Snowmachiners image tarnished

As being one who has always been against unnecessary regulations and government controls, it is with some difficulty that I voice my opinion concerning snowmachiners. However, because the real issue here is personal safety, and each individuals right to enjoying the outdoors, I feel compelled to share with your readers my observations of snowmachiners this past winter.

I live about 10 miles out of Knik, just off the Iditarod Trail. I travel the trail often, both by snowmachine and dog team. The following is a partial list of my observations of snowmachiners during this winter:

1.) A group of five snowmachiners harassed a junior dog musher, yelling very foul obscenities and demanding that he get the f*** off the trail. They circled him several times with their machines, constantly screaming at him. The boy, about 15 years old, tried telling them he was on the Iditarod, but it didnt seem to matter to the snowmachiners.

2.) I watched on several different occasions snowmachine people tearing down caution signs on the dog trails. These caution signs were put up by sled dog people in order to let snowmachiners know that dog teams also were using the trails, in the hope of alerting the snowmachiners to avoid collisions with dog teams. I have also seen snowmachiners intentionally run down sled dog trail markers and remove directional signs.

3.) For several weeks two groups of volunteer trail workers worked, diligently restoring about 10 miles of the original Iditarod Trail, which, by the way, is a National Historic Trail. Their intentions were to make a safe, usable sled dog trail for dog teams and cross-country skiers to use and enjoy. They cleared brush, groomed it and put it in hundreds of hours of labor to have a safe, usable trail.

During one weekend in mid-February, snowmachiners did everything possible to destroy that trail. They tore down official markers, (furnished by the federal government), rode full speed back and forth across the trail until the moguls were so deep and numerous the snowmachines couldnt even use the trail. I stopped one large group of machines in the middle of their trail partying to inform them they were on a sled dog trail and their reply was rude, So what? They also informed they would ride on whatever trails they felt like, as if they owned the countryside.

4.) I came to Knik to watch the Iditarod race teams head out to Nome. I was about a mile-and-a-half out on the trail from Knik and I could not believe the behavior of some of the snowmachiners. There were people zigzagging in and out of the teams, speeding up and down the trail, totally ignoring the posted speed limit for snowmachiners on that section of the Iditarod. Then I actually saw one snowmachine crash into an Iditarod dog team. I later read about the incident in the Daily News.

As stated previously, this is just a partial list of snowmachiners actions. There have been several other incidents of extremely reckless and inconsiderate behavior that I have personally witnessed involving snowmachines. However, they are far too numerous for this letter.

So, my problem with all this is, what gives this one select group, the snowmachiners, the right to take over trails that other non-motorized trail users attempt to utilize? Why do these people get away with such recklessness without concern for the safety of the general public? Why do these people get away with destroying other peoples work and efforts?

They have literally hundreds of trails to ride on. Why do they insist on running down dog trails and harassing and intimidating people that chose not to have a snowmachine? Why is it that they are permitted to totally obliterate trails used primarily by dog teams, cross-country skiers, and other non-motorized users?

Perhaps it is time for the state of Alaska to act in order to protect the safety of the non-snowmachine people using winter trails.

John Starkweather is a Wasilla resident.