the following tips to snowmobilers this winter:
• Respect private property: Stay on the trails
• Obey all state, county and local ordinances governing the operation of a snowmobile
• As with all motorized vehicles, don’t drink and drive
• No ice is safe ice: Be careful on lakes
• Ride with a buddy
The OCTA is always looking for new members; for more information, contact Mark Miller at 218-770-3167.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by misadventurer (anonymous) on November 27, 2007 at 9:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's a small thing, but it grates on my nerves when the wrong word is used in print. I know of cheese graters, road graders and greater Minnesota, but I wonder what a "skid with a road grater" looks like.
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