CHUGIAK DOG MUSHERS ASSOCIATION
General Meeting – November 2, 2005
7 pm at the Clubhouse
Hotline: 689-7899

Board Members in Attendance:
Ron Kilian - President
Val Jokela – V.P.
Jeanne Carlson – Secr.
Colton Seale - Treas.

Bryan Bearss
Jackie Fabrizzio
Don Keller ??
Mary Lou Raychel
Dixie Waddell

The meeting was called to order at 7:05pm. Meeting minutes from October 19, 2005 were read and approved.

Treasurer’s Report
Checking Account - $11,381
Gaming Account - $1,362
Savings Account - $8,704
Total - $21,447

Trail Report

A few areas still need work. Stan Smith has been out doing lots of trail brush cutting. Everyone is encouraged to help with trail work while out on the trail. There are several large leaning trees on Heartbreak Hill that may need to be removed soon. Most trails are clear and frozen.

Race Committee

Dixie is meeting with Julie Capps next week to talk about Julie’s role as race volunteer coordinator. Jo has contacted some people about volunteering.

Race Poster

The poster is done and copies were available at the clubhouse. Everyone is encouraged to take some to distribute. There was more discussion about whether the actual schedule should be included. Ellie will check on the cost of attaching a tear-off pad to each poster.

Political Action

Val has been working with Mary Schonberger, Ron Adler, and Tom Henry to tackle various parts of the Title 21 draft. Dixie shared the vision statement developed by Chugiak and supported by Birchwood, South Fork, and Eagle River Valley.

Vision Statement: Chugiak is a rural area of large, forested lots which house single families. Residences are conveniently located near small businesses which are oriented to supporting the local neighborhoods.

Chugiak wishes to preserve the stability of our community and promote its continuity. We will protect the character of our community, our historical identity, and our natural environment. Our intent is for Chugiak to remain a rural/suburban area with larger residential, single-family, treed lots. It is also our intent to promote local business and industry that is compatible with our primary residential occupancy.

On Saturday at Jitters, there will be a meeting of people talking about Title 21’s impact on the area and the possibility of creating a separate chapter in Title 21 for the Chugiak-Eagle River area.

Education Programs

December’s program will be a Networking and Social event with a chance to learn about other area dog clubs and organizations and their volunteer opportunities, as well as recruit volunteers for our club.

January’s program will be Rehabilitation and Recovery, for both dog and musher.
February will be Planned Parenthood for Dogs: To breed or not to breed
March will be a month off.
April will be our Canine Athlete and Family Dog Symposium on April 8&9.

Old Business

Michelle Gavin approved the wording for the plaque on the stained glass piece dedicated to her father. She would also like to see a biography of Myron Gavin posted. This could be framed and placed near the stained glass piece.

We now have our permanent certificate of occupancy for the clubhouse.

Theresa is almost finished repairing and repainting our wooden sign that hangs at the corner of Birchwood Loop and Beach Lake Road. She says it is on its last legs and it may need be replaced soon.

New Business

Race Start Banner
Doug Stenerson is working on the idea of a race start banner. He has one price quote from Super Signs for a 3’ x 12’ banner with air holes for $538, including 2 revisions ($35/hour for additional revisions). Bill Waddell offered to donate a $100 gift certificate he has for Super Signs.

Bryan mentioned seeking sponsors for the banner and placing their logo on the banner. Or space could be left on the banner to attach sponsor logos when possible. Rex mentioned acquiring additional quotes. Colton motioned that the club continue to pursue the idea of getting a race start banner. Dixie seconded the motion.

Junior Assistance
Juniors are looking for volunteers with snow machines to help put up gates for races. Contact Ron if you are interested.

Race Rules
Two race rule changes were proposed:

Current Rule #1:
II. Pre-Race Procedure
B. Eligibility of Dogs, Teams, Drivers
10. All dogs must be properly harnessed in the team.
a. All dogs except the lead dog(s) must be fastened with necklines.
b. The lead dog(s) may run with or without a neckline.

Proposed Rule Change #1:
II. Pre-Race Procedure
B. Eligibility of Dogs, Teams, Drivers
10. All dogs must be properly harnessed in the team. Equipment and team configurations deemed unsafe by race officials is prohibited.

-or-

10. All dogs must be properly harnessed in the team. Musher must be able to demonstrate reasonable control over the safety of team.

Current Rule #2:
II. Pre-Race Procedure
D. Equipment
3. Prohibited
d. Cable necklines will be banned from all races.

Proposed Rule Change #2:
No specific proposed language submitted but the following rationale was provided for eliminating cable necklines as a prohibited item.

“Cold Spot makes a cable gangline that contains a cable neckline; however, the neckline is attached to the gangline by an S hook. It is much easier for the S hook to break than the poly neckline. We should let the mushers use either poly or the cable as long as it has a break-away feature in them.”

Discussion about proposed race rule #1: Some members felt that the current suggested wording would leave too much leeway for the race marshal who cannot be expected to judge a team under reasonable control at the start of a race. Proponents of the rule change felt that by neglecting to change this rule again this year would discourage several distance mushers from participating in Chugiak’s longer races. Opponents felt that not using necklines on our narrow trails was a recipe for disaster, making passes dangerous or impossible. There was discussion about whether or not a team could move into another team on the trail more readily with or without necklines.

The following wording was arrived upon; Eric motioned to approve the change and Bryan seconded the motion. The motion was approved with a handful of opposing votes.

II. Pre-Race Procedure
B. Eligibility of Dogs, Teams, Drivers
10. All dogs must be properly harnessed in the team.
a. The use of necklines is optional.
b. Mushers unable to control their teams may be disqualified.

The second proposed rule change was discussed but no motions for changes were put forth.

ASDRA Trails
Ken Ford from ASDRA attended and presented an overview of the recent changes to ASDRA’s trail system. A new location for the staging area and trail system access has been identified. Work parties will continue every Saturday at 10am to clear trails before the snow falls. Anyone interested in helping should come out to the Chugach Electric substation. (club meeting at 10am, work party at 10:20am. If you would like to help out, just show up!

One downside to the new area is that it is controlled by Parks & Rec and the gate needs to remain locked. Club members will have keys to the gate, which will need to be opened and locked each time someone passes through. The area also has no facilities or lights.

Clubhouse
The electrical hookup came in under budget so MEA will be refunding $740 to Parks & Rec. Ron will check with Parks & Rec about who is responsible for paying the electric bill for the clubhouse.

Miscellaneous
Kathryn Hill introduced herself. She is new to the area from Wisconsin and is very interested in getting involved in mushing.

Fort Rich permits do not need to be renewed if you already have one. If you do not have one, go to the front gate between 8 and 5 on weekdays, or 9 and 12 on Saturdays and you can get a permit.

Juniors have raised $90 for their club selling straw. About 100 bales are picked up each week for sale. They are $6.75 each and are local. Contact Rex to purchase straw.

Next Meeting
The next general meeting will be on Wednesday, November 16th at 7pm at the clubhouse.

Meeting adjourned at 8:02pm.

Education Program
Dr. Jim Hagee presented information about Dog Foot Care.