Author: Doug Heady (Page 3 of 4)

Please Help Support the Costs of Winter Trail Grooming at DTE Energy Foundation Trail

Please purchase a grooming badge and sticker from us for $25 if you use the groomed trails at DTE this winter.  All badge proceeds go into grooming costs – fuel, equipment maintenance, etc.  Grooming badges will be mailed out on Friday of each week.  Please display them proudly, hanging them from your saddle, pack or jacket so that everyone can see you are a supporter!

Purchase DTE Trail Grooming Badge

https://squareup.com/store/PotoMBA/

This winter, the Potawatomi Mountain Biking Association is embarking on an effort to give DTE Energy Foundation Trail users an epic “Four Season” trail experience.

We have planned out three groomed loops at DTE to give fat tire bikers, cross-country skiers and snowshoers the ultimate winter flow trail experience. The three loops will include all of the Green Lake Loop, the “lowland” parts of Big Kame just west of Green Lake Loop, and (hopefully!) all of the 8 mile Winn Loop which formally opened last August. These three groomed loops – Green Lake (5.2 miles), Kame Lowlands (just over 1 mile) and Winn Loop (8 miles) – will provide just over 14 miles of winter groomed trail to explore.

Grooming costs money!

The Poto Chapter uses a snowmobile and a recently purchased Snowdog track sled to groom with two different propriety singletrack groomers designed by Helzemco, a design, prototyping and fabricating engineering firm located just north of Chelsea. The Snowdog groomer cost around $4,000. Add to this the costs of fuel for the groomers and parts, maintenance and labor, and grooming becomes a worthwhile, but costly endeavor! For this reason, we are asking you, our groomed trail users, for targeting giving to fund the costs of grooming at DTE. If you are a regular groomed trail user at DTE, please consider donating to the cause. This is best done by clicking below and paying directly into our DTE Trail Grooming Fund.

The groomed portions of the trail have just recently been marked with maps and directions. Look for signage and maps on the trail and at the trail head off M-52. We will also soon be identifying each of the three loops with the DTE Winter Trail Groom Arctic Fox logo on this page. Green Loop will be marked with fluorescent green versions of the logo, Kame Lowlands with fluoro blue and Winn with fluoro orange. We will also be posting more information on groomed trail etiquette on the trail head kiosk.

What is “Winter Groomed Trail Etiquette”?

When sufficient snowfall exists on the trail (typically 4”-5” or more) such that it would impede regular foot and bike use, we will be grooming the trail to provide for a hard, compacted trail tread (surface). While this trail tread is firm, it still does not lend itself to normal season foot and bike tire use. Normal foot use will “post hole” (create deep depressions) and normal bike tire use (under 3.8”) will “pizza cut” (create deep, meandering channels) in the groomed tread, rendering it less-than-satisfying for all users. For this reason, when trail is groomed, it is:

ONLY OPEN FOR USE BY FAT TIRE BIKERS, CROSS-COUNTRY SKIERS AND SNOWSHOERS.

The equipment utilized for these uses all create “floatation” which suspend the user on the top of the trail tread without “breaking through”. We respectfully ask that normal foot and narrower tire mountain bikes stay off the groomed trail and turn their use to the plethora of other non-groomed trails and pathways in the local area. Fat tire bikes should be over 3.8” in width, and run under 10 p.s.i. in each tire (around 5 p.s.i. is typical).

For updates on groomed trail conditions throughout the winter, please visit our DTE Trail Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/dtetrail

DTE Trail – Winter Snow Grooming Map (PDF Document)

Enjoy your winter trail experience!

Follow link below to donate to the DTE Trail Grooming Fund.

Donate to the DTE Trail Grooming Fund

https://squareup.com/store/PotoMBA/

Saturday, January 26, 2019 at 10 AM – 3 PM

Join us for a fat filled day of racing and fun. Support the Poto Chapter with this fundraiser race. All profits will go directly to the Poto Chapter. The course will be groomed provided we have snow. We plan on utilizing Pinckney recreations campground, the closed off portion of silver hill road, silver lake’s beach, and of course we will head out on the ice. No snow? No problem! If we don’t have snow we will set up a fat cross style race, really we want any excuse to get outside and have some fun while supporting our favorite group of mountain bikers. Registration is open. There will be an “A Group” race (45 minutes plus a lap) and a B Group race (30 minutes plus a lap)

Register on BikeReg – Poto Fat-Fest Bike Race

Facebook Event Page – https://www.facebook.com/events/2163087880596675/

Hosted by Plot-Gnar Promotions, Wheels in Motion, Potawatomi Mountain Bike Association

Location: 8555 Silver Hill Rd, Pinckney, MI 48169, USA

Did you know that the Poto MBA’s trail maintenance needs are higher than EVER before?

1) Our chapter has more trail mileage than ever before! AWESOME!!! But, it’s a significant increase in maintenance for an extremely small volunteer base.

2) We still have trail to build at DTE. But, the Green Lake and Big Kame loops are now well established and have transitioned into maintenance mode.

3) Lastly, many of our chapter’s flagship trails are on state land where precautions are in place to protect the threatened Massasauga rattlesnake. What does this mean for us? We have to maintain the trail corridors on a much more frequent basis, and this is a SIGNIFICANT amount of work. More than ever before. The TC’s really need help with this.

Trail coordinators are seeking trail section adopters, regular mowing help, and routine maintenance at the Poto MBA trails listed below:

Poto

Brighton

Morton-Taylor

Sharon Mills

We are actively seeking YOUR help. This means you! And your brother. And your friends. And their friends, too. If you would like to help, please send an email to volunteer@3.23.157.82 and indicate which trail you want to help maintain. Your message will be forwarded to the appropriate Trail Coordinator.

Help is needed at DTE Energy Foundation Trail, too! For DTE, we have developed  maps (Green Lake map and Big Kame map) for section adoption and a Sign Up Genius for volunteers. Reserve your section today before it’s gone!! You may also email volunteer@dtetrail.org if you have questions specifically about maintenance needs at DTE.

Never volunteered before? Not sure what a section adopter means? You can click here for a reference guide.

Thanks for volunteering! Don’t forget to log your volunteer hours! Tracking the time you contribute to a trail and reporting it is one of the most important things you can do to help us build and maintain great relationships with land managers.

The Potawatomi Mountain Biking Association is proud to announce our partnership with Bicycle Alliance of Washtenaw. Their mission is to foster better bicycling opportunities and outcomes in and around the greater Washtenaw area by sharing the collective resources and knowledge of area organizations and enthusiasts. Look for future Poto chapter events on the official BAW calendar.

BAW has a a local summit planned on February 11th in Ann Arbor during which they will discuss actionable solutions for the upcoming year around the themes of Community, Culture, Education, and Infrastructure. Consider participating in the summit to bring some mountain biking perspective to the table. This would be an excellent opportunity to have a break out session to discuss trail ettiquette education, for example. Hope to have some Poto MBA representation there.

BAW website: https://www.bikewashtenaw.org/

Summit: https://www.facebook.com/events/353365395132733??ti=ia

You have reached the Old News Archive.

To find the New Poto News go to the following link

http://3.23.157.82/category/news-events/

Sorry for the in convenience.