Forest Service cracks down on illegal snowmobiling
The Daily Inter Lake
The Flathead National Forest is intensifying aerial and ground patrols to crack down on illegal snowmobiling in closed areas.
Forest officials also are recommending stiffer penalties, prompted in part by several violations in designated wilderness and the Jewel Basin Hiking Area this winter.
Law-enforcement officers on the forest dealt with 20 snowmobilers violating restrictions in February and March, public affairs spokeswoman Denise Germann said.
Fines for operating a snowmobile in a nonmotorized area range from $200 to $5,000. Additional penalties depend on the circumstances of the violation, and on the discretion of the U.S. magistrate.
"We are recommending stiff penalties on snowmobile travel violations," Hungry Horse District Ranger Jimmy DeHerrera said, "especially if extensive search-and-rescue efforts are needed and this puts others at risk. This needs to stop."
During one Forest Service patrol operation this season, 10 people admitted they had been riding in the Bunker Creek area on the east side of the Swan Divide north of Inspiration Pass, an area closed to snowmobiles. Forest officials issued one ticket. Two people died in snowmobile accidents there in 1998 and 2000.
In another patrol, five citations were issued as snowmobilers left the Mission Mountains Wilderness, an area closed to motorized vehicles since 1975. One member of the party also was ticketed for trying to flee. One person died in the mid-1990s while snowmobiling there illegally.
On March 1, three snowmobilers rode in the Jewel Basin illegally. Ryan Rogers triggered an avalanche and was buried in snow for nearly eight hours, prompting massive rescue efforts by family, friends and Flathead County search-and-rescue teams.
The incident is under investigation and charges are pending.
Three days after Rogers' near-fatal incident, Forest Service law officers found two more people snowmobiling in the same area. They were ticketed.
Swan Lake District Ranger Steve Brady and Spotted Bear District Ranger Deb Mucklow called for the public to contact a local Forest Service office about illegal snowmobiling they may witness or hear about.
"Responsible riders do not ride in closed areas," Brady said. "Irresponsible riders put others at risk when they have problems in these remote areas."