CHUGIAK DOG MUSHERS ASSOCIATION
Board and General Meeting – October 5, 2005
6:15 pm at the Clubhouse
Hotline: 689-7899

Board Members in Attendance:
Ron Kilian – Pres.
Val Jokela – V.P.
Jeanne Carlson – Secr.

Bryan Bearss
Jackie Fabrizzio
Mary Lou Raychel

Miscellaneous
Ron contacted snow plower from last year and he is willing to plow for us again this year.

The Eagle River Parks & Recreation grant request was turned in on time, requesting $5,500.

The wording for the plaque to go on the stained glass piece in honor of Myron Gavin was finalized and Ron will contact a vendor to get the plaque made.

Our temporary certificate of occupancy will expire on October 31st unless we have installed the trash containment area.

The comfort station is scheduled to be pumped.

Race Rules
The race rules were last updated in November 2004. A new copy will be posted on the web and distributed since we are required to vote on any new race rule changes on the first Wednesday of November. A request for any proposed changes will go out to member via email. The proposed changes will be compiled and sent to members for consideration ten days prior to the November meeting.

The club discussed Section B & C and needs to look up the definition of “trophies.”

Bryan mentioned revisiting the issue of “no necklines.” He will propose language for such a change.

GENERAL MEETING
The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm.
No minutes were read.

Trail Signage
Doug Stenerson made up some sample trail signs for the club to look at. Thanks Doug!! Several suggestions were made for signage design and placement, including:

• Make the actual numbers with reflective tape or paint. Look at different types of reflectors.
• Follow the trail tradition of making signs indicating a turn in RED and signs indicating a straight trail in BLUE. Place turn signs on the side of the trail with the turn. Place straight trail signs just beyond the turn.
• Put arrows on the signs too, in case the Red/Blue system is not known by new mushers.
• Document the signage system somewhere in the club’s minutes or web site or elsewhere so others know how it was done.
• Put signs at the Fort Rich borders to let people know they are on Fort Rich.
• When planning placement, team up a veteran trail user with a novice to be sure that trails/turns that are second nature to the “old-timers” are not overlooked.

Ron volunteered to draft a sign placement plan for the trails up to 10- and 12-miles. Val will draft a plan for the higher mileage trails. Bill volunteered a box full of numbers that used to be trail markers on other trail systems. They might be useful for indicating mileages along the trails.

Political Action:
Val asked the club for any volunteers to get involved in the Title 21 review process. The size and configuration of the new draft document makes the task quite onerous for just a few people to take on. More people need to be involved.

Debbie Ossiander is holding off the process in our area until our comp plan is done. But even if our comp plan is to our liking, in any conflict between a comp plan and Title 21, Title 21 prevails. Debbie continues to accept comments on Title 21 so please continue to send her comments.

A few examples of issues were brought up. For example, in the current Title 21 revisions, there is no provision for private or recreational ownership of animals. For commercial use, one would need to own 15 acres of land.

New Business:
Consider taking a look at the ASK A MUSHER link on our website. It will be closed at the end of the year but until then it may be a useful tool for sharing information.

The Municipality has an Animal Control survey posted on its web site to help plan the future of Animal Control. Consider taking the survey to help the process. MOA is offering incentive prizes for those who fill out the survey. www.muni.org.

There will be a work party on Thursday (Oct. 6th), at 5:30pm to cut up and remove the old pipe in the parking lot.

Education Program:
Kurt Jokela discussed getting your equipment in order for the season, including what to look for in your lines, harnesses, hardware, and dog yard. A checklist of what you should consider before your first run of the season has been posted on the website (thanks to Bryan Bearss).

Susan Wagnon, Janet Clark, and Jerry Raychel discussed early season cart training techniques. Four-wheeler training can differ in its purpose and methods, depending on what you want to get out of it. Some mushers use it as a controlled opportunity to train for specific things (passing, lining out etc.), while others use it to build muscle and strength, and put on miles before the snow falls. Sprint mushers vary in their opinions about speed throughout a run and whether the dogs should pull the 4-wheeler or not. Several safety issues were discussed as well as training ideas.

Next Meeting:
The next general meeting is Wednesday, October 19th at 7pm.

On November 2nd, there will be a general meeting (7pm) and education program (7:30pm). The education program topic will be “Dog Foot Care” with Dr. Jim Hagee.