The Gallatin National Forest is severely limiting snowmobile use in a wilderness study area south of Hyalite this winter.
Gallatin National Forest officials say they are not happy at all to issue the new restrictions.
"The Forest Service felt we had no other option than to further reduce snowmobile use to comply with the court order,” Marna Daley said.
"There’s going to be a lot of very upset people,” Kerry White of Citizens for Balanced Use said.
Here’s why snowmobilers are so angry – the area where snowmobiles are allowed in the Wilderness Study Area will be 85 percent smaller this winter. That means the area is down from 18,000 acres to just a 2,700-acre play area.
