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| Apr 07 04 | May 5, 2004 | June 2, 2004 | July 7 | Sep 15 | Oct 6 |




CHUGIAK DOG MUSHERS ASSOCIATION
Board Meeting – September 15, 2004
6 pm at the clubhouse, Beach Lake Sled Dog Trails
Hotline: 689-7899 Website: www.chugiakdogmushers.com

Clubhouse: MEA provided an estimate for electricity hook-up of $22,000 to $25,000. Parks & Rec will most likely pay this. A final estimate will be available in December 2004 and if approved, the clubhouse may have electricity by next summer.

Bear-proof containers must be installed. Planning & Zoning is remaining adamant on this point despite arguments that many parks have removed bear-proof containers because they attract bears. The deadline for our Certificate of Occupancy will be extended until June 1, 2005. Until then our permit is provisional.

Race Schedule: Mary Lou finalized the race schedule and handed out copies.

Trails & Staging: A 2-day work party took place in July. The PA system has been revamped, new lines were trenched, and Todd worked the bugs out of the system in the clubhouse. An upcoming junior work party will clean the parking lot. The alternate side needs brushing. Some cat work was done on the alternate side. A Boy Scout went to Parks & Rec with a proposal to replace the hookup posts. If this is completed, the club proposed sending a thank you letter to the Scout. Val will call for a septic cleanout for the outhouse.

Education/Activities: Bonnie will check with Norman Vaughn about speaking and we will leave that date TBA on the race poster and activities schedule. This season’s education program series will be included on the race poster.

Races: No final decision has been made on Kourosh’s suggestion of putting on a limited championship race this season. In discussing the matter further, it was determined that there are several barriers to hosting such a race including a lack of staging area for as many racers as would be anticipated, a lack of clarity on the direction of the race, and difficulty in channeling funding for the race.

User Fees: The newest changes to Parks & Rec fee structures will affect the club somewhat. The clubhouse may be used for races and meetings at no cost. However, for every race, the club must pay $75/day plus 5% of revenues (entry fees and concessions) for the trails, in addition to $1/racer (no per race so a racer is only counted once on a day even if entered in several races on that day). It was agreed that the club should cover the cost of the $75/day for Junior races, which amount to just one or two races outside of the senior race days. Rex Jones suggested that the club more actively pursue business sponsors for individual races to help pay these costs and market the club to new area businesses both in Eagle River and Anchorage.

Fort Rich Fence: The contract for the fence building is supposed to be awarded this month. A pre-design meeting to help plan gate placement etc. has been written into the contract.

CHUGIAK DOG MUSHERS ASSOCIATION
General Meeting – September 15, 2004
7 pm at the clubhouse, Beach Lake Sled Dog Trails
Hotline: 689-7899 Website: www.chugiakdogmushers.com

The meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm.
Minutes were read from the July 7th general meeting and approved.
Val briefly summarized the Sept. 1st meeting, which was primarily the Fort Rich permit session, and no official minutes were taken. The permit is good for three years and anyone with a permit must call the number on the permit before entering Fort Rich to check the status of the area, then check back out by phone after returning home. A permit can be obtained at the front gate for anyone not attending the Sept. meeting.

Treasurer’s Report: Checking: $17,316; Gaming: $1,170; Savings: $8,630; Total: $27,116

Committee Reports:

Race Poster Committee -- The race poster goes to print Thursday, Sept. 16th and will be available within a few weeks. It will include the education program schedule as well as the race schedule this year.

Trail Committee – New trails on the alternate side were put in over Labor Day weekend. Anyone out on those trails can help to brush it as they go.

Education/Activities Committee – The committee finalized the topics for this season and submitted the schedule to the race poster committee for inclusion on the poster. The topics and dates are as follows:

September 15 – Good Neighbor Program: Proactive Approaches to Keeping the Peace
The program will focus on proactively avoiding conflicts between dog mushers and their neighbors. Through a panel discussion, the club will present ideas from Animal Control and personal experience, provide a Good Neighbor checklist, and offer a buddy system for fellow club members who want someone to join them in making proactive neighbor visits. A proposal to host a charitable event (e.g., joining Easter Fun Run with giving rides to underprivileged, handicapped, terminally ill youth and/or adults etc.) will be discussed.

October 6 – Networking for Beginners: How to Get Involved With or Without Dogs
Bring together a variety of group representatives as a panel to discuss the various ways to get involved with dog mushing, then offer a “job fair” style situation to allow connections to be made. Include skijor club members, small- and large-team mushers, race coordinators etc. to discuss race volunteering, handling, skijoring etc.

November 3 – Dog First Aid on the Trail
This program will be held from 8-9pm to accommodate the speaker’s schedule and allow time to discuss race rules during the regular meeting time.
Dr. Susan Whiton will discuss dog first aid on the trail, including dealing with emergencies, frostbite, CPR, etc.

December 1 – Holiday Social
The club will host a holiday potluck to celebrate the holidays and share stories.

January 5 – Fun with Your Dogs: Backcountry Recreational Activities for All Types of Teams
A panel of mushers will discuss activities that they have participated in with dog teams of varying sizes, ranging from winter camping excursions to weekend cabin hopping.

February 2 – Dog Massage and Rolfing Techniques
Don Keller and Carla Kelly have been invited to speak about dog massage and rolfing. They also will discuss diagnosing limps/gaits.

March 2 – TBA

April 6 – Parasites & Vaccinations
Dr. Susan Wagnon and Dr. Marion Frost will share their extensive knowledge of parasites in dogs, as well as information about vaccinating kennels. As spring approaches, this topic becomes very timely.

Hands-On Workshops

A series of hands-on workshops also have been discussed for weekends and/or evenings besides the scheduled Education Program nights.
1. Making lines (gang, tug, neck)
2. Making kits (dog first aid, human first aid, sled repair)
3. Making drag brakes
4. Making drop lines
5. Camping prep (will be in preparation for a planned weekend camping excursion)

The first two may be held in conjunction with the Chugiak 32/50 and Mushing 36 as volunteer activities in the clubhouse after all racers are on the trail -- “Learn While You Wait.”

As always, this schedule is subject to change. Check the web site and hotline for updates.

Old Business

A note from Dave Berg was posted on the bulletin board thanking the club for its generosity in supporting Dave and his family in the event of a veterinary emergency.

New Business

The Chugiak - Eagle River Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual silent auction fundraiser at the Birchwood Civil Air Patrol hangar on Saturday, September 25th. Harold suggested that the club donate some merchandise to the auction. Lexi seconded the motion and the club approved.

Education Program:

The season’s first education program was the discussion of a Good Neighbor Program. The group discussed the issues to keep in mind and actions to take before buying in a neighborhood, before introducing a dog team to your neighborhood, and keeping neighbors happy once you are there. A lot of good information was shared.

A Good Neighbor checklist will be developed from the discussion and made available in hard copy and via email and the website within the next month or two.

In addition, the club began compiling a list of members willing to accompany any musher in visiting his/her neighbors. This buddy system approach can increase safety for everyone involved and help to diffuse the tensions that may rise during a meeting with unhappy neighbors.

Next Meeting:

The next general meeting will be Wednesday, October 6th at 7pm at the clubhouse, followed at 7:30pm by the education program entitled “Networking for Beginners: How to Get Involved With or Without Dogs.” Spread the word to anyone interested in getting involved. See the description in the minutes above for more details.