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ASPEN — The U.S. Forest Service's Aspen-Sopris Ranger District issued its first ticket of the season to a snowmobiler riding in a Wilderness area last weekend, forest protection ranger Kevin Warner said Wednesday.
A 30-year-old Denver man was cited on Sunday for illegal riding in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area roughly 3.5 miles south of Aspen Mountain along Richmond Ridge. The Forest Service doesn't release the name of a person cited until their case is resolved. The man was fined $500 and charged with a $25 processing fee. He has 30 days from the date of the alleged infraction to decide whether to fight the ticket, White River National Forest spokesman Pat Thrasher said.
Operating a motor vehicle in a Wilderness area can result in a fine of up to $5,000, six months in jail or both. It is standard procedure for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District to levy a $500 fine.
Warner said he was on patrol on a snowmobile Sunday when he popped out of the woods at a meadow on the east side of the county road on Richmond Ridge. He encountered a group on six snowmobiles. Most were parked on the road while eating their lunch. One was riding in the meadow, which Warner believes is well-marked as closed to snowmobiles.
Warner said it appeared the other riders had been riding in the meadow as well but he couldn't cite them because he didn't witness any illegal riding. Warner declined to discuss his conversation with the alleged illegal rider. “His friends definitely said they knew what was going on,” Warner said. He issued the notice violation without incident.
Warner said it is the responsibility of snowmobile riders to know the boundaries of Wilderness lands and other closed areas. Wilderness doesn't allow any motorized or mechanized travel.
Martha Moran, recreation and wilderness manager for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, said riding snowmobiles in Wilderness areas and other winter closure areas is a “problem” along Richmond Ridge, Independence Pass and the upper Castle Creek Valley toward Pearl Pass. All of the areas have restrictions that require sled riders to stick to developed roads. On Richmond Ridge, snowmobiles must stick to the country road until they are south of the Barnard ski hut.
Warner said it appears sled riders haven't ventured into closed areas as much along Richmond Ridge this winter. He was uncertain if increased compliance was because of below average snowfall or above average patrolling by the Forest Service. Forest Service personnel patrol the area about once a week, he said.
Many snowmobile riders like to play in large, open areas rather than on groomed trails. Warner recommends they explore the Four Mile area, Kobey Park and the Flat Tops area to the west and south of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. The recommendation for Kobey Park always irritates some Lenado property owners, who want snowmobile use restricted, at least until parking snafus are corrected.
Information about where snowmobiles can be legally operated on the White River National Forest can be obtained by going to the Forest's web page at www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/ and following the links to information on Travel Management.
scondon@aspentimes.com
A 30-year-old Denver man was cited on Sunday for illegal riding in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area roughly 3.5 miles south of Aspen Mountain along Richmond Ridge. The Forest Service doesn't release the name of a person cited until their case is resolved. The man was fined $500 and charged with a $25 processing fee. He has 30 days from the date of the alleged infraction to decide whether to fight the ticket, White River National Forest spokesman Pat Thrasher said.
Operating a motor vehicle in a Wilderness area can result in a fine of up to $5,000, six months in jail or both. It is standard procedure for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District to levy a $500 fine.
Warner said he was on patrol on a snowmobile Sunday when he popped out of the woods at a meadow on the east side of the county road on Richmond Ridge. He encountered a group on six snowmobiles. Most were parked on the road while eating their lunch. One was riding in the meadow, which Warner believes is well-marked as closed to snowmobiles.
Warner said it appeared the other riders had been riding in the meadow as well but he couldn't cite them because he didn't witness any illegal riding. Warner declined to discuss his conversation with the alleged illegal rider. “His friends definitely said they knew what was going on,” Warner said. He issued the notice violation without incident.
Warner said it is the responsibility of snowmobile riders to know the boundaries of Wilderness lands and other closed areas. Wilderness doesn't allow any motorized or mechanized travel.
Martha Moran, recreation and wilderness manager for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, said riding snowmobiles in Wilderness areas and other winter closure areas is a “problem” along Richmond Ridge, Independence Pass and the upper Castle Creek Valley toward Pearl Pass. All of the areas have restrictions that require sled riders to stick to developed roads. On Richmond Ridge, snowmobiles must stick to the country road until they are south of the Barnard ski hut.
Warner said it appears sled riders haven't ventured into closed areas as much along Richmond Ridge this winter. He was uncertain if increased compliance was because of below average snowfall or above average patrolling by the Forest Service. Forest Service personnel patrol the area about once a week, he said.
Many snowmobile riders like to play in large, open areas rather than on groomed trails. Warner recommends they explore the Four Mile area, Kobey Park and the Flat Tops area to the west and south of the Flat Tops Wilderness Area. The recommendation for Kobey Park always irritates some Lenado property owners, who want snowmobile use restricted, at least until parking snafus are corrected.
Information about where snowmobiles can be legally operated on the White River National Forest can be obtained by going to the Forest's web page at www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/ and following the links to information on Travel Management.
scondon@aspentimes.com
