DNR stepping up snowmobile patrols for holiday weekend

As snowmobilers hit the trails this weekend, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is stepping up its patrols in an effort to ensure everyone makes it home safely.

Anticipating the increase in snowmobile traffic, the DNR announced Thursday it and its law enforcement partners will be conducting group patrols to help ensure snowmobilers “Ride Right.”

“It’s always a really busy weekend,” Sgt. Jerry Fitzgibbon said in the announcement. “We want everyone to know ahead of time that there will be an increased presence of officers conducting snowmobile patrols.”

The most recent snowmobile fatality in the state happened Wednesday night near Sault Ste. Marie.

Fitzgibbon, who is the DNR’s acting district law supervisor for the eastern Upper Peninsula, said he hopes the increased officer presence decreases the number of snowmobile injuries, fatalities and noise complaints.

Five snowmobile fatalities occurred in Michigan on the Friday of last year’s Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, four of which occurred in the U.P.

Alcohol or drug use was confirmed in three of those events, according to the announcement.

There have been six snowmobile deaths in the 2019-20 snowmobile season, four of which happened in the U.P.

Fitzgibbon said poor visibility can also contribute to snowmobile accidents.

Along with promoting safe riding, officers are planning additional sound enforcement patrols to enforce local noise levels — particularly on trails that go through private property or near residential areas.

“There will be multiple sound enforcement patrols at various locations, on and off the trails,” said Lt. Ryan Aho, the DNR’s district law supervisor for the western U.P. “We don’t want to lose any more snowmobile trails because of noise complaints.”

Excessive noise has led landowners restricting access to more than 400 miles of trails that crossed their private properties.

The DNR urges all snowmobilers to take safety classes, regardless of age or experience. In Michigan, operators between the ages of 12-16 are required to take a Michigan-approved snowmobile safety course and obtain a snowmobile safety certificate to ride unsupervised or operate a snowmobile across a road.

For more information on snowmobiling in Michigan, visit Michigan.gov/snowmobiling.

—Richard Jenkins