Snowmobile permits now available
by Bridger-Teton National Forest
November 8, 2010
The Bridger-Teton National Forest is now selling 2011 Wyoming Snowmobile permits. Permits are available to purchase at the Kemmerer, Big Piney, Greys River, Pinedale, and Buffalo Ranger Stations, as well as the Interagency Visitor Center in Jackson. For a complete list of locations, go to http://wyotrails.state.wy.us/Snow/Permits/index.asp.
Permits are also available on-line at http://wyotrails.state.wy.us/Snow/index.asp or by calling 1-877-996-7275, Visa and Mastercard accepted. Prices are $25 for both resident and non-resident permits with an option of donating $1 to Wyoming Search and Rescue.
Snowmobile trail maps are also available and can currently be downloaded off of the Wyoming State Trails website http://wyotrails.state.wy.us/Maps/index.asp.
The State of Wyoming requires that all snowmobile operators obtain and display a registration sticker prior to recreating on public lands within the state. This includes Forest Service and BLM lands, as well as any state lands where snowmobiles are allowed. Funds generated are used by the state to groom and improve snowmobile trail and winter recreation opportunities throughout Wyoming.
Snowpoles and trail junction signs will be placed on groomed trails throughout the Bridger – Teton National Forest. These funds are also used to sponsor avalanche awareness courses offered throughout the state, which are free to residents and visitors alike.
Bridger-Teton National Forest Winter Sports Administrator, Ray Spencer stated that, "The focus of our patrol effort is safety and education. Proper placement of your registration sticker is also required. Snowmobilers need to display the stickers on the exterior of the machine. Either on the left side of the hood or the tunnel and not out of plain sight like on the clutch cover. "
Another important element to these patrols is the enforcement of critical winter range closure areas which have been designated as essential to the survival of our wildlife. Enforcing these closure areas reduces stress on wildlife using the area during otherwise difficult winter conditions, preventing ungulates like deer, elk and moose, from using energy they cannot spare during our long cold winters. When people encroach upon the winter ranges, it usually displaces the animals to areas less suitable for grazing and/or browsing, preventing them from gathering the energy they need to survive through the remaining months of winter. This leads to a weakened condition, which can have a direct effect on the animals’ ability to defend itself, making it more susceptible to predation and disease, and can lead to future reproduction problems in individual animals.
Forest visitors who plan to recreate either motorized or non-motorized on public lands are urged to check current conditions, know the location of winter range closure areas and be aware of agency winter recreation rules and regulations. For information on weather and winter closure areas, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf/conditions/ for avalanche conditions go to http://www.jhavalanche.org
For additional information, please contact your local Forest Service Office.
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