The META Board of Directors has worked out an annual meeting schedule to consist of 6 meetings each year in different areas of the state. It is a challenge to engage our dispersed membership in an equitable way, in such a spread out state, but META is committed to this goal for 2010. Each county will be a semi independent META chapter. The chapters have been broken down into six districts. We have a plan to schedule six bi-monthly meetings with one hosted by each dist. We are working to engage those members who have expressed an interest in working to organize their Counties equestrian community in finalizing the details of each meeting. As of early March the progress is as follows:
For March, we are in the process of locating a spot in or near Ellsworth to have a hastily organized meeting in the Eastern District centered around a pot luck luncheon. If we can put that meeting together, be on the lookout for broadcast e-mails (another new capability for META) with meeting minutes if we were not able to let some of you know in time to attend. The Eastern Dist. Counties are Hancock , Washington, and Penobscot.
The May meeting will be hosted on Memorial Day weekend by the Pulpit Rock Trail Blazahs, a Western District member club. A long running ECTRA event that is always well attended is held each year at the Waterford Fair grounds. In addition to the three day competitive trail ride we will have a variety of trail loops available for use at any time during the weekend. These trails are both guided and marked. Camping is available for a small fee to benefit the Waterford Fair association. The exact meeting time will be announced soon. For details as they become available, please visit our web site. The Western Dist. Counties are Oxford, and Franklin.
The July and September meetings will be held in the Northern and Southern Districts respectively. As the farthest Districts from the center we gave them the two remaining good ride months so they can bait you to their meetings with riding opportunities. No details have been worked out at this writing, but the Southern District hopes to organize a pleasure ride on trails that will take you over the highest density of META bridges in a small area so far. Through above and beyond support and consideration for equestrian trail users in their area the Hollis Free Wheelers ATV club has upgraded a large number of old and new trails with horse safe bridges. They purchased our bridge materials using Federal grant monies. By charging a fair retail price META was able to re-invest the profits into more material. Twice the benefit from tax dollars, got to love it! Aroostook County is the North District. The Southern District Counties are York, Cumberland, and Androscoggin.
The November meeting will be hosted by the Central Dist. Somerset, and Piscataquis Counties.
The January 2011 meeting will be hosted by the Coastal Dist. It will be held in Augusta during the horseman’s trade show. The Coastal Dist. Counties are Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, Kennebec, and Waldo.
We look forward to seeing old and new faces at the bi-monthly META meetings, and other events during the 2010 season. META is grateful to its die hard members who stick with us during our first years as work out the details of becoming as good at communication and organization as we are at building horse safe bridges and being your voice in governmental trail issues! It is you who make it ALL possible. META is at your service so please send us information on how we can best serve the trails needs in your area (we can’t fix what we don’t know is broken), And please attend a meeting this year in your region. There is power in numbers.
Leigh Libby
President: META
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