KALISPELL - The Flathead National Forest is beefing up patrols and getting tougher on snowmobilers who venture into areas where they're not supposed to.
Forest officials say snowmobile trespassing into designated wilderness and other areas where motor vehicles are forbidden is becoming an increasing problem in the region. Last year, we had a significant amount of snowmobile trespass in the Mission Mountain Wilderness and the Jewel Basin and some other closure areas," said Steve Brady, ranger of the Flathead forest's Swan Lake District. The problem appears to be continuing this season and is one "that we need to address with more observation and enforcement," he said.
Forest Service officers plan stepped up patrols from the ground and by air to catch snowmobilers who cross boundaries, and there will be stiffer punishment for those who are caught, Brady said.
The Forest Service will pursue mandatory court appearances, as opposed to issuing citations at the scene, in most cases. Past fines have averaged about $200, but Brady said the agency will seek higher fines - up to $500 - and snowmobiles may be impounded until a case is resolved or the fine is paid, Brady said.
Denise Germann, a spokeswoman for the Flathead National Forest, said Monday that the heavier penalties are intended to let violators know the agency takes the trespassing seriously.
We've got over 200 miles of groomed trails in the Flathead and lots of other areas for snowmobilers, she said. So we're asking people just to respect those areas that are off limits. We are trying to educate people that these are not the appropriate places to be snowmobiling.
Brady added, however, that officers will have discretion in issuing smaller fines in cases in which it's clear snowmobilers inadvertently ended up in closed areas.
But many of the cases involve snowmobilers traveling deep into closed areas, judging from snowmobile tracks that have been seen from aerial patrols already this year, he said.
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."
Violations tend to increase in the latter months of winter, when the snowpack settles and snowmobiles are able to travel deeper into the backcountry.