Registering your snowmobile might become more expensive in Wyoming. The hope is this will save the budget of a state trails program.
Over the last two months, Wyoming lawmakers on the Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resource interim committee have been hearing from the snowmobiling world. Two main takeaways: Wyoming is world renowned for the sport and is seeing more users every year. But, the upkeep of trails along with inflation is putting the state trails program in the hole – to the tune of about half a million dollars a year.
And if that doesn’t change?
“We would have to start reducing operations in terms of our grooming,” said Chris Floyd, deputy director of Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, to lawmakers this spring. “We would have to make tough decisions and hurry too.”
Floyd said the program is pulling funds from a backup account and can only keep doing that for another two to three years. He added that they are responsible for about 2,500 groomed trails across the state. With increased demand, that means more grooming – about 90,000 miles every season.
“And our worry is if we do have to make those reductions it goes back to that product, which we’re trying to maintain, because it’s such a desirable thing and brings so many people here every year and so much economic impact,” Floyd said. “As that degrades you start to impact that [economic impact] as well, and so we believe that investing in that product it’s going to pay off in spades.”
A state report looking at the snowmobile industry from 2020-2021 winter season shows that the sport generates about $255 million in economic activity in Wyoming. Forrest Kamminga, manager of Wyoming State Trails, said that revenue for their department has remained steady. The issue is costs have gone up.
“A lot of that is tied to overhead. They’re [private contracted groomers] are having to pay operators more for an hourly rate,” Kamminga said. “Diesel fuel has significantly gone up. It’s just across the board – whether it's private sector or government we’re just having to pay operators more to keep them around.”
He pointed to the cost of a snowcat for grooming. In 2014, it cost about $200,000. Today, the same machine costs more than $300,000.
So, lawmakers are drafting a bill that’d increase snowmobile registration fees. Right now it’s $35 annual across the board for non-commercial uses. That’d go up to $50 for residents and $70 for non-residents starting July 1, next year. For commercial uses, it’d go from $105 to $150.
Many in the snowmobile world have testified in favor – like Taylor Jones of Sweetwater County. He said Wyoming’s trails are parallel to none – and part of that is because of the 44,000 thousand trail markers put out by the state trails program.
“Anybody who’s ridden very much has been caught in a blizzard from time to time, and without those trail markers, good chance you wouldn’t make it to your destination,” Jones said. “[The] glorious and glamorous side is how much fun it is. But the serious side is without this program some people might not make it home.”
The Wyoming State Snowmobile Association also voiced their support as long as the increased revenues go toward the industry.
Committee lawmakers seemed to unanimously support the bill, but chose not to vote on it quite yet earlier this month. They want to add language about vintage snowmobiles that would offer a reduced amount for a lifetime registration. It will likely specify that the snowmobile is at least 30 years old and is only being used for vintage events and races. Lawmakers will review the bill for a vote in their meeting this fall.
If passed, the bill won’t be voted on by the full legislature until the 2025 session this winter.
