“Mud boggers” cause more than $16,000 in damages

The Jones Ranch Bench area, just off of Little Thompson Creek Road near Plains, used to be a green, open field. Now it looks a little like a war zone. Grass and plants have been replaced by mud pits filled with empty beer cans and tire tracks veining out from the center.

Sanders County Deputy Chris McGuigan said trucks were responsible for the damage. In the last two weeks, two different groups of young adults have been caught, one by the U.S. Forest Service and the other by the Sanders County Police Department, driving in the area.

McGuigan said the individuals are part of a growing youth trend called “mud bogging,” where people try to see how fast a truck or other off-road vehicle can drive through deep mud.

While McGuigan didn’t release the names of the individuals caught, he did say that they would most likely be looking at a felony criminal mischief charge.

“If convicted of a felony of mischief you’re looking at up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of 50,000, plus restitution,” McGuigan said.

Because of the activity’s growth around Plains, McGuigan said that people caught mud bogging would most likely have to pay the complete restitution costs to reclaim the land.

“You’re looking at an estimate of about $1,000 a day plus materials to reclaim this land and if you have to use any big heavy equipment it gets as high as $2,500 a day for reclamation work,” McGuigan said.

Larry Ballantyne, the Plains Department of Natural Resources and Conservation unit leader estimated damage to the Jones Bench area will cost between $16,000 to $20,000 to repair.

“If they get caught tearing up state property the state is going to take whatever measures are necessary to recover the land,” Ballantyne said. He added that the area is now permanently restricted for all recreation use.

“We’re in the process right now of fencing that area off so it can heal itself. We’re going to have to haul fill, seed it and find plants that will help recover the grounds,” Ballantyne said.

McGuigan, a hunter, outdoorsman and member of the Plains Back Country Horsemen was especially displeased at the inconsiderate nature of the mud bogging. He said that people have enough restrictions to live by and that activities like mud bogging will only add more. “When you mistreat the forest and you don’t respect it, that gives reason for the government and the state to take that land away from us and that’s what’s going to happen up here,” McGuigan said. “This is a perfect example of a few people spoiling it for everybody.”

The Jones Bench area is only one of three different spots in the county where mud bogging has left deep scars in the landscape. Swamp Creek drainage and The Bighorn Bluff subdivision owned by Town Creek and Township 101 are the other locations. Both places have yet to receive a final damage estimate.

Though mud bogging has happened in the past, this year Ballantyne said the damage has been greater, possibly because of the damp weather.

“It’s been a wet year so there’s been more places that have been muddy, so that probably had something to do with it,” Ballantyne said.

McGuigan said mud bogging could cause long-term environmental issues. For example, oil from vehicles can spill into streams and creek beds, contaminating the water.

McGuigan said that, because of small staffing levels, the Forest Service and the Sanders County Police Department are hoping for community help to find the other groups causing the damage. Individuals can remain anonymous if they desire, he added.

“Our biggest problem is lack of man power so we’re relying on the public to report what they see,” McGuigan said.

He also pointed out that his main concern was not simply to punish those who would be caught, but it was to protect the outdoor rights of the local community.

“Let’s get it stopped, we have enough regulations to abide by,” McGuigan said. “Let’s treat this land like it’s our own and respect it so were not shut out of the woods.”