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Zach Iverson, Sarah Fairbanks and Kayla Geike watched while Dalton Schreier showed the emergency shutoff safety device on his snowmobile.
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The topic for the Black Bear 4-H Club's Jan. 17 meeting was snowmobile safety and what more appropriate place to meet than the Gull Lake Drifters Snowmobile Club building in Nisswa.
Gov. Mark Dayton had proclaimed the week of Jan. 15-21 as Snowmobile Safety Week and suggestions for safe riding were shared with the club. Hopefully, the safety tips given with the proclamation will be on the minds of riders and reduce the number of accidents.
Dalton Schreier, first-time snowmobile owner and 4-H club member, brought his snowmobile and demonstrated safety features such as the emergency shutoff lanyard and showed proper clothing, helmet and goggles needed to stay safe while riding.
He also demonstrated how picks can be used to pull yourself out of the water in the event you fall through the ice.
Sarah Fairbanks, Black Bear 4-H Club president, said, "I enjoyed Dalton's presentation. He has shown extreme growth in the area of public speaking."
Another way to stay safe on the trails is to know where you are and how to get to your destination. Youth and adults used Crow Wing County Snowmobile Trail Association maps to learn about map markings and find trails located in Crow Wing and Cass counties.
Most exciting for the 4-H members was sitting in the driver's seat of the John Deere grooming tractor. Gull Lake Drifters groomer operator John Terwilliger answered questions about the tractor and grooming trails.
Meeting at different locations and learning about other organizations in the area creates community awareness on the part of the 4-H club youth and adults.
