Snowmobile patrols get tougher

Flathead National Forest is beefing up its monitoring and enforcement efforts against snowmobile trespass in wilderness and other areas closed to motorized use.

Swan Lake District Ranger Steve Brady said snowmobile trespass has become a chronic problem, particularly in the Mission Mountain Wilderness and the Jewel Basin Hiking Area on the Swan Mountain Range.

"Last year, we had a significant amount of snowmobile trespass in the Mission Mountain Wilderness and the Jewel Basin and some other closure areas," Brady said. "They were recurring. They occurred all through the season. I think we had a few citations, but we see the problem as a continuing one that we need to address with more observation and enforcement."

Brady said the forest has taken steps to beef up patrols on the ground and from the air to catch snowmobilers who have crossed boundaries into closed areas.

And there will be stiffer punishment for those who are caught, he added.

The Forest Service will pursue mandatory court appearances, as opposed to issuing citations and allowing violators to settle fines outside the courtroom. Past fines have averaged about $200, but now the agency will seek $500 fines and snowmobiles will be impounded until cases are adjudicated and fines are paid.

"There will be tougher fines" in most cases, Brady said, although there could be lesser penalties, depending on circumstances. Some cases, for instance, involve people who are unaware of closure boundaries.

But many more involve trespassers who encroach deeply into areas closed to motorized use, judging from snowmobile tracks that have been seen from aerial patrols.

"We've already observed some this season," Brady said. "But you don't tend to see as much this time of year because the snow is soft and it's hard for even experts with powerful machines to get around in that kind of country."

The annual rash of snowmobile trespassing typically gets under way in the latter months of winter, when the snowpack settles and snowmobiles are able to travel deeper into the backcountry.

"We consider this a problem," Brady said. "We're going to be patrolling to try to catch folks."

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com