Permit sales are way up in District 5. It amounts to a lot of money. If all the districts are up by a similar % then there will be a substancial offset for additional costs.  Also remember that if the OFSC hadn't sent additional $ to the Districts last spring the shortfall would have been much smaller. If there are no unexpectedly large expenditures required this season, I think they will be in decent shape by season end. JMHO

On paper there might not be - but in reality, too late to reverse things at this point.....look ahead to next year for some I guess. But does that 5 or so mil just a shortfall for this year, I think so, which means technically it is needed year after year, so permit increase has to happen or more grants, etc.....

Now that there is no trail closures I wonder if the OFSC gods will permit the ODSC to open and maintain the old Carden trails?   It’s brutal that a decision has been pushed back to mid-December.   Unless they knew this funding was coming.

So there are MOU's to catch up on, trails left without maintenance, fields unprepped, staking and signage to do in frozen ground, unpacked wet trails to navigate for the volunteer's, volunteer's that busted their asses and gave up their summer to work around the closure's and the list goes on.  All for a few dollars to float a broken system for a year and a big deficit within the next couple seasons again.  I agree with the opinion that the task is a little much to achieve this season.  Would have been nice to receive the financial assist to go along with the trail reduction plan. Thanks Doug, but it will most likely cost more to reopen lost trails and get equipment back up to par all at the risk of loosing the soul of the clubs. The Volunteers.  I'm still on my first morning coffee so my thought process may be a little scattered??

OTB. Agreed. So many people think that most sledders want highways for saddle bagging trips but IMO the reverse is true. It's the local loops that get the wives and kids and families out there and that's what keeps the sport going. If you lose the local loops, you lose that second/third machine that many people have. Less sleds, less permits.   OTB. Yes, I have been/was angry with all the extra work forced upon us this year with trail reductions/decommissioned only to have that all reversed. Slap in the face.   OTB. Volunteer burnout is real!! Especially this year with the ice storm cleanup. Many of us are almost there! Been out 3-5+ days a week for a while. However, I will be going south for a break next week to work on my tan and give my liver a good workout! May have a different attitude when I return. Maybe😉🤷   It's too late to start the trail reopening process. Clubs can't budget that much time towards it now. Plus trails now have a foot+ of snow on them. Maybe next year.