Forest to crack down on illegal snowmobiling

By MIKE MORRIS

The Stanislaus National Forest will bolster its patrols in coming weeks to catch snowmobilers riding out of bounds.

An airplane has been contracted to fly over the forest looking for snowmobiles in designated wilderness areas.

On the ground, forest protection and law enforcement officers will be on snowmobiles ready to track down those who are riding in restricted areas.

The dates of the patrols haven't been disclosed.

"We don't want to advertise the exact date and time because nobody's going to break the law then," said Heather Maffucci, an officer with the Summit Ranger District who has done winter snowmobile patrols in the past.

The airplane, a private plane under contract with the federal government, will fly over the Stanislaus and other national forests in California, in addition to Yosemite National Park.

Snowmobile violators will be tracked with global positioning system locators and video cameras. Those on the plane can communicate with officers on the ground to find violators and ticket them.

Stanislaus employees want to make sure people aren't riding in the forest's three designated wilderness areas — Carson-Iceberg, Emigrant and Mokelumne.

Those areas are closed to motor vehicles under the 1964 Wilderness Act.

"We want to maintain a pristine environment there," Maffucci said.

Those who ride in wilderness areas face a misdemeanor charge under federal law. A first-offense citation is a $500 fine. Repeat violators can be fined up to $5,000 and have their snowmobiles taken away.

In her 18 years as an officer on the Stanislaus, Maffucci has yet to impound a snowmobile.

However, she once almost arrested an irate man driving a snowmobile.

"Generally, it's a handful of the same people (who go into the wilderness areas)," she said.

Jim Scruggs, a part-time employee with the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department, regularly goes out on snowmobile patrols with a deputy.

A state grant allows the Sheriff's Department to patrol high-country snowmobile areas most weekends. Deputies check to see if vehicles in snowmobile parking lots have permits and if people take snowmobiles into wilderness areas, Scruggs said.

There are miles of groomed trails above the closure points on highways 108 and 4 in addition to Spicer Road in Calaveras County and Eagle Meadows Road in Tuolumne County.

Other snow-covered areas of the forest adjacent to these roads are open to snowmobiles as well.

Those using snowmobiles should check in at the ranger station closest to where they would be riding.

Trailheads and snowmobile launching points are posted with maps showing areas that are open to snowmobile use and wilderness areas that are off limits.

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