January 3, 2024 |
Photo – A row of snow machines – Courtesy travelwyoming.com
Just before Christmas, the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office received two like-new snowmobiles for winter patrols.
Earlier this month, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners approved Sheriff Alex Bakken’s request to use Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act money to purchase two pre-owned snow machines. Sheriff Bakken said a condition of the federal funding requires that the sleds be used exclusively within the Snowy and Sierra Madre Mountain ranges.
Sheriff Bakken told his commissioners during the December meeting that his department received the two sleds.
Sheriff Bakken said he is in the process of writing a snowmobile patrol policy for his department. The sheriff said deputies will receive training from the US Forest Service and an in-house certified snowmobile instructor.
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office will use the two snowmobiles to patrol the mountains of Carbon County during peak recreational use time. At the December 5th board meeting, Sheriff Bakken said the Snowy Range receives more snowmobile tourism than the states of Montana and Colorado combined. The sheriff said his department will be the first agency in Wyoming to field a snowmobile patrol unit.
The sleds will also be used by Carbon County Search and Rescue volunteers. The sheriff’s department is responsible for coordinating search and rescue operations in Carbon County. Volunteers typically use their own equipment when responding to a rescue call. Sheriff Bakken said the two snowmobiles will serve as a backup for people who are unable to use their own machines.
