The State of Maine Snowmobile Program has been working in conjunction with Maine Snowmobile Association, Landowners, Snowmobile Clubs and the Maine Game Wardens dealing with un-wanted off-trail snowmobiling. This has been a subject in many conversations and has become more problematic over the years. As a lot of you already know, club volunteers have worked hard with private landowners developing and maintaining snowmobile trails. Developing a great relationship for generations only to have them closed due to off-trail riding. Some of this has come to a point of harassment, which is totally unacceptable. Knowing that law enforcement needed the tools and laws to better handle these issues. All the parties came together to come up with a law to prohibit off-trail riding where not wanted and a mechanism to enforce it.
Welcome to LD732, an Act to Prohibit Off-Trail Operation of a Snowmobile in an Area Closed to off-Trail operation.
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §13106-A, sub-§27 is enacted to read:
Operating snowmobile in posted area. A person may not operate a snowmobile off a snowmobile trail in an area that is posted as being closed to off-trail snowmobile operations. A person who violates this subsection commits a civil violation for which a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $500 may be adjudged. A person who violates this subsection after having been adjudicated as having committed 3 or more civil violations under this Part within the previous 5-year period commits a Class E crime.
SUMMARY: This bill prohibits a person from operating a snowmobile off a snowmobile trail in an area that is posted as being closed to off-trail snowmobile operation. It provides for a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $500 for the first violation of the prohibition and that a violation after 3 or more civil violations of the inland fisheries and wildlife laws is a Class E crime.
These signs are available through the State of Maine, Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Parks and Lands, Off-Road Vehicle Office, Snowmobile Program. It should be noted that these signs need to be posted as stated. It is in law and posted is defined as “posted” to mean containing signage that is reasonably likely to come to the attention of a person operating a snowmobile that indicates that off-trail snowmobiling is prohibited and that is placed by the landowner, the landowners representative, a local snowmobile club trail master serving as the landowners representative, a local snowmobile club representative or an employee of IF&W or DACF.
These signs should be installed in problematics areas and needs to be a joint effort with the landowners, snowmobile clubs, State of Maine snowmobile Program and if needed law enforcement. Let’s protect our landowners and trails for the future.
To order, they will be on the new sign order forms or on our website. Here is the link to our web site. https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/grants/snowmobile_grants/club.html
In the meantime, feel free to call or DACF at: 207-287-4957, joe.higgins@maine.gov