~ October 2020 ~
Greetings!
Your membership is valid through Dec. 31, 2020.
Look for an email during Homecoming with renewal info.
Calendar of Events

2020
October 4
- Range MTA shoot
October 10-11
- Sugarloaf Homecoming
Fall?
- Think about Show 'n Go events you might be able to host when we are comfortable getting together outdoors.

2021
January 23 - 30
- Big Sky, Montana Postponed to 2022
February 6 - 13
- Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado - Postponed to 2022
February 20 - 27
- Snowbird/Alta, Utah - Postponed to 2022
Homecoming October 10-11, 2020
Homecoming will take place in a limited fashion on October 10-11. Sugarloaf reports the following information, and more details are available at www.sugarloaf.com/events-calendar/homecoming-2020.

“We're committed to celebrating safely, which means some of our Homecoming traditions will look a little different, and some may have to wait a year. We ask for your understanding, cooperation, and flexibility as we navigate these guidelines together. Here's what we know will be different:

  • All association meetings will be virtual - your association leaders will coordinate.
  • The Annual Meeting will not be held, but we're putting together a video with all the latest updates and info. 
  • There will be no season pass pickup- all passes are automatically mailed to your address on file. 
  • The Sugarloaf Home Show and Upcountry Artists' Shows will not be held, but there will be an outdoor market with several vendors. 
  • The Kids' Climb has been postponed to next year.
  • The Uphill Climb is still being held but with several significant changes (see Sugarloaf website for details).
 
In addition, we will continue to follow all Maine CDC guidelines including capacity limits and mask requirements. Thanks so much for your cooperation, we can't wait to see you.”

CVOA will not have its traditional table/booth to provide information and to solicit new and renewal memberships. During Homecoming weekend, you will receive an email encouraging you to join using the provided pdf membership form or online on our website.

~ Steve Smith, VP
Show N Go Events - Easy Peasy!
October can be a beautiful month in our area. Perhaps you’d like to get out for a simple meet-up with friends for a walk, or a more adventurous hike or bike? This can still happen with appropriate social distancing and cautions, particularly outdoors. How simple it is to think ahead a couple of days, when the weather looks promising, and plan such an activity.
 
With 8 hours notice, or often less, Cindy will send your details out to the entire membership via an email message. Fun, easy, and even if it the turnout is small, worthwhile.
 
Keep this in mind as you think of friends and recreation!
Camping in Deer Isle
"Here is an opportunity for an October camping trip, or to consider for next year. There are plenty of things to do in the Deer Isle area; the Parkers and the Allens surely would make some suggestions to the trip leader." writes Jeannette Parker.
2021 Ski Trips 2022
CVOA will not be running any major ski trips in 2021. However, as the ski season progresses, there might be some opportunities within driving distance. Perhaps a day trip to Saddleback? Or check out the package below at Smugglers’ Notch Resort. Maybe the Canadian borders will allow a short trip in that direction?

All it takes is for someone to say “hey, let’s go to . . . “, whether it be put together by you, or perhaps Great Events & Escapes. CVOA will promote your trip via our newsletters, or it could be a last minute Show N Go, which can be sent out to the membership. Let Cindy Foster know how we can help.
Smugglers' Notch, Vermont
2-night 3-day lift for $279 pp do
From Ben Childs at Smugglers’ Notch:

Hi All,
I am reaching out to see if the CVOA Ski Club or any of your members are interested in coming up to Smugglers’ Notch this winter. I think your club would love our Slopeside lodging and 3 big mountains of skiing. We offer a 2 nights package with a 3 day lift ticket for $279 per person (double occupancy). We also have great early and late season specials.

I can offer group rates to any of your members that want to come visit us this winter. If someone wants to organize a bigger group we can be a little more aggressive on the pricing and we offer comps and perks.

I would love to work with you on a great trip. Thank you.
Cheers,
Ben Childs
Smugglers’ Notch Resort Group Vacations
(800)521-0536
(802)644-1282, direct
Range News
Hello All,

We are solidly into Fall and the Range couldn’t be more beautiful! Come check out the colors and the shooting. We are hosting:

2nd ANNUAL LEAF PEEPERS CLASSIC OCTOBER 4TH
CARRABASSETT VALLEY OUTDOOR ASSOCIATION
ATA REGISTERED SHOOT
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2020

Registration 8:00 am  Shoot Starts at 9:00 am

EVENT # 1 EVENT # 2
100 SINGLES 50 DOUBLES
SINGLES CLASSES DOUBLES CLASSES
95% and over A 89% to 93% A
92% to 95%  B 85% to 89% B
89% to 92%  C 78% to 85% C
Under 89%   D Under 78%  D

ENTRY FEE $25 PER EVENT, PLUS DAILY $3 ATA FEE/$2 MTA FEE
2021 ATA & MTA DUES MUST BE UP-TO-DATE

FIRST TIME SHOOTERS (NOT REGISTERED WITH ATA) GET FREE 2021 ATA/MTA MEMBERSHIPS

SHOTGUN SHELLS WILL BE AWARDED AS TROPHIES:
(3) Event Champ, (3) Class Winner, (2) Lady Winner, (2) Junior Winner

5 Stand Shooting will be available at 1/2 Price!

Lunch will be available for $5.00 and will include a wrapped sandwich, chips, dessert, and drink!

So if you have never done a registered shoot but enjoy Trap, you can sign up that day and try your hand. This is a very friendly and helpful group that are eager to recruit new shooters.

See you at the Range. If you have any questions feel free to contact Neal Trask or me.

Diane Stone, Range Secretary
207-240-4752

Neal Trask, Range President
207-235-2732
We will continue to have just for fun 5 Stand and Trap Shoots throughout October and into November, weather permitting.
Shoots and Operating Hours

   Five Stand Shoots – Saturdays – 9am until noon, rain or shine
   Trap Shoots – Sundays – 9am to noon, weather permitting
   Trap Shoots – Wednesdays – 10am to noon, weather permitting
   Rifle Range – Every day – Dawn to Dusk
   Pistol Range – Every day – Dawn to Dusk

Trap and Five Stand costs $5/round or you may purchase 10 rounds for $40, which will save you $10 and make it easier for us to manage the sign up for the Shoots. Your 10-round punch card can be used for both the Five Stand and Trap Shoots, and can be used for multiple shooters, with no expiration. Such a deal!
Board and Member Meeting
was held September 27 by Zoom
With 13 officers, directors and members-at-large participating via Zoom, we had a successful meeting with several items of interest. The complete minutes may be viewed HERE, and here is a summary:

Secretary’s Report – Although our membership year is based on the calendar year, any activity beginning October 1 carries through to the end of next year. We end this year with 547 memberships of which 116 were new for 2020. With 1104 members, 608 of them are also range members.

Treasurer’s Report – We are on track for meeting our income and expenses budget. CVOA has about $74,000 in accounts.

Range Report – Our 50-yard range project is coming in well below projections, with about $9,000 expenditures to date; the Town of CV matching grant of up to $15,000 will reimburse us half of those expenses. Stratton Lumber provided the huge quantity of bark mulch we needed, and donated the trucking of it as well; these expenses would have been a major portion of the cost of the range.

Penobscot Indian Nation – John McCatherin told us about the current situation with the Penobscot Indian Nation and the posted “No Trespassing” signs. You can read more in John’s article at the end of this newsletter.

Bylaw Revisions – A number of minor revisions to the bylaws were presented to the members 30 days ago, and with minimal discussion, the revisions were approved unanimously.

Homecoming is happening in a limited capacity this year, and CVOA will not have a table present.

Ski Trip Deposit Fund – Consideration is being given to establishing a fund that could be built up to cover future losses that could occur if we cancel ski trips and lose our group deposits. Perhaps part of each member’s trip deposit would be designated for that fund.

Activity Suggestions – Although this is a challenging time to plan events, “Show N Go” events, which are planned on short notice, will be encouraged.

Mark Curtis, CVOA President
Cindy Foster, CVOA Secretary
"Penobscot Nation lands still
closed to public recreation use.
Yogi Berra would have called it déjà vu all over again.
 
           It was 1999 and the Penobscot Indian Nation (PIN) closed down to public use some 24,000 acres of their land – about half the total land in Carrabassett Valley. That, by the way, was the impetus for the creation of the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association that formed to work with the Penobscots to help eliminate misuse and abuse of their land.
           Fast forward to 2020 and once again no trespassing signs have popped up on PIN lands in the valley, forcing closure of bike, ATV and hiking activities and, at the moment, leaving in question winter outdoor usage. 
           The rumored reason for the initial road closures was that litter, unauthorized fire pits and other abuses were occurring, particularly in the Huston Brook swimming hole area. From there the no trespassing signs spread to roads that provided access for most outdoor activities on PIN lands. 
           The Carriage Road and the Narrow Gauge Pathway, though on PIN land, remain open because of prior easements and formal agreements between the Penobscots and the Town of Carrabassett Valley.
           The disruption comes at the same time that the Penobscots, Passamaquoddies and Maliseet Tribes of Maine have been working with the Maine Indian Land Claims Task Force to create legislation that would permit them to convert Indian-owned lands, so-called fee lands, into trust lands. L.D. 1392, included 22 recommendations to dramatically alter the Maine Indian Lands Claims case of 1980 that designated Maine tribes as state, versus federal, tribes and awarded $81 million in reparations for some of the lands illegally taken from the Indians over the years.
           L.D. 1392 and companion legislation would permit Maine tribes to enjoy the rights, privileges, power, duties and immunities similar to other federally recognized tribes. They would be able to designate their lands as trust lands without a vote of the town and could then designate their own laws and regulations in the areas of taxation, fishing and hunting, natural resources, gambling, land use and criminal jurisdiction.
           The proposal with amendments was approved by an 8-1 vote from the legislative Judiciary Committee but is unlikely to pass this year because there is no current movement for the Maine Legislature to reconvene. The legislation would likely reappear next session.
           Municipalities that would be affected have raised concerns that they were not included in the discussions that led to the proposed legislation and that the far-reaching revisions would permit Indian Tribes to impose taxes on their lands but they would not be subject to state sales and income taxes and town property taxes. 
           Meanwhile outdoor activity organizations as well as individual outdoor recreationalists remain uncertain about the future of the trail systems they’ve had access to for decades.
           A meeting late last week produced agreement for future sessions to deal with the subject of trails in Carrabassett. So far no date has been scheduled but with winter recreation activities not far down the road, the anxiety about future usage continues to build. 
 
~ John McCatherin, CVOA Founder and long time member

[As was mentioned at the Board/Member meeting, it is important that our members, and of course the rest of the general public, respect the No Trespassing signs in our area.]
"Take A Hike" is now in digital format!
Thanks to Sue Strommer, who moved this project forward, the CVOA hiking guide "Take A Hike" is now available in digital form as a pdf.
 
CLICK HERE to Download and View "Take a Hike". At 58 pages, you might not want to print it, but feel free to save it to your computer or device. "Take a Hike" is also available via a button on the home page of our website.
 
The next phase is to update and expand the contents. Sue would like to hear from any members who can update the current hikes or add hikes to the guide.
 
So, if you can HELP Sue with this project, please reply to this email, or email [email protected], or reply to this email, and your message will be forwarded to Sue.

p.s. – How about a “Show N Go” hike from the guide this month?
Newsletter Content
It appears that our newsletter will be short of content for months. If you have any tidbits of info, links to sites, shout outs, or a photo to contribute, send them along!
Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association
Valley Crossing #6
Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947
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