Snowmobile trails closed, deputies crack down on violators

Most of the public snowmobile trails in southern Wisconsin were closed as of Monday because of warmer weather that has created poor conditions and put drought-stressed farm fields at further risk. Counties throughout the southern part of the state, including Dane, closed their trails until further notice, according to travelwisconsin.com. The only area counties that had at least some trails open on Monday were Dodge, Vernon and Waukesha. That was good news for the frost-free farm fields where much of the snow from last month's blizzard has melted and exposed dormant crops like winter wheat and alfalfa. "Running over that without frost in the ground and snow cover, you can damage crowns and damage plants that are already stressed by the drought," said Mark Mayer, an agriculture agent for the Green County UW-Extension. Complicating matters were snowmobilers who ventured off the trails and forced landowners to complain to authorities. Over the weekend, Dane County Sheriff's deputies partnered with DNR wardens to issue over 20 warnings and approximately 10 citations to snowmobilers. "Violations included such things as failing to stop at stop signs, registration problems, speeding after dark, no trail pass and no safety certification," said Dane County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer in a news release. None of the violations were for trespassing. "We still want to remind snowmobilers to stay on the designated trails, both for their own safety and for the landowner's protection," Schaffer said. Schaffer said the beefed-up patrols will continue after it snows again and the trails re-open. While most of the snowmobile trails remain open in the northern part of the state, less than half of the trails are open in the central portion, according to travelwisconsin.com.