Fee on snowmobile rentals would fund trail maintenance
<p>Ransom Metevier of Chewelah WA drvinig his snowmobile through the trail at the annual Poker Run in Trout Creek.</p>
A bill introduced to the Montana Legislature this week would add a small fee to snowmobile rentals to fund maintenance and grooming operations on Montana’s more than 4,000 miles of motorized winter trails.
Sen. Barry Usher, R-Billings, brought Senate Bill 165 before the Senate Fish and Game committee on Thursday to add a $5 “trail enhancement fee” for anyone who rents a snowmobile in Montana, with the intent of funneling the fees to the local snowmobile clubs that conduct grooming operations.
The bill is mostly aimed at tourists, Usher said, though he acknowledged that some Montanans would also pay the fee, including himself. But residents and visitors alike would greatly benefit from better trails.
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