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DNR board sets speed limit

Exceeding 50 mph will cost nighttime snowmobilers $150

By MEG JONES
of the Journal Sentinel staff

Madison - Snowmobilers will no longer be able to speed across frozen lakes or zoom over trails at more than 50 mph at night under an emergency rule passed by the Natural Resources Board on Wednesday.

In response to a record number of snowmobile deaths, which numbered 38 last season, alarmed DNR officials proposed several ways to make the sport safer, such as increasing the number of wardens to enforce snowmobile laws, toughening drunken snowmobiling laws and creating a nighttime speed limit of 50 mph.

But a snowmobile enforcement bill died in the Legislature earlier this year, which left the Natural Resources Board as the last resort to make snowmobile trails safer this winter season.

The speed limit goes into effect as soon as a legal notice is published, which probably means that as of Dec. 14, snowmobilers will have to throttle back their engines as soon as it gets dark, said Karl Brooks, DNR snowmobile and ATV administrator.

The speed limit is in effect only for this winter season. Board members said they hoped the Legislature takes up the issue at its next session. If it doesn't, the DNR board can pass another emergency rule next year.

Of last season's 38 deaths, 10 were attributed to speeding while 14 others could have been avoided if drivers had slowed to avoid hazards at night, Brooks told the board. Of the 24 speed-related deaths, 21 involved alcohol. The number of fatalities could have been higher, because the season lasted only seven weeks.

"From the start of the first fatal crash to the last fatal, one snowmobiler died every 40 hours in Wisconsin," Brooks said. "As you may recall, the snowmobile season was abruptly halted by unusually warm weather in February. Had this warm spell not occurred, it is estimated the death toll would have been 50."

Board member Catherine Stepp criticized a nighttime speed limit, saying the majority of law-abiding snowmobile enthusiasts will be penalized for the actions of a few who drink too much before getting on their machines.

"I do not understand how imposing a 50 mph speed limit will prevent people from partaking of alcohol and killing themselves," said Stepp, who said she enjoys snowmobiling with her family.

"What I'm worried about is we'll start with a nighttime speed limit and then soon there will be a daytime speed limit," said Stepp, adding, "I don't think regulations will change people's behavior."

Brooks said Minnesota has had a 50 mph speed limit both day and night for snowmobiles since the late 1960s. Last season there were 17 snowmobile enthusiasts killed in Minnesota, less than half the number in Wisconsin.

Brooks also said that a Minnesota study showed that a snowmobiler driving at 40 mph would need an average of 220 feet to stop while the machine's headlights allow the driver to see only 200 feet. Wisconsin snowmobile organizations such as the Wisconsin Association of Snowmobile Clubs are backing a night speed limit. Snowmobile groups have recognized that something must be done to prevent so many injuries and deaths, said Mark Larsen, chairman of the state Snowmobile Recreation Council.

"It's coming down from the Legislature that if we don't do something to police ourselves, they'll do it for us," Larsen said.

The problem with driving a snowmobile too fast at night is that snowmobilers often over-drive their headlights or don't see hazards such as ice chunks, tree stumps or open water until it's too late. Of the deaths in Wisconsin in the last nine years, three-quarters occurred when it was dark, said James Langdon, vice chairman of the snowmobile council.

But Stepp said the speed limit will have little effect on the death toll. "I see this as a Band-Aid that's not really solving the problem," she said.

However, board member Trygve Solberg said a speed limit will give wardens a reason to stop snowmobilers who are driving too fast and check to see whether they're drunk.

Driving a snowmobile too fast while it's dark will cost speeders $150. The DNR defines the hours of darkness as half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. There were 550,000 snowmobile users in Wisconsin last year with 214,000 registered machines, according to the DNR.

Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Dec. 7, 2000.

The trail has been closed due to the damage done by carbides and stud equipped machines. This portion of the trail was paved for the "roller bladers" and "bicycle riders". Previously the trail consisted of hard packed crushed limestone. Hard packed crushed limestone makes for a multipurpose use trail, by paving the trail, use is now limited to a select few. All of the other multipurpose trails in the state are made of crushed limestone. Bicycle riders are able to use this type of surface, however, roller bladers are not.

This is an unacceptable decision to close a portion of the trail to snowmobilers. It was the snowmobilers and their clubs that built the trail. Snowmobilers paid for and put in all the bridges and other improvements neccessary on this trail. To then take it away from snowmobilers is unfair to say the least. This is a public use trail and should be open to everyone to use, not paved and then limited to a select few.

The Wisconsin DNR has an opportunity this year to pave an additional portion of the Drumlin Trail (Wales to Dousman) which would surely close that portion as well to snowmobilers. This option is on hold until either a statewide policy is developed through the meetings of trail users or through working with local snowmobile users for an acceptable solution that will protect important links to club and county trails.

People, we need to act now to protect the Glacial Drumlin Trail from any future paving. Don't think for once that since you might not use this trail that paving of trails is limited to the Glacial Drumlin Trail. Many other trails in Wisconsin are being considered for paving and thereby limiting use to a select few by closing it to snowmobilers. If you are not a member of a snowmobile club, then join one and get involved. Protect your sport! Below is a list of people to contact about this, call everyone and let them know.

The below links open a new browser window, simply close that window when done by clicking the small "x" in the upper right corner of the new window. Do not forget to let your State Representative know as well. Simply click on the name of your representative to obtain their phone number or email them. If you don't know who your representative is, then click here to find out who they are.

Paul Sandgren, Supt.
Southern Unit - Kettle Moraine
Wisconsin DNR
State Forest Team
262-594-6204

Western Drumlin Contact
262-648-8774

Eastern Drumlin Contact
262-646-3025

Harold Butschke
President of Waukesha County Snowmobile Association
262-567-7295

Below is an article that appeared in The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on January 23, 2000

Snowmobilers riled by trail closing.

Written: Jan. 23, 2000

With hundreds of acres of prime farmland and woodlands being lost to development each year in Waukesha County, snowmobilers are finding it harder to conduct their winter sport on rural trails.

The recent announcement by the state Department of Natural Resources to ban snowmobiles for the first time on seven miles of a state-paved trail in Waukesha County also has focused attention on decreasing miles of snowmobile trails.

"We're losing trails to subdivision and expansion of communities," said George Edwards, former president of the Dousman Snowtroopers Snowmobile Club.

The loss of the seven miles on the Glacial Drumlin Trail only makes matters worse for snowmobilers, he said.

The ban on snowmobiling on a portion of the 48.5-mile Glacial Drumlin Trail from Waukesha to Cottage Grove was prompted by damage to the asphalt paving and decking on wooden bridges from carbide studs on snowmobile tracks.

The studs on the snowmobile tracks create grooves and ruts in the pavement and chew up wooden decking on bridges.

With another six miles of the Glacial Drumlin Trail scheduled to be paved from Wales to Dousman this year, snowmobilers fear that trail and additional routes will be lost.

"If they (DNR) pave the trail into Dousman, they will cut off one of our outlets to go from Dousman to Highway 67 into the Oconomowoc-North Lake-Ixonia area," Edwards said.

He predicted "that trail will be shut down" by the DNR when the paving is complete.

The condition of the trails has pitted the snowmobilers against in-line skaters and roller-skiers, who rely on smooth pavement for their sports.

"When you are going down the trail and you hit that bumpy stuff, it gets kind of treacherous," said Dennis Krueger of Wales, a roller-skier. "We want to stay off the road as much as we can. We need smooth pavement.

"We pay trail fees to have smooth asphalt. It seems to be not fair if we are paying $10 and don't have decent trails and have to go back on the roads where it's dangerous."

But Edwards also raised the fairness issue.

"I think the snowmobilers have done a lot of work on the (Glacial Drumlin Trail)," Edwards said. "You don't see the bikers, walkers and roller-bladers working on them. The snowmobilers are getting short-changed."

Edwards noted that the Snowtroopers supplied the labor and the hand tools for building two bridges on the Glacial Drumlin Trail.

"The Snowtroopers built two bridges so we had something to go across between Dousman and Jefferson," Edwards said. "Before that, they were just railroad trestles."

Snowmobilers also note they help the Sheriff's Department in snow emergencies. In past years when snowstorms have stranded people on highways or in their homes, snowmobile riders have taken people to safety or to hospitals for emergency care.

Paul Sandgren, superintendent of the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, said the DNR and the Waukesha County Snowmobile Alliance are working to find a parallel trail on private land adjacent to the paved portion of the Glacial Drumlin Trail to accommodate snowmobile users.

"We're working to find an alternative route," Sandgren said.

Harold Butschke, a member of the Waukesha County Snowmobile Alliance, said snowmobilers from throughout the area are concerned about the continued loss of snowmobile trails in Waukesha County. Since 1981, he said, the county has lost 70 miles of trails to development.

According to the Waukesha County Snowmobile Alliance, there are 109 miles of snowmobile trails in the county on private land and 56 miles on state lands in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. County parks feature another 10 miles of trails.

Meanwhile, the demand for the trails remains high. Waukesha County ranks third in the state with 8,914 registered snowmobilers, up about 100 compared with 20 years ago. And many out-of-county snowmobilers use trails in Waukesha County.

Statewide, the number of snowmobile owners has grown to 214,600, up from 176,0000 in 1980.

The Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs recently took a position against future paved trail development on abandoned railroad rights of way if the trails can't be used by snowmobilers.

The issue of banning snowmobiles from a state trail sparked the interest of legislators, including Republican Reps. Steve Nass of Whitewater and Dan Vrakas of Hartland.

In a letter to DNR Secretary George Meyer, Nass complained about the closing of the paved portion of Glacial Drumlin Trail to snowmobilers.

"As you can imagine, the prohibition of snowmobiles on this trail has caused great concern among the numerous citizens that use the trail for this purpose," Nasswrote. "I believe your review of this situation is necessary to protect the interest of snowmobilers."

Vrakas, who represents the area in Waukesha County with the Glacial Drumlin Trail, said he hoped snowmobilers and other recreation users of the former railroad right of way don't get involved in a conflict over who funds trails and their use.

"There are a lot of good trails," Vrakas said. "We should be able to come up with a reasonable solution for motorized use and non-motorized use of the trails.

"Obviously, if carbide studs are damaging asphalt, we need to come up with a solution. The snowmobilers do pay a lot for trails that are used by many."

Vrakas said, however, the majority of fees paid on the Glacial Drumlin Trail come from warm-weather users such as bicyclists and in-line skaters.

For the most part, snowmobilers insist the studs make it safer to ride by allowing for quicker stops and easier turns.

But Clarence Wahlforth of New Berlin, who has driven his snowmobiles on Waukesha County trails for 30 years, said he sees no need for studs.

"There's a very small percentage of riders using studs," he said. "They want high performance and speed. For trail riding, I have never seen the need for studs."

While $20 snowmobile registration fees go toward state trail maintenance and construction, none of the snowmobile money was used to pave the Glacial Drumlin Trail four years ago.

The $180,000 for paving the trail came from the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and from the state's Stewardship Fund for recreation and conservation purposes.

The federal fund is aimed at promoting alternate transportation to highway and freeway use by promoting bicycle use on former railroad beds.

The Glacial Drumlin Trailis maintained and patrolled by wardens through the sale of $10 annual user passes, purchased by bicyclists and in-line skaters.

In 1996 before the trail was paved, $44,000 in trail passes were purchased by bicyclists. Once the trail was paved, Sandgren said, bicyclists and in-line skaters purchased trail passes totaling $68,000 in 1998.

Sandgren said the passes purchased by bicyclists and skaters give them a stake in how the trail should be managed.

"We realize that this is not a simple trail problem," he said. "Our Bureau of Parks is going to be gathering informationfrom a variety of trail users to try and determine a policy on paving of trails and the use of carbide studs on snowmobiles."

Sandgren said the public is invited to send comments on the issue to him at the DNR's Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest office at S91-W39091 Highway 59, Eagle, WI 53119.

Snowmobile Groups File Lawsuit to Overturn
Yellowstone Ban
The Associated Press

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Snowmobile makers and enthusiasts sued to end a ban on the machines in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

The groups filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday against the National Park Service, which announced the ban last month to protect the parks' natural beauty and wildlife.

"The federal government's decision is badly flawed. There is no basis in fact or law to totally eliminate snowmobile use," said Ed Klim, president of the International Snowmobiling Manufacturers Association.

The ban is expected to cost the region $16.5 million and about 400 jobs.

The group said snowmobiles do not disrupt wildlife and emit less pollution than the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that pass through the park each summer.

In a report released last year, the Park Service found that snowmobiles produce nearly all the air pollution in Yellowstone. Snowmobiles emit 100 times as much carbon monoxide and 300 times as much hydrocarbons as automobiles.

John Catton, a spokesman for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition conservation group, called the lawsuit unfortunate but not unexpected. He said the snowmobile ban is "rooted in science, law and extensive public comment."

Recreational use of snowmobiles was already limited at nearly all national parks, recreational areas and monuments. Teton and Yellowstone had been exempt.

Snowmobile use will be phased out beginning next year and will be banned by winter 2003-04. The only motorized, recreational access to the parks will be by snow coaches, which usually carry eight to 10 passengers.

What caused the lawsuit? Read below

To all Snowmobilers,

Apr 26, 2000
Next Winter's Snows Will Find Fewer Snowmobiles in Many National Parks
By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - By next winter, visitors to many of the national parks may be limited in their use of snowmobiles and barred from using them altogether in some places.

The National Park Service is announcing this week new restrictions on the use of snowmobiles for recreation at more than two dozen parks, monuments, recreational areas and other federal park units, government and private sources said. In some cases snowmobiles may be banned, according to sources, who asked not to be identified further.

Snowmobiles are allowed in more than 40 park units from Acadia National Park in Maine to California's Sequoia National Park and numerous parks in the Northwest and Alaska.

As the vehicles have grown in popularity in recent years, however, a growing number of complaints have been filed by park visitors annoyed by their noise and pollution. Some opponents of snowmobile use say the vehicles also do damage to the parks.

An announcement on "measures to halt recreational use of snowmobiles" in national parks is to be made at a news conference Thursday, the Interior Department said in an advisory, adding that the aim is to "halt the escalating recreational use of snowmobiles" within the park system.

Additional details about the decision were unavailable.

Environmental groups and the National Parks and Conservation Association, a private park advocacy group, have argued that the Park Service has failed for years to enforce existing regulations against recreational snowmobiling at many national parks.

Under regulations dating from the 1970s, the Park Service is required to monitor off-road vehicle use, including snowmobiles, and prohibit such uses if it is determined that they cause environmental damage, said Kevin Collins of the National Parks and Conservation Association.

Instead, the Park Service has allowed virtually unrestricted access to snowmobiles in many of the parks, "with almost no analysis of environmental effects," Collins said.

The decision dealing with snowmobiles is likely to affect many of the 28 parks outside of Alaska where snowmobiling now takes place, those familiar with the issue said Tuesday. Alaska is likely to be excluded from a snowmobile ban because parks in that state are governed by different regulations.

In addition, Collins said, the Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota is likely to be left out of the review because Congress specifically permitted snowmobile use when it created that park.

Following are park units outside Alaska where recreational snowmobiling is allowed, according to the National Parks and Conservation Association:

Appalachian National Scenic Trail; Acadia National Park in Maine; Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana and Wyoming; Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia; Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado; Cedar Breaks National Monument in Utah; Crater Lake National Park in Oregon; Curecanti National Recreation Area in Colorado;

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey and Pennsylvania; Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Utah; Grand Portage National Monument in Minnesota; Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming; Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in Iowa; John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway in Wyoming;

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, and Ross Lake National Recreation Area, all in Washington state; Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial in Ohio; Pictured Rocks National Seashore in Michigan; Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado; Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California; Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway in Wisconsin; Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota; Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota; Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana; Zion National Park in Utah.

April 27, 2000
The 27 national park units where snowmobiles are being banned immediately, according to the National Park Service:

National Parks