With yet another Minnesota winter upon us, the Freeborn County Snowmobile Trail Association would like to remind all snowmobilers in the area to make sure they operate their machine safely once the trails open.

If there is sufficient snow, the trails open statewide on Dec. 1. Of the approximately 22,000 miles of snowmobile trails in Minnesota, 90 percent are on privately owned land that the landowner has graciously opened for snowmobile use. That means snowmobiling is a privilege, not a right.

We encourage you to stay on the marked trails no matter where you ride. Our club is responsible for 240 miles of this trail system, in Freeborn County. Putting in these trails takes time and money. The time is donated by club members while the money comes from the state of Minnesota in the form of grants. This money comes from snowmobile registrations, a portion of the unrefunded gas tax and from the three-year snowmobile trail pass. If you plan on riding this year make sure both your registration and your trail pass are up-to-date.

We encourage any snowmobilers who would like more information about snowmobiling in general, or snowmobiling in this particular area, to get in touch with me or another club member. My contact information is (507) 402-1319, or catmaster@myfam.com.

Dirk DeVries

president

Freeborn County

Snowmobile Trail Association

Hayward