Snowmobiles Seized In Mt. Adams Wildernesses

TROUT LAKE, WA--Increased patrols for snowmobile use in Wildernesses comes afterthree men were cited recently for operating their snowmobiles in the Mt. Adams Wilderness, according to Gifford Pinchot National Forest officials.

Three men were cited in late March for snowmobiling in a designated Wilderness. Richard Reeder, Sr. and his son Richard Reeder, Jr. of Roy, Washington, were riding high on the northeast side of Mt. Adams when their riding companion, Brett Edwards of Olympia, Washington, broke through a snow bridge and fell into riding high on the northeast side of Mt. Adams when their riding companion, Brett Edwards of Olympia, Washington, broke through a snow bridge and fell into a crevasse, according to Mt. Adams District Ranger Greg Cox. A rescue coordinated by the Lewis County Sheriff's office freed Edwards, who suffered no injuries.

All three were cited by the Forest Service for using motorized vehicles in the Wilderness without authorization. The only justification for authorizing motorized use in Wildernesses is for the protection of life or resources. According to Section 4(c) of the 1964 Wilderness Act: "there shall be . . . no use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment . . . within any [Wilderness] area."

The snowmobiles were seized as evidence for court purposes. Each man faces a maximum penalty of 6 months in jail and a $5,000 fine. Their court date is set for April 14, 1998, in the Federal Magistrates Court in Vancouver, Washington.

Snowmobilers caught snowmobiling in any of the Forest's seven Wildernesses will be prosecuted, according to Forest Supervisor Ted Stubblefield. The 1964 Wilderness Act prohibits mechanized use in designated Wildernesses.

Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Revised: April 06, 1998.